Visualizing Women in Science: How to Uncover Women Scientists Hidden in the Archive

This month’s Science on Tap talk will consider the digital project Visualizing Women in Science, a multiyear effort at the American Philosophical Society to find evidence of forgotten women scientists in the APS collections.

As women entered the academic workforce in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they undertook formal and informal efforts at networking and elevating each other’s work, with mixed levels of success. This project shows how to read across these networks, finding the women who helped elevate their peers and those whose contributions have been overshadowed by their more famous colleagues.

About the Speaker

David Ragnar Nelson is the digital projects specialist at the Library & Museum of the American Philosophical Society (APS). He earned his PhD in Germanic languages and literatures from the University of Pennsylvania, where his research focused on the history of material texts and the digital humanities. His research interests concern the application of computational methods to archival collections, including open historic data, linked open data, data visualization, handwritten text recognition, and document layout analysis. Digital projects and initiatives he has participated in include a digital edition of Francis Daniel Pastorius’s “Bee-Hive” manuscript, a searchable database of the account books of Benjamin and Deborah Franklin, and a network visualization of connections between women scientists in the APS collections. He is currently working to create an updated digital subject guide for the APS’s collections in the history of science in the 20th century.

About the Series

Science on Tap is a monthly speaker series that features brief, informal presentations by Philadelphia-based scientists and other experts followed by lively conversation and a Q&A. The goal is to promote enthusiasm for science in a fun, spirited, and accessible way, while also meeting new people. Come join the conversation!