Great expectations: Florence Bascom (1842–1945) and the education of early US women geologists

Abstract

AbstractFlorence Bascom, the first woman to be awarded a PhD from Johns Hopkins University and the first professional US woman geologist, gained access through male connections into what was perceived to be a man's discipline. Her entrance into geology was not straightforward, but instead proceeded fairly erratically through an interwoven network of male acquaintances. Although Bascom's participation in professional circles garnered her acceptance by her male associates, it was her long academic career at Bryn Mawr College that made an impact on education and secured a supply of women in the discipline. Basing her instruction upon high expectations for herself and her students, innovative teaching techniques, and the pure joy she derived from geological investigation and geological thought, Bascom served as mentor to many in the succeeding generation of US women geologists. It was largely through Bascom's efforts that more women were able to pursue higher education in geology and excel at it in the first half of the 20th century.