| Although Dr. Bascom was the second
woman in the United States to receive a Ph.D. in geology, she is considered by many to be “the first female geologist in this country.” |
| Growing up in a time when girls and
women were discouraged from pursuing a
career in geology, Dr. Bascom worked to overcome the challenges she was faced with at the University of Wisconsin where she was enrolled. Even while working towards her doctorate degree at Johns Hopkins University, she had to attend graduate classes behind a screen so that male students would not know she was there. |
| Nevertheless, Dr. Bascom pursued her |
degree in 1893. Florence Bascom spent much
of her time studying the metamorphic rocks of
the Piedmont Plateau. She is known today for
her contributions to the current understanding
of mountain-building processes.
| Find the Piedmont Plateau
on a map. What is the Piedmont Plateau? Draw a map to show its location in the United States. |