Women in Microbiology

Many girls want to become scientists when they grow up, just like many boys do. But for these girls, the struggle to do what they love and to be treated with respect has been much harder because of the discrimination and bias in our society. In Women in Microbiology, we meet women who, despite these obstacles and against tough odds, have become scientific leaders and revered mentors. The women profiled in this collection range from historic figures like Alice Catherine Evans and Ruth Ella Moore to modern heroes like Michele Swanson and Katrina Forest.

What binds all of these remarkable women are a passion for their work, a zest for life, a warm devotion to mentoring others—especially younger women—and a sense of justice and fairness that they are willing to fight tirelessly to obtain. Each story is unique, but each woman featured in Women in Microbiology has done so much to expand our knowledge of the natural world while also making it easier for the next generation of scientists to work collaboratively and in an atmosphere where people are judged by their intellect, imagination, skill, and commitment to service regardless of gender or race.

Women in Microbiology is a wonderful collection of stories that will inspire everyone, but especially young women and men who are wondering how to find their way in the working world. Some of the names are familiar and some are lesser known, but all of the stories arouse a sense of excitement, driven by tales of new, important scientific insights, stories of overcoming adversity and breaking boundaries, and the inclusion of personal tips and advice from successful careers. These stories are proof that a person can live a balanced and passionate life in science that is rich and rewarding.

Contributors

Foreword–Congresswoman Louise Slaughter xv

Prefaces

From Rachel J. Whitaker xvii

From Hazel A. Barton xix

About the Editors xxiii

1 The Group Accomplishes More than the Individual 1
Bonnie L. Bassler

2 Exploring the Living Infinite 9
Antje Boetius

3 Oceans of Prochlorococcus 19
Sallie “Penny” Chisholm

4 Catalyst of a Quiet Revolution 29
Margaret Dayhoff

5 A Pioneer Among South American Scientists 37
Johanna Döbereiner

6 A Path of Creativity, Persistence, and Rigorous Testing 49
Diana Downs

7 A Force of Nature 57
Nicole Dubilier

8 A Force in the World of Environmental Microbiology 65
Katrina J. Edwards

9 The Shoulders Upon Which So Many Stand 75
Alice Catherine Evans

10 Groundbreaking Journey of a Microbial Matriarch 87
Mary K. Firestone

11 Turbulence and Triumph 99
Lady Amalia Fleming

12 A Renaissance Woman in Microbiology 105
Katrina T. Forest

13 Unlocking the Genetic Code of Emerging Outbreaks 113
Elodie Ghedin

14 A Woman of Grace and Acerbic Wit 121
Jane Gibson

15 Scarred Pioneer and Protector of the Biosphere 125
Millicent C. Goldschmidt

16 An Exceptional Scientist and Mentor 137
Susan Gottesman

17 Free Spirit 147
Carlyn Halde

18 Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend 159
Jo Handelsman

19 With Grace, Enthusiasm, and True Grit 171
Caroline Harwood

20 Lifelong Mentor 183
Marian Johnson-Thompson

21 Salt of the Earth 193
Carol D. Litchfield

22 The First African-American to Earn a Ph.D. in the Natural Sciences 207
Ruth E. Moore

23 The Winding Path of a Brilliant Scientific Life 213
Nancy A. Moran

24 Ensuring That No Knowledge Is Ever Lost 219
Flora Patterson

25 Creativity through Freedom 233
Felicitas Pfeifer

26 An Early Mycologist 237
Beatrix Potter

27 An Almost Unbeatable Force 243
Abigail Salyers

28 Enthusiasm and Insight in the World of Archaea 253
Christa Schleper

29 An Early Voice for Bacterial Biochemical Experimenters 257
Marjory Stephenson

30 A Rewarding Career and Life in Balance 269
Michele Swanson

31 Broken Vials and Urgency 283
The Legacy of Patricia Ann Webb

32 It’s Never Too Late to Bloom 295
Donna M. Wolk

33 Pioneer in Microbial Genetics 305
Esther Miriam Zimmer Lederberg

34 Women Microbiologists at Rutgers in the Early Golden Age of Antibiotics 317

At A Glance
Many girls want to become scientists when they grow up, just like many boys do. But for these girls, the struggle to do what they love and to be treated with respect has been much harder because of the discrimination and bias in our society. In Women in Microbiology, we meet women who, despite these obstacles and against tough odds, have become scientific leaders and revered mentors. The women profiled in this collection range from historic figures like Alice Catherine Evans and Ruth Ella Moore to modern heroes like Michele Swanson and Katrina Forest.

Description
The title of this book makes it clear what it covers: the presence, role, and achievements of women in the field of microbiology from the early 20th century to present day, with all the obstacles, fights, and other barriers that such a topic implies.

Purpose
The goal of this collection of portraits is to motivate and encourage women to engage in scientific careers and to pursue with tenacity, however difficult it might be. The numbers are eloquent: "Women obtain approximatively 50% of all doctorates in biology, yet only 36% of Assistant Professors are women, a number that drops to 18% for Full Professors."

Audience
One would think that the main readership of this book would be men and women, generally speaking. Certainly, that is true, but the reality is more complex. It might be an inspirational collection for young students, kids in high school, and apprentice biologists in the early phase of learning. But this book goes beyond: it is a contribution to the writing of a history still in the making. It probably cannot be read from cover to cover because of its format, but it can be consulted on an episodic basis and could also be used as a textbook, with the chapters used as a basis for discussions, seminars, mid- or end-of-term papers, and other student essays.

Features
Addressing the question of women in the recent field of microbiology with the objective to show that women were not "relegated to supporting roles" whereas "the science of microbiology has been propelled forward by male scientists" probably posed a challenge to the authors: it is probably too soon to write a history of women in microbiology as this history is still unfolding. The authors chose a different strategy — offering a series of 34 portraits. Each such portrait results in a brief chapter (10 to 12 pages), written in a vivid way to share the experience of the life of each of these women.

Assessment
This series of enthralling multifaceted personal stories are like pieces of a mosaic, the full image of which is not yet known. Color and black-and-white illustrations complete the narrative, as do the references to the publications by these women and about them, resulting in a short, yet substantial and comprehensive, portfolio. Just one regret: the portraits are ordered in the alphabetical order of the women's last names, a classification that makes the whole story impersonal and does not provide a sense of history.

Review Questionnaire

Range/ Question/ Score
1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 6
1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 6
1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5
1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 3
1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 3
1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 3
1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 5
1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. 3
1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. 3
1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5
1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 3
1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 3
1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 5
1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book N/A
1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 6
1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? N/A
—Alain Touwaide, PhD (The Huntington)

Women in Microbiology

First Edition

Many girls want to become scientists when they grow up, just like many boys do. But for these girls, the struggle to do what they love and to be treated with respect has been much harder because of the discrimination and bias in our society. In Women in Microbiology, we meet women who, despite these obstacles and against tough odds, have become scientific leaders and revered mentors. The women profiled in this collection range from historic figures like Alice Catherine Evans and Ruth Ella Moore to modern heroes like Michele Swanson and Katrina Forest.

What binds all of these remarkable women are a passion for their work, a zest for life, a warm devotion to mentoring others—especially younger women—and a sense of justice and fairness that they are willing to fight tirelessly to obtain. Each story is unique, but each woman featured in Women in Microbiology has done so much to expand our knowledge of the natural world while also making it easier for the next generation of scientists to work collaboratively and in an atmosphere where people are judged by their intellect, imagination, skill, and commitment to service regardless of gender or race.

Women in Microbiology is a wonderful collection of stories that will inspire everyone, but especially young women and men who are wondering how to find their way in the working world. Some of the names are familiar and some are lesser known, but all of the stories arouse a sense of excitement, driven by tales of new, important scientific insights, stories of overcoming adversity and breaking boundaries, and the inclusion of personal tips and advice from successful careers. These stories are proof that a person can live a balanced and passionate life in science that is rich and rewarding.