OPS 3-3
The Dark Ages: The historical and societal context for the work of Ruth Patrick and Women in Ecology
Ruth Patrick had an illustrious scientific career, but the early stages were not without tribulations. Patrick and her contemporaries worked during a time when even granting voting rights for women was contentious. In her own words, she was uninterested in “normal” things characterizing women of her time. With her father’s encouragement, she graduated from Coker College and obtained her PhD from the University of Virginia. Immediately after finishing her PhD, she obtained a position volunteering as a microscope curator. She was highly overqualified for the position, in which she effectively prepared microscopes for a group of hobbyists at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. She would quickly outgrow that position, went on to create the Academy’s Limnology department, and attain national prominence in the fields she helped create.
Ruth Patrick was a pioneer in many ways. She collaborated with well-known ecologists, contributed hypotheses relating species diversity and water quality of streams, and curated what is now the second largest diatom herbarium in the world. Decades after volunteering to clean microscopes at the Academy, Patrick was acknowledged by her peers with the Ecological Society’s Eminent Ecologist Award and the Tyler Environmental Award, among many others.
Results/Conclusions
Ultimately, Patrick's tenure at the Academy can be characterized by a globally renowned diatom herbarium, sound business acumen, and insightful environmental research. Patrick officially retired several times but after each retirement, she was asked to reprise a leadership role at the Academy. In many ways, Ruth Patrick’s ascension epitomizes the changing society that surrounded her. She conducted her work and made advances in ecology in the face of legal and cultural barriers. While the challenges of the type Patrick faced have morphed over time, similar hurdles remain for women in science. Ruth Patrick's career, which spanned more than half a century and persisted through drastic social changes, could provide valuable insight into the relationship between society and the field of ecology.