WATCH PARTY – Recovering the History of Women in Science

Presentation: Collections, Data, and Representation in Digital Historical Work

In this talk, digital historian Dr. Sharon Leon lays the groundwork for the day’s
presentations. Dr. Leon will historicize the development of the field of digital
history and discuss the challenges that libraries, archives, and museums face to
make records about women in their collections more discoverable. To
conclude, she will describe the tools and strategies that digital historians and
researchers are using to tackle these challenges.

Presentation: Uncovering the Scientific Impact of Women at the Smithsonian Using Machine Learning

One challenge in surfacing comprehensive stories of women in science at the Smithsonian is the distributed and incomplete nature of digitized data and collections. In this talk, learn about how two Smithsonian data scientists, Drs. Mirian Tsuchiya and Rebecca Dikow, are using computational tools such as machine learning to make connections across disparate data sources at scale. They discuss their ongoing work to build the computational workflows necessary to allow Smithsonian researchers and scholars to compile more complete histories of Smithsonian women in science.

Lightning Talk: The Women Behind the Pseudonyms: Uncovering the Lives of Anonymous Nineteenth-Century Science Writers

In the 1840s, botanist Elizabeth Carrington Morris and her sister, entomologist Margaretta Hare Morris, used pseudonyms to write articles for the American Agriculturist, a national journal with more than 10,000 subscribers. Margaretta eventually used her own name, becoming a renowned scientist. Elizabeth maintained her anonymity, which played a large role in her erasure from the history of 19th century American science. In this presentation, Dr. Catherine McNeur examines the freedom that pseudonyms allowed, as well as the challenges they pose for remembering the legacy of scientists like the Morris sisters.

Presentation Hidden Voices: A Data Analysis of Subject Headings for Books on Women in Science

Despite rising academic and public interest in the history of women in STEM, libraries continue to face a lack of books available for purchase as well as online
catalogs that are inadequate in capturing the breadth of such works. When 4 people attempt to locate books about women in STEM, they may run into barriers. Dr. Heidi Blackburn and Dr. Jason Heppler will discuss their study of the relationship between Library of Congress Subject Headings and author-assigned keywords used to describe non-fiction books about women in science professions in the last 20 years. Their analysis illuminates how these works construct knowledge about women in STEM, but also highlights the limits of our catalogs in capturing and surfacing important content.

Uncovering the Work of Women in Science in Library, Archive and Museum Collections

The events of 2020 have called attention to the need for scholars and memory workers to be more transparent and mindful about unveiling the stories of
marginalized groups. In this session, librarians, archivists, data scientists, and historians come together to talk about their experiences of researching and
writing the history of women in science. Participants will discuss their projects and the difficulties of creating and sharing content about women in the digital
realm.

Watch with us live! @ https://s.kast.live/g/nan1ffv33h7