Comments on: Boston Skeptics’ Book Club #7 http://bostonskeptics.com/2010/05/boston-skeptics-book-club-7/ Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:58:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mary http://bostonskeptics.com/2010/05/boston-skeptics-book-club-7/comment-page-1/#comment-973 Mary Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:06:37 +0000 http://bostonskeptics.com/?p=804#comment-973 I also liked the part where Fermi was very aware of how much credit he would get if Mayer included his name on her paper. And I thought the case of Rosalind Franklin was an interesting contrast, because she didn't appear to have that supportive group of males. Interestingly, though, Franklin has become more well known posthumously, but that may have been because of the notoriety surrounding Watson's novel that trashed her and the follow up novel and essays describing her actual scientific contributions. Can't wait to see you at the next meeting! I also liked the part where Fermi was very aware of how much credit he would get if Mayer included his name on her paper. And I thought the case of Rosalind Franklin was an interesting contrast, because she didn’t appear to have that supportive group of males.

Interestingly, though, Franklin has become more well known posthumously, but that may have been because of the notoriety surrounding Watson’s novel that trashed her and the follow up novel and essays describing her actual scientific contributions.

Can’t wait to see you at the next meeting!

]]> By: TomR http://bostonskeptics.com/2010/05/boston-skeptics-book-club-7/comment-page-1/#comment-972 TomR Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:35:09 +0000 http://bostonskeptics.com/?p=804#comment-972 I was going to attend the book club for the first time so I read the book (most of it). Unfortunately I had a graduation to attend. As an engineer I especially enjoyed reading about Lillian Gilbreth, but what really struck me was a couple of the discoveries that the women at Harvard made that the author lightly touched on. Henrietta Leavit developed a method for calculating stars' distance, and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was the first to discover stars were mostly hydrogren. Neither woman got any credit for either of these discoveries, but they are both now fundamental to their fields. The other thing that stuck out for me was Maria Mayer and the level of support and protection her male colleagues afforded her. Especially in Enrico Fermi's outright refusal to allow her to put his name on her paper for the electron shell theory as he rightfully believed it would become his discovery and she would be completely forgotten. I hope I can come out this month and discuss parasites. I was going to attend the book club for the first time so I read the book (most of it). Unfortunately I had a graduation to attend.

As an engineer I especially enjoyed reading about Lillian Gilbreth, but what really struck me was a couple of the discoveries that the women at Harvard made that the author lightly touched on. Henrietta Leavit developed a method for calculating stars’ distance, and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was the first to discover stars were mostly hydrogren. Neither woman got any credit for either of these discoveries, but they are both now fundamental to their fields.

The other thing that stuck out for me was Maria Mayer and the level of support and protection her male colleagues afforded her. Especially in Enrico Fermi’s outright refusal to allow her to put his name on her paper for the electron shell theory as he rightfully believed it would become his discovery and she would be completely forgotten.

I hope I can come out this month and discuss parasites.

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