WHERE IS THIS GENERATION'S JANE MARCET? WOMEN AND THE POPULARIZATION OF GEOLOGY

In the 19^th century women played an important role in writing scientific works aimed at the general public, what we would consider today as popular works or the popularization of science. One of the most prolific and well-respected was Jane Marcet, whose works included Conversations on Natural Philosophy and Conversations for Children on Land and Sea. These women were so successful in introducing science to a general audience (including women, children, and those in lower socio-economic classes) that there was a backlash from male scientists and ‘learned amateurs,’ who reclaimed this audience by taking over the popular science genre in the late 1800s. But as Richard Whitley noted, these types of writing became marginalized in the twentieth century by the scientific establishment as “a low status activity” done by “non-scientists, failed scientists or ex-scientists.” This stereotype has been challenged in the past two decades by physicists Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, and Lisa Randall (among others), as the scientific establishment has realized the importance of not only having a scientifically literate populace, but the critical need to excite young people in science and science careers. Although popular level geology works were common in previous centuries, since the death of Stephen Jay Gould there appears to be a significant hole that needs to be filled by the geoscience community. This paper will demonstrate that women geoscientists have, at this moment in time, an excellent opportunity to not only reclaim their historical position as leaders in the popularization of geology, but to use this position to become powerful role models for introducing young people to careers in geosciences areas and educating the general public as to the difference between geo-science and geo-pseudoscience. Barriers within the academic structure that may deter some from taking up this charge will be discussed and strategies for overcoming them shared.