December 2005
WISE continues Oral History Project by Jocelyn Anleitner Have you ever heard the story of University of Michigan botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter? They made history in 1938, becoming the first women to successfully make it down the Grand Canyon. Fortunately, their stories have been well-preserved. Those of other Michigan alumnae have not. The Women in Science and Engineering Oral History Project will begin collecting the histories of University of Michigan alumnae in engineering, the physical sciences and medicine who graduated between 1930 and 1959. "It is so important to acknowledge and recognize the contributions and experiences of these women who have come here before us," says Dr. Cinda-Sue Davis, WISE Program Director. "It's an important part of Michigan's past that needs to be preserved." In one story, a woman tells of a time when her chemistry lab professor selected her to help in a demonstration, not expecting her to succeed; her professor was so shocked at her competence and abilities that he told her he "changed his attitude for women engineers." The project, run by the WISE program and sponsored by the Alumnae Council (which annually sponsors a Birthday Greeting program to recognize and fund projects that have a direct relationship to the advancement of women at the U-M.), will begin collecting the oral histories of University of Michigan alumnae in engineering, the physical sciences and medicine who graduated between 1930 and 1959. This project is an exciting endeavor intended to capture the unique memories of these ground-breaking women. The program is in the process of selecting interviewees, who will be comprised of a diverse group of women in an effort to provide a well-rounded and balanced historical record. Their stories will provide a means by which current students can compare their experiences to others who lived in a very different time, both socially and technologically. The transcriptions, tapes, and other collected materials (photos and letters, for example) from this project will be housed as a collection at the Bentley Historical Library on North Campus. Besides archiving this historical record, this project will be the basis for a display in the Duderstadt Center on North campus, on display during National Engineers Week in February. Once this project is complete, the University of Michigan and the general public will have easy access to an amazing and rare primary source. Hopefully, they will not only educate but inspire students to work-hard and achieve their academic aspirations. |
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