Quiet Heroes of Science
For my first Extension I have chosen to research about a woman named Annie Jump Cannon. She was a renowned astronomer who lived from 1863-1941. She was a true pioneer for women everywhere and greatly contributed to the field of astronomy. This is an essay about her accomplishments as a Quiet Hero of Science.
Annie Jump Cannon was born in Dover Delaware on December 11, 1863. As a young child and throughout her life she was not able to hear as well as other people. Despite this, she led a relatively normal life. She discovered her interest in astronomy at a very young age when her mother taught her the constellations. She pursued these interests at Wellesley College where she studied physics, astronomy, and even how to make spectroscopic measurements. After graduating from Wellesley, she returned home. Also, unknown to most, she was an expert in the new field of photography. She loved to travel so she went to Spain with her new box camera and took pictures. Later, when she returned home, she put all of her photos into an album. This was then published and titled “In the Footsteps of Columbus.”
By this time you might be a little confused. “Isn’t this paper supposed to be about an Astronomer and not a photographer.” Well, you are correct. I was just giving some background information. Any ways, by this time Annie was beginning to grow unsatisfied with the way her life was turning out. She had started off wanting to be an astronomer but instead she was being recognized as a photographer. So after her mother died in 1894, Annie returned to Wellesley as an assistant to the physics department and became a special student of astronomy at Radcliffe. In 1896 she was part of America’s first x-ray experimen...
... middle of paper ...
... is “Responding with Wonderment and Awe.” I say this because I cannot imagine why a person would spend their entire life devoted to recording the data of stars inless they truly love their proffession. This means that Annie must have really enjoyed recording stars. If she did not enjoyed recording data from stars, she would have surely quit long before her proffession took off.
What impressed me about this particular scientist was her sheer dedication to her field of study. I mean, she was only getting paid 50 cents an hour to do gruelling mind work. That is just mind boggling to me. Also, it is truly amazing how many awards she won and things she accomplished during her lifetime. Especially since she was working at a time when women were considered a minority. Overall, this was just a truly amazing woman and I am glad I had the opportunity to research about her.
Keller, Evelyn Fox. Reflections on Gender and Science: 10th Anniversary Edition. New Haven and London: Yale University, 1995.
Rossiter, Margaret W. (1982). Women Scientists in America: Struggles and Strategies to 1940. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press
...ause of her set out to do something she was passionate about. She gave her research a chance. Although it took more to authenticate her work, she did that in
Boyle, Kay. "Astronomer's Wife." Responding to Literature: Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays. Fourth Edition. Ed. Judith A. Stanford. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 619-623.
Orr, Tamra. Sally Ride: The First American Woman in Space. New York: Rosen Central, 2004. Print.
Rosalind Franklin: Seeing a woman as a scientist during this time is somewhat rare, so the fact that she has taken up this profession show that she is persistent, dedicated, and smart. The only problem is that she is undervalued because of her gender. She is also very quiet and reserved because she’s in a different country.
One of the things that make her such a good role model for young women is the fact that she herself comes from a humble background. She was born and raised on Pelham Parkway in the Bronx and she was the youngest daughter in a family of four. Her parents and older sibling were all well educated with her father working as a accountant and her mother and older sister having majored in mathematics while in school. Perhaps this is the reason why she herself chose to pursue mathematics as a career choice (The Poster Project Biographies). Having made up her mind to study mathematics the next step that she was forced to take was choosing a college to attend. This was difficult because at the time there were very few women mathematicians that she could look at as examples and try to emulate.
Although Maria Mitchell was known for her brilliance of discovering a comet and the amount of success she endured in all of her work, she was more than that, she was also an advocate for ending slavery and helped found what was called, “American Association for the Advancements of Women”. She wanted all women to have equal rights; she was a voice for the women who couldn’t speak up. Maria Mitchell wanted women to be heard and because of her noble, and self less actions she was elected to be apart of the Women’s
Annie Oakley was one of six children. Both her mother and her father were quakers and they did not have very much money. Her father passed away when she was just six years old. At the age of eight or nine, Annie went to live with the superintendent’s family in the Darke County Infirmary. The infirmary housed elderly, orphaned, and the mentally ill. Annie received
In the world of science there are many discoveries. “A discovery is like falling in love and reaching the top of a mountain after a hard climb all in one, an ecstasy not induced by drugs but by the revelation of a face of nature … and that often turns out to be more subtle and wonderful than anyone had imagined.” (Ferdinand Puretz). Most people in the world we live in lack to notice and or appreciate the gift of sight in life. By not cherishing the gift of sight and using it properly, many discoveries are left unfound. In the writing piece, Seeing, Annie Dillard speaks of nature and the small things that we all are unconsciously blind to and not appreciative of. Seeing explores the idea of what it means to truly see things in this world. Annie Dillard’s main point is that we should view the world with less of a meddling eye, so that we are able to capture things that would otherwise go unnoticed. There’s a science to how we view things in nature. Dillard attempts to persuade her reader to adopt to her way of seeing, which is more artificial rather than natural.
Copernicus’ Secret is a biography of an astronomer and a cleric who established that the earth was never the center of the cosmos. The author, Jack Repcheck, explores the action-packed last 12 years of Copernicus’s life that altered the track of western history. The main aim of the author is to give a precise in-depth human explanation of the events that led to the scientific revolution. He also tries to bring this scientific genius to life in a manner, which has never been achieved in the past. In addition, the author also tries to reveal some of the little known weak character traits of Copernicus at the time of his major theories.
One of the most notable contributors to the field of astronomy, never actually worked a telescope. The unjust discrimination against women barred one of the most brilliant astronomers of the 20th century from ever actually viewing the stars she was studying. This did not pose a problem however, as Henrietta Swan Leavitt challenged these notions of female inferiority and ineptitude by entering the predominately male field of astrology and excelling. Henrietta Leavitt's prodigious discovery of the period-luminosity relationship amongst Cepheid variable stars would forever change the way we perceive the universe and known galaxies as well as lay the foundation for astronomers such as Harlow Shapley, Hertzsprung, and Edwin Hubble to expand our knowledge of the universe.
Annie Leibovitz is one of the best portrait photographers in this modern age. Her works focus on varied subjects but hover more among celebrity portraits. Apart from these, her photographs depict visual stories that affect audience's emotions. The diversity and life of her photographs create visual artistic realms that touch the soul.
Annie was born in Waterbury, Connecticut and spent most of her childhood in military bases, because her father had a career as an officer in the AIR FORCE. Growing up one of six, her father was circulating everywhere. Annie’s mother, was a stay at home mom, a wife, and a teacher. If she ever talked clamorously or if she was eager, she claimed it was because of her extensive and uproarious family foundation. She took classes at night to study the art of painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. In 1970, her distinctive portraits started showing in Rolling Stone magazine, and have been ever since (“Annie Leibovitz a photographers life1990-2005”). Annie Leibovitz is one of Americas’ most well known celebrity portrait photographer for her work in Rolling Stone magazine and her work in Vanity Fair.
... the first photographers to be able to take photos at night and he showed the public of the interiors of homes and factories in order to show vividly the living and working conditions of New York’s poor. He would then publicize the pictures in order to show the world what was going on in these parts of the country. Until the end of his life he continued to write and lecture about the conditions of America’s poor.