This winter, we are celebrating the festive season by honouring 25 amazing women in STEM, some of which you might not know of!
Etheldred Benett
First female geologist
22 July 1776 – 11 Jan 1845
United Kingdom
Etheldred Benett collected and catalogued thousands of fossils, discovering several new species and the first mollusc fossils with soft tissue preserved. She provided access to vital specimens and stratigraphic data to her male peers, and sent specimens to museums around the UK. Assuming she was a man, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia granted her a doctorate from the University of St Petersburg.
For more on Etheldred Benett:
- https://flighttowonder.com/2014/10/20/etheldred-benett-lady-geologist/
- https://trowelblazers.com/etheldred-benett-not-a-man-even-in-russia/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etheldred_Benett
- https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Geoscientist/Archive/July-2011/A-catalogue-of-the-organic-remains-of-the-county-of-Wiltshire-by-Etheldred-Benett-1831
- https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Library-and-Information-Services/Exhibitions/Women-and-Geology/Etheldred-Benett
| Day 15 – Professor Honoria Acosta-Sison | Day 17 – Whakaotirangi |