Biography of Dr. Brenda J Little
Dr. Brenda J. Little of the Naval Research Laboratory Stennis Space Center is the recipient of the 1995 women in Science and Engineering Award. This award recognizes specific or special scientific or technical contributions by a woman scientist in the Federal service and specific contributions made by a woman scientist toward encouraging young girls and women to pursue science or engineering careers, or enhance employment, promotional or development opportunities for women scientists in their field. Dr. Little, head of the Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion Section at NRL, has worked on MIC projects for the Department of Energy and the U. S. Army, and has served as a consultant to the U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Atomic Energy Laboratory of Canada.
In addition to her accomplishments in basic research, Dr. Little also works on U. S. Navy platforms to identify and control MIC. Her research has been used to determine the cause of corrosion failures in weapons systems, seawater piping systems, storage tanks and other U. S. Navy equipment. She is currently
investigating fungal growths on wooden spools and corrosion of wire ropes used to transfer people and
weapons between ships.
In 1988 Dr. Little received a patent award for an innovative dual-cell corrosion measuring device, the only published technique for quantifying the electrochemical impact of microorganisms on metal surfaces. In 1985 she was selected by the National Science Foundation as one of eight American Scientists to attend a workshop on biodeterioration in La Plata, Argentina, and to attend a similar NSF workshop in Paris, France in 1988.
Dr. Little is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and Montana State University,
and has collaborative research with investigators at Harvard University, University of Southern California,
University of South Alabama, University of Tennessee, Texas A&M University, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Singing River Chapter of the American Business Women's Association selected Dr. Little as one of the
ten 1990 Women of the Year on the Gulf Coast for her participation in programs for women in science and
technology. She has been keynote speaker for several Women in Science and Technology Conferences for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, has participated in career day programs sponsored by the
Girl Scouts Chapters of Mississippi, and has presented lectures at honors classes in chemistry and biology
and local schools.
She is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Adhesion Society, the Electrochemical Society, the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, Sigma Xi, Federally Employed Women, and the Mississippi Academy of Science.
Lisa is the 2014 Board Vice-Chairman of the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville and serves on the board of St. Timothy's school in Maryland.
...ine, the Industry Advancement Award from the American Meat Institute, the Beef Top 40 Industry Leaders Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and many more. She has also received the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Livestock Conservation Institute, been named a Distinguished Alumni at Franklin Pierce College, and received an honorary doctorate from McGill University, University of Illinois, and Duke University.
What is the most important scientist in human history? Some people many instantly think of Albert Einstein who is famous for his work with the theory of relativity. Or of Isaac Newton who came up with the theory of gravity. Few will think of Marie Currie for her work with radioactivity or of Rosaline Franklin who discovered that DNA was shaped in a double healix. These women’s work are immensely important. Without their work in the field we would know significantly less about radioactivity and the structure of DNA. Since these women’s work drastically changed and improved science then why aren’t more girls choosing career paths in STEM fields?
Roscher, Nina M., and Cavanaugh, Margaret A. (1987). "Academic Women Chemists in the 20th Century: Past, Present, Projections." Journal of Chemical Education 64:823-827.
...roblems of integration. If the science world takes advantage of undiscovered female talent, science as a whole will benefit greatly. For example, the original group of ENIAC programmers consisted of 6 women. In 1946, these women helped to develop the first operating stored-program computer.6 If female talent such as this goes to waste because of social neglect, the science world will never know what possible discoveries that could have been made with the help of women. If Dr. Djerassi is accurate with his examples of discrimination, the science world should take note of these problems and attempt to solve them.
Schiff, Karenna Gore. Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America. New York: HYPERION, 2005. Print.
Smith, J, & Phelps, S (1992). Notable Black American Women, (1st Ed). Detroit, MI: Gale
Lead Mentor at STEMbility in the field of Augmented Reality where we conduct workshops for students and provide them a hands on experience.
Reinhold, Robert. "Behind Each Astronaut Stand The 'Other' Women of NASA." New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Headquarters, Department of the Army (31 August 2007), FM 3-05.132 Army Special Operations Forces Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Operations,
Imagine life in a woman’s shoes perusing a career in the STEM field where there is no respect and acknowledgements for your discoveries that would discourage and scare of maybe some of the most brilliant minds the world has yet to encounter. Proof excellently executed the illustration of women’s struggles and hardships they encounter not only in day to day life but in the field they have a passion for. The Many accounts mentioned illustrates the brave and noble women who have made very important contributions to research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But many women don’t publish because they are discouraged, just think in the period Princeton turned away women they might have turned away the cure for
The gender gap that results in the absence of women in STEM is progressive and persistent. Not only is this an issue of equity, but a lack of female participation in STEM results in a lack of diversity among perspectives regarding solutions to problems and other scientific endeavors. The gender gap in STEM can be seen as the result of several factors including teacher bias in the classroom, a chilly climate from male colleagues as they progress through their careers, little societal support for wanting a career and a family, lacking role models in their study of interest, and an overall lack of science preparation when it comes to pursuing a STEM career.
Tamborini, Ron ; Eastin, Matthew S. ; Skalski, Paul ; Lachlan, Kenneth ; Fediuk, Thomas A. ;
Jones, Abigail. "The Ultimate Career Woman." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 05 Mar. 2009. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
I interviewed three of the most influential women in my life. Lynne Wesh, my step mother, was born in 1948. She graduated from Gettysburg College in 1970, got married and had two children. She worked as a teacher for many years, leaving only after her first child was born. Lynne later went back to school to become a social worker. She is currently a stay-at-home mom