World War II proved an age of female empowerment on the home–front, as women kept the world running by stepping up to fill both jobs and societal roles traditionally held by men while the men were off at war. The same principle held true for education, and ISU (Iowa State College at the time) was not the only co-ed college in the country where female students temporarily outnumbered their male counterparts. The majority of these women still veered towards liberal arts and home economics majors, but a large number also waded into the hard sciences. Many of them discovered that they possessed an untapped talent for STEM research. Below are a handful of examples.
Senior Portrait of Beatrice Bruner. Bomb Yearbook 1941, pg. 48
Beatrice Bruner Dowd (1924-1998), a native of Rolfe, Iowa, graduated from Iowa State College with her B.S. in Mathematics in 1941. She was very active in clubs and societies, and she also saved a great deal of correspondence from her time in school, where it appears she was well-loved and had many friends.
Letter from a college friend. RS 21/7/117 Box 5, Folder 7
Letter from a college friend. RS 21/7/117 Box 5, Folder 7.
Such letters are always interesting to peruse, because they reveal glimpses of life on campus at the time, above and beyond the education and career of the individual. Price changes in particular catch my attention. For example, did you know that Beatrice paid only a $5.00 deposit on her dorm room in 1940? With inflation taken into account, that’s about $90 in today’s currency. And one of her friends wrote that she was worried about having already spent $0.20 (equivalent to about $3.60 today) at the Union for her meals that morning – that it was so difficult to keep one’s daily expenses under $0.60 (about $10.80 today).
Room Deposit Slip. RS 21/7/117 Box 5, Folder 7.
It is unclear who, if anyone, might have encouraged Beatrice to pursue mathematics, but her college friends’ letters reference her aptitude in STEM subjects, particularly physics, several times.
In 1943, after graduation, Beatrice joined the Navy, whereupon she was assigned to study meteorology at the University of California at Los Angeles so she could work as a Naval Weather Forecaster. Her papers contain her notes (and some doodles) from various courses she took at UCLA.
Beatrice’s notes from a course on tropical meteorology. RS 21/7/117 Box 3, Folder 15.
It is unclear why Dowd saved this amusing doodle on her weather maps from school, or whether she or a friend drew it. But it is certainly unique. RS 21/7/117 Box 3, Folder 15.
Her papers also include procedural documents and training materials from the Navy. Some of these employ humor as a memory aid, as is the case with the cartoons below. Researchers who would like to peruse the full collection of training cartoons, however, should be aware that some of these contain racist depictions of Japanese military personnel.
United States Naval Training Division’s Humorous Training Cards and Famous Last Lines. RS 21/7/117 Box 3, Folder 16.
United States Naval Training Division’s Humorous Training Cards and Famous Last Lines. RS 21/7/117 Box 3, Folder 16.
After the war, Beatrice worked for a company called Sylvania Electronic Products (later known as GTE Government Systems), where she eventually became the Engineering Department Manager before retiring in 1986. Curiously, she also belonged to a group known as the Association of Old Crows (AOC), begun in the 1960s by veterans who had worked as Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) officers in World War II, disrupting enemy communications and radars. The group exists to this day, creating symposiums and journals to educate the public about electronic warfare.
Association of Old Crows Certificate. RS 21/7/117 Box 8.
Hilda S. White (1953-1997) received her Ph.D. from Iowa State after earning her bachelors in Chemistry from Bethany College, West Virginia, in 1942.
Excerpt from an autobiographical note by Hilda S. White. RS 21/7/109 Box 1, Folder 2.
While a grad student at Iowa State, she met her future husband, Phil White, who went on to earn his D.Sc. at Harvard, where both he and Hilda were employed as biochemists in the Department of Food and Nutrition for about two years.
Immediately following this, Phil’s program at Harvard sent him to Lima, Peru to perform analysis on food consumption in that country, and Hilda accompanied him. It is unclear precisely what her role in the expedition was, as even her own subsequent write-up of the trip centers around her husband’s job and paints her own experience primarily as that of a housewife, referencing the birth of her first child (which would undoubtedly have consumed much of her time!).
Excerpt from a report on her time in Peru. RS 21/7/109 Box 1, Folder 1.
But she was also, it seems, performing research connected to the project simultaneously, publishing papers in professional journals, and receiving her own salary from Harvard.
Research published during Phil and Hilda’s time in Peru. RS 21/7/109 Box 1, Folder 1.
Research published during Phil and Hilda’s time in Peru. RS 21/7/109 Box 1, Folder 1.
When they returned home in 1953, Phil joined the staff of the American Medical Association in Chicago. The chair of the organization was in the process of looking for a qualified candidate to teach Nutrition at the Home Economics department for Northwestern University at the time, and Phil recommended Hilda, who got the job. She taught there until 1973, when the department dissolved.
While at Northwestern, Hilda continued to perform and publish research, this time on “Inorganic Elements in Weighed Diets of Girls and Young Women” and “Utilization of Inorganic Elements by Young Women Eating Iron-Fortified Foods.” She eventually went on to work at the Chicago Nutrition Association and the journal board of the American Dietetic Association.
Excerpt from Hilda S. White’s published research. RS 21/7/109 Box 1, Folder 1.
Although her the status of her work was so frequently downplayed in favor of her husband’s, it is clear that she made major contributions to her field in her own right.
Undergraduate Senior Portrait of Darleane Christian. Bomb Yearbook 1948, pg. 24.
Darleane C. Hoffman (1947-2011), nuclear chemist, might be the most well-known of the alumni featured in this post.
She received both of her degrees from ISU: a B.S. in Chemistry in 1948 and a Ph.D. in Physical (Nuclear) Chemistry in 1951. Her biographical web page for the Women in Technology Hall of Fame (WITI), into which she was inducted in 2000, notes that she had not originally intended to study science at all. She had arrived at Iowa State intending to pursue a career as a commercial artist. However, according to the write-up, the influence of an unnamed female professor in one of her freshman courses peaked her interest in STEM fields, and she decided to switch her focus to chemistry.
Darleane’s notes from Chemistry 512 – Advanced Quantitiative Analysis, a class she took in the Spring of 1949. RS 21/7/100 Box 13, Folder 3.
After graduating with a specialization in nuclear and radiochemistry (interests which would later make her famous), she applied for a job with the radiochemistry group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory only to be told, “We don’t hire women in that division.” Perhaps simply to prove she could, she continued applying to this institute until she landed a position in their Isotope and Nuclear Chemistry division, where she quickly took on leadership roles and worked for 30 years.
During this period of her life, in the 1960s, she also raised two children and would reportedly return to work each night after putting the children to bed.
In the 1970s, while serving as the Division Leader for the Isotope and Nuclear Chemistry division, Darleane discovered a naturally-occurring form of an element called plutonium-244, which scientists had previously believed to be a manufactured substance that existed only in laboratories.
Her group also performed the world’s first aqueous chemistry on hathnium, element 105, around this time.
And these discoveries led to even more innovation once she had accepted a professorship at University of California Berkeley’s Department of Chemistry. In collaboration with European scientists, the groups she led at UCLA discovered the first super-heavy elements, 118, 116, and 114. These became the focal point of her studies in later years.
Among other honors, Darleane received the University of California Berkeley Citation of Merit in 1996, the President’s National Medal of Science in 1997, and the Priestley Medal (the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society) in 2000.
Ephemera surrounding Hoffman’s reception of the National Medal of Science in 1997. RS 21/7/100 Box 17, Folder 8.
We are immensely proud of these alumni here at ISU, and we hope their stories will inspire current students. If you would like to learn more about any of these scientists, feel free to visit the archives and browse through their papers.
Poster. RS 21/7/100 Box 1, Folder 1.
Like this:
Like Loading...
![Selamat datang. Welcome. It was around the middle of last semester that a small group of Malaysians got together to organize "A Night in Malaysia". At the time, the chief aim of the show was to show our appreciation to the people of Ames and the ISU Community. It was not until the first week of November that we realised that we could do much more, thus, the Malaysia -- Iowa Friendship Fund was born. Since then we have made many new friends and have met people who were very supportive of our efforts. The other goal we achieved was to involve as many Malaysians aat ISU in this project of goodwill. We are a body of 314 and come from all over Malaysia. This show has given us the oppotunity [sic] to meet and work together on this project. On behalf of the Malaysian Cultural Events Committee, I would like to thank all those Malaysians who, directly or indirectly helped in this unique project. I would like to t hank Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Midamar The Ames Advertiser, Heritage Communications for their contributions. The Government of the Student Body and the Committee on Lectures for helping fund this show. The Iowa Boy, Chuck Offenberger, Pat McGrif and the Lyons for their help. Finally, to all the well wishers and to you the members of the audience for attending "A Night in Malaysia". Tonight the Malaysian student community at ISU will bring to you the cultural side of Malaysia as best they can. We hope you will enjoy the show. Sincerely, Sin Hoi Chiew, Director, Malaysian Cultural Events Committee.](https://isuspecialcollections.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/kic-image-0003.jpg?w=200&h=267 "KIC Image 0003")
![Program. 1. "Tarian Lilin: - Malay dance chreographer [sick]: Hamisah Hafni. 2. "Tarian China" - Chinese dance choreagrapher [sic]: Lee Mong HOng. 3 "Tarian India" - Indian dance choreagrapher/performers: Neelam Raizada. 4. "Ulit Mayang" - dance drama directors: Hamisah Hafni, Safrizal Noordin. 5. "Dikir Barat" - choral poetry choir leaders: Zulkifli Husain, Azahar Arshad. 6. "Cultural States of Malaysia" director: Ainul Latifah cosumes: Asiah Wahab 0. INTERMISSION. 7. "Garian Sumazau" - Sabah dance choreagrapher: Joseph Gumpil, Felix Joikon. 8. "Tarian Singa" - Chinese lion dance choreagrapher: Leow Choy Chun. 9. "A Malay Wedding Ceremony" director: Mazita Ani Abu Bakar. "Joget" choreagrapher: Hamisah. 1. Tarian Lilin. This title translates as "candle dance" and refers to a performance of artful fusion of diverse cultures. Although it originates from the Minangkabau tribe in Sumatera, the accompanying music is Spanish in origin. In olden days this dance was one of the popular court dances. 2. Chinese Dance. This traditional Chinese courtship dance originates from the province of Xin Jiang in China. In ancient traditional society, this offered an opportunity for young maidens to gain their sweethearts' admiration. 3. Indian Dance. In this north Indian dance, the female dancer displays her attractive qualitites to win the heart of her lover. It is an exquisite example of traditional Indian dance. 4. Ulit Mayang. A dance-story which originates from the east coast of West Malaysia about a fairy princess from heaven who falls for a mortal prince on earth. The dance centers on the romance of these two characters and is thought to contain elements of Indonexian influence. 5. Dikir Barat. A spontaneous expression of gratitude through choral poetry sung by farmers during the harvest season and also by fishermen after a day's catch at the sea. A "story-teller" coordinates this delightful rural entertainment by conjuring playful stories while the rest of the group follow the singing rhythmically. 6. Cultural States of Malaysia. Fleeting glimpses of Malaysia on slides are incorporated in this medley of exotic songs and dance. Each pair of performers in this segment showcases the traditional dress of the different states of Malaysia. 7. Sumazau. The Kadazan, an indigenious tribe from Sabah in East Malaysia, perform this traditional dance during a thanksgiving festival as a sort of appeasement to the rice-soul known as Bambaazon. The arm movements serve to imitate the flappings of a bird in flight. 8. This dance originates from the southern provinces of China and is often performed during festive occasions like the Chinese New Year. This particular sequence depicts a playful clown awakening a sleeping lion which later wanders off and finds a meal on a "bridge", symbolized by a chair. The "meal" is usually represented by a bunch of green vegetable symbolizing a good harvest and a red packet of money symbolizing wealth. Notice the various actions of the lion which the performers will try to depict, like scratching, blinking and yawning. 9. A Malay Wedding Ceremony. A colorful and fascinating aspect of Malay tradition. This ceremony is stepped in culutres. Highlighted tonight is the "bersanding" part of the ceremony, where the groom and bridge are blessed ("merinjis") by memvers of their families and honoured guests. [Illustration of a Sirih Junjong] "Sirih Junjong" - for good luck a gift from the bridgegroom. [Illustration of a rose water container] Rose Water container used for "merinjis". [Illustration of a "Bunga Manggar"}. [Illustration] Brocade cloth shaped as a peacock. [Illustration of decorative hand-held fan] fan decorated with gold thread used by the bestman and bridesmaid. [Illustration] "Bunga Pahar" - a symbol of fertility prepared by the bride's family.](https://isuspecialcollections.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/kic-image-0004.jpg?w=812&h=538 "KIC Image 0004")
