410: Florence Bascom
Geologist & the First Female Geologist to Join the US Geological Survey
Born: 14 July 1862, Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States of America
Died: 18 June 1945, Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States of America
She joined the survey in 1896.
Florence was also the second woman in the United States to receive a PhD in Geology and the first woman to receive a PhD in any subject from Johns Hopkins University. She was also the first woman to present a paper before the Geological Society of Washington in 1901. In 1930, she became the first female officer of the Geological Society of America, being elected Vice President that year.
While attending Johns Hopkins she was forced to sit behind a screen in the back corner of the room to hide the fact that a woman had been inducted into the doctoral program.
Florence taught at two different schools and published over forty works on her studies. In 1901, she created Bryn Mawr’s Department of Geology.
Responsible for geographically mapping large portions of the United States, Florence also helped further our understanding of what formed the Appalachian Mountains.
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Located In My Personal Library:
Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Florence-Bascom
https://trowelblazers.com/florence-bascom/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24573802/florence-bascom