Mr. Summers, Pickering’s harem and the Harvard Computers

Back in January 2005, Mr. Lawrence H. Summers, then president of Harvard University sparked an uproar at an economics conference when he said that “innate” differences between men and women might be one reason that female scientists are under-represented at elite universities. It is inconceivable that such a foolish statement could be uttered by such a prominent individual. I will call this remark by its proper names: prejudice and ignorance. Both are very much alive in the 21^st century. Apparently this eminent dullard didn’t know about the exceptionally brilliant women scientists that contributed to enhance Harvard’s illustrious name.

Back in the late 1800’s, Mr. Charles Edward Pickering, Director of the Harvard Observatory hired a group of ladies to process astronomical data and replaced his inept male assistants. Williamina Fleming (1857-1911) started as Pickering’s maid but working at the observatory she devised a system of star classification. And in time she discovered additional nebulae and stars.  She accomplished an honorary membership at the Royal Astronomical Society in London.  Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941) was a physics graduate from Wellesley College and at the Harvard Observatory she developed a classification system with the letters O. B, A, F, G, K and M. Astronomers learn the sequence with the mnemonic “Oh, Be a Fine Girl, Kiss Me.” Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1862-1921), a graduate from Radcliff College, was at first assigned to count images on photographic plates but went on to discover the period-luminosity relationship of Cepheid variables. This breakthrough allowed astronomers to measure galactic distances and changed forever our conception of the universe. And finally, Antonia Maury (1866-1952) educated at Vassar College, indexed spectra of over 500,000 stars, published a catalog of classifications and completed work on the spectroscopic analysis of the binary star Beta Lyrae.

These bright ladies were chauvinistically known as “Pickering’s Harem” or the “Harvard Computers”.

Mr. Summers should be made to write on an immeasurable blackboard ALL these compilations in Victorian handwriting. Maybe then he will see the light.

                                          The Harvard Computers