Deborah Bell, Assistant Collections Manager for the U.S. Herbarium at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 1975–2014, conserved, documented, and made accessible the collection of five million plant specimens. She participated in numerous expeditions, collecting specimens and training local students and staff. #Groundbreaker

In 1847, the Smithsonian Board of Regents contracted with James Dixon and Gilbert Cameron to begin construction of the Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle.

Naval Captain and computer scientist Grace Murray Hopper and mathematician Jeanne LaDuke attend "Women Pioneers in Mathematics" meeting at National Museum of American History, held to honor American women who received PhD's in mathematics prior to World War II, August 31, 1981, by Dane Penland.

Link Love: a weekly post with links to interesting videos and stories about archival issues, technology and culture, and Washington D.C. and American history.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, here are two examples of 20th-century women who applied their education and expertise in geology and paleontology outside traditional university career paths.

Elaine R.S. Hodges, scientific illustrator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 1965–1996, made drawings of insects and other organisms that were frequently used by Smithsonian scientists. She was a founder of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and edited the Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration (1989). #Groundbreaker

In 1974, women joined the Smithsonian security force and they have been rising through the ranks ever since.

Series of photographs of Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute buildings and research facilities at Barro Colorado, Naos, and Galeta islands, Panama, 1960s.

Link Love: a weekly post with links to interesting videos and stories about archival issues, technology and culture, and Washington D.C. and American history.

For Women's History Month, we're participating in the Biodiversity Heritage Library’s Her Natural History campaign to highlight women in natural history in our collections. Learn about how you can join in on all of the fun this month!