Comments on: Ada Lovelace, Mary Somerville and Agnes Clarke

By: Alice Sheppard

Alice Sheppard — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:14:47 +0000

Is surfing the internet a traditionally anything discpline? Andy: hehe

At the zoo the male : female ratio is 3.6 : 1 (the number of women – or people who actually put their gender down – is slowly climbing). However, out of the top ten chatterboxes, 3 are men and 7 are women.

Chris, you should write another post before your blog becomes the local chatterbox site . . . what about us doing the million galaxies in only 72 hours 50 minutes then?

By: Andy Lawrence

Andy Lawrence — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:38:53 +0000

A plug and a joke. Plug. There is an excellent book about Mary Agnes Clerke by Mary Bruck. I recommend it as a fascinating insight into nineteenth century astronomy in general, as well as the life of Clerke. Joke. I know someone who always refers to the WHT as the CHBT – Caroline Herschel’s Brother’s Telescope.

By: Philip S

Philip S — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:32:17 +0000

Is surfing the internet a traditionally womanly discipline?

By: Alice Sheppard

Alice Sheppard — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:51:05 +0000

Philip S – well is sitting at home classifying galaxies not both manly and womanly? Also – it means educating your children and providing for them well so that they get to know about good sites like the zoo . . .

By: Philip S

Philip S — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:49:47 +0000

I definately respect what you are doing for Galaxy Zoo but how would admiring and encouraging men to “do brilliantly at traditionally womanly disciplines” further our knowledge of the Universe?

By: Alice Sheppard

Alice Sheppard — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:58:52 +0000

I’m always delighted to see women doing well in science – though I often feel that I personally must be a disgrace to feminism because my mathematical and technological talent is zero, and my forte in science is definitely the human side.

My involvement in Galaxy zoo is as a mother, a nurturer. I don’t do brilliantly myself, but I hope I help others to be brilliant. I wish that care and teaching and bringing up children were better regarded by society. The dear government has arranged that it is financially very dangerous to take care of your own children, and any job involving looking after people is poorly paid and not exactly looked up to. Even though, without these things, we wouldn’t be getting far as living creatures.

I sometimes also think that making a massive fuss of women in science merely makes us (if I may say “us”) look like freaks. But I’m sure that’s far outweighed by the encouragement and examples. I think men who do brilliantly at traditionally womanly disciplines should be admired and encouraged as well, and then we can settle down into a comfortable mix!