From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-A companion volume to the author's American Women in Science (ABC-CLIO, 1994), which covers scientists in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Here, the 449 one- to two-page entries focus on individuals, mostly in the United States, who were born in 1920 or after and/or started their careers after 1950. The fields of engineering, physics, anthropology, medicine, computer science, psychology, and chemistry are the best represented. Among the people portrayed are Martine Kempf, a computer scientist who invented a voice-recognition microcomputer that enables persons with disabilities to drive cars, and Sharon Rose Matola, a conservationist who founded and directs the Belize Zoo in Central America. Fifty-two of the women are pictured in black-and-white photos, and Bailey notes where photographs of the others may be found. A bibliography appears at the end of each entry and at the end of the volume. The alphabetical list of names and the list by profession are helpful. An accurate, well-written, and useful resource.
P. A. Dolan, Illinois State University, Normal Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In this follow-up volume to her American Women in Science, Colonial Times to 1950 (LJ 9/1/94), Bailey has limited her coverage to women born in or after 1920 or who started work after 1950, who are members of the National Academy of Sciences or Engineering, or who were recipients of a major award such as the Lasker or the Garvan. Most worked primarily in the United States but need not have been born here and are engaged in professions represented by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) or National Academy of Education (NAE) disciplinary categories. Bailey also includes individuals who made significant scientific contributions in nontraditional ways or "are considered by the general public to be a scientist." The distribution by profession is pretty uneven, and the categorization of professions is a little odd (e.g., biophysics, botany, cancer, chemistry, climatology, computers, immunology, information technology, inventor, law, linguistics, management consultant), but Bailey points out in the introduction that women faced strong discrimination even into the late 1970s and often had career choices dictated to them. This theme is reflected in the biographical sketches, many of which detail the barriers that had to be overcome during the course of the subject's career. More than 300 women are included in this volume; profiles include full name, dates of birth and death, profession, education, and employment history and, generally, marital status along with a one-page sketch and citing references. Roughly half of the names Bailey includes here would be found in the major sources she investigated, e.g., American Men and Women of Science; the strength of this book is in bringing these women together so you don't need to consult a half-dozen references. Recommended for academic and public libraries.?Hilary Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
