Thinking about Florence Bascom immediately brings to mind an image of a pioneering woman geologist making pathways into earth science way before women could even vote in the USA. She was the second woman to earn a PhD in geology in the USA in 1893 and the first female geologist hired by the U.S Geological Survey in 1896. Bascom’s expertise was in crystallography, mineralogy, and petrography where she once again led in research efforts. She published over 40 professional papers and held various professional positions including associate editor of the American Geologist, joined the Bryn Mawr College faculty, where she founded the college’s geology department, and was the first woman elected to the Council of the Geological Society of America in 1924. A good summary of Bacom’s accomplishments was written by Jill Schneiderman and appeared in GSA Today, July 1997. Just recently, a short video was produced by the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, which is a US Geological Survey science center recently renamed in honor of Bascom. This video is embedded below: