Leslie Madsen-Brooks, an associate professor in the Department of History and director of the IDEA Shop within the Center for Teaching and Learning, has published the article “‘I’m not lost and I won’t be found’: Strategies for Success among 19th- and 20th-Century Women Museum Scientists in California” in the April 2018 issue of the journal Culture et musées.
In the article, Madsen-Brooks examines how, during the third quarter of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, women scientists in California not only joined the efforts of natural history museums, herbaria, and related organizations but also founded, significantly advanced or transformed them. The article identifies the strategies used by several such women museum scientists, highlighting key commonalities in their experiences and exploring how and why the California context proved so fruitful for women natural scientists.