Ode To Fannie Hesse

The answer to the "Question of the Day" from last week is that Louis Pasteur was did not have an appropriate solid growth medium he could use to properly isolate and bacteria in pure culture. He and other scientists at the time used things like potatoes or jelly/animal gelatin to grow bacteria on solid surfaces. However, this presented two problems:

1. Gelatin is liquid at 37o C. This temperature is consistent with body/blood temperature and ideal for growing bacteria that cause human diseases. Many of the scientists such as Pasteur and Koch, were attempting to isolate and show that specific bacteria caused specific human/mammalian diseases.

2. The bacteria could feed on gelatin and potatoes as a nutrient source (so they would eat away the solid surface or grow too quickly and not remain isolated).

It was not until Fannie Hesse, the housewife/assistant of Walter Hesse (one of Robert Koch's students)  introduced her husband to agar-agar that this problem was solved. Agar is an extract from seaweed.  Fannie used it in her kitchen as a solidifying agent to make jellies and pies. Agar  remains solid at 37o C so there was no more headache of the solid media dissolving in the lab incubator before Walter could finish his experiments.   In addition to the fact that it doesn't melt in the incubator, it had little nutritional value for the bacteria, so they don't eat it very quickly.

Walter was using his home lab at the time of this discovery, but he wrote a letter to his supervisor, Robert Koch. Koch then started using agar as well, and the rest is Microbiology history. Because of this new ingredient, Koch was able to isolate bacteria in pure culture on a solid medium. This is key to his development of The Germ Theory.  Agar is now universally used as a solidifying agent in culture media and for other molecular biology techniques such as gel electrophoresis.

This article from 1938 honors Fannie Hesse's contribution the field of Bacteriology. As it states, " Her contribution to bacteriology makes her immortal." 

Conch Salad: Nurturing STEM Interests In Young Girls

Conch Salad: Nurturing STEM Interests In Young Girls: In a 2012Forbes Magazine article Heather R. Huhman asked the question, “ But where is the female equivalent of Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerb...

Nurturing STEM Interests In Young Girls

In a 2012Forbes Magazine article Heather R. Huhman asked the question, “But where is the female equivalent of Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg?” This question is a reflection of the general concern that there is apandemic of inequality with regards to the number of women versus men who are making global strides through innovation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professions. The call for more women to fill STEM occupations should not be seen as a negative or antagonistic competition to devalue the important contributions of men within these fields. 

There are definitely women including Dr.Mae Jamison, GerthrudeElion and  Dr.Rosalind Franklin , who have made tremendous contributions to their respective STEM professions.  However, with so few women pursuing STEM degrees in general, it may well be that the majority of the innovators in science and technology will continue to be predominantly men.   Unless there is a concerted effort by a village of educators to raise interest in STEM education among girls as early as possible, we stand to lose out on the groundbreaking contributions that non-existent women engineers and scientists never develop.       

From The Cradle To Classroom Approach

While it’s likely that most girls may change their minds about future career paths many times before they even complete elementary school, it is extremely important that they receive the proper educational foundation that they will need to transition into STEM careers later in life if that is their desire. Waiting until young women are already enrolled in college to then focus on the fact that they are under-prepared for STEM-related courses is unacceptable.  There must be a sustained preparation that starts before girls ever enter a classroom.  Preparation for a career in a STEM field needs to start at home.  Parents are the first and often the most influential teachers a little girl will have during crucial early childhood years.  

Prior to her first day of pre-K a little girl begins to develop concepts of her identity which may latershape her academic and professional choices.  Providing a home environment that immerses young girls in a world of STEM learning adventures doesn’t require a doctorate in Astrophysics or a six figure income.  There are multitudesof resources available to the average parent who wants to incorporate learning in playtime. “STEMulating” her mind with games, toys and books can help to ensure that a young girl develops an early interest and appreciation for STEM-related concepts.  

The message to parents should be that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to raise one. 

For example:  reading a book about animals or explaining how ice cubes form and why they melt is something that a parent with very little formal scientific education can do.  Although it may seem trivial at the time, these simple activities may ignite a spark that opens the doors of science to a curious child. For the parent who doesn’t have the requisite knowledge, learning new things along with your girls may be a fruitful bonding experience that has lasting rewards for both parents and children.  

Like A Girl…

Beyond simply providing toys that engage a girl’s mind on a scientific level, the gift of empowerment is one that parents and external educators need to bestow to girls as early as possible. It is imperative that little girls develop self-confidence in their abilities, especially when it comes to activities that require math and science skills. Historically girls have been discouraged from pursuing what are seen as traditional male oriented recreational and academic interests.  There are countlessexamples of women who have relayed how, when they were little, they were discouraged from engaging in certain activities like building a model train, or playing outdoors and learning about nature, because their parents or teachers felt that such activities were not suitable for girls. 

This is part of the problem that has resulted in the current deficit of females in STEM-related careers. Unfortunately it is a problem that has no instant solution.  A sustained effort to reverse the trend of female absenteeism in the STEM workplace is needed.  Girls need to know that their interests and abilities as equal to those of their male counterparts.  The more they are encouraged to realize that doing something “Like a girl…” is a compliment, not a disadvantage, little girls will begin to embrace their roles as future pioneers of a more female inclusive STEM landscape.