Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie (born March 22, 1936) is an American
historian of science
The history of science covers the development of science from ancient history, ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural science, natural, social science, social, and formal science, formal. Pr ...
known especially for her work on the history of
women in science
The presence of women in science spans the earliest times of the history of science wherein they have made substantial contributions. Historians with an interest in gender and science have researched the scientific endeavors and accomplishments ...
. She taught at
Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of ...
before becoming curator of the History of Science Collections and professor at the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
. She is currently Curator Emeritus, History of Science Collections and Professor Emeritus, Department of the History of Science at the university.
Biography
Dr. Ogilvie earned an A.B. degree in Biology from
Baker University
Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. Th ...
(1957), an M.A. in Zoology from the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...
(1959), plus a Ph.D. in the History of Science (1973) and an M.A. in Library Science (1983) from the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
.
After working as an associate professor and division chair at
Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of ...
from 1979 to 1991, Dr. Ogilvie returned to the University of Oklahoma as the Curator of the History of Science Collections. As curator, she expanded the holdings of the collection from 79,000 to 94,000 volumes. After her retirement in 2008, a fellowship for graduate studies in the History of Science was established in her name.
She is currently Curator Emeritus, History of Science Collections, and Professor Emeritus, Department of the History of Science, at the university.
Dr. Ogilvie's books reflect her interest in the history of women in science. In addition to biographical dictionaries, she has written biographies of biologist
Alice Middleton Boring, physicist and chemist
Marie Curie
Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (; ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie ( ; ), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity.
She was List of female ...
, astronomer
Caroline Herschel
Caroline Lucretia Herschel ( , ; 16 March 1750 – 9 January 1848) was a German astronomer, whose most significant contributions to astronomy were the discoveries of several comets, including the periodic comet 35P/Herschel–Rigollet, which b ...
and ornithologist
Margaret Morse Nice
Margaret Morse Nice (December 6, 1883 – June 26, 1974) was an American ornithologist, ethologist, and child psychologist who made an extensive study of the life history of the song sparrow and was author of ''Studies in the Life History of the ...
.
In 1998, her book ''Women in Science: Antiquity through the Nineteenth Century'' was listed in the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
Outstanding Reference Sources. The book, which contains profiles of 186 women, was described by
Chet Raymo
Chet Raymo (born September 17, 1936, in Chattanooga, Tennessee) is a noted writer, educator and naturalist. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts. His weekly newspaper column "Science Musings" appeare ...
of
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
as follows: "What comes across is the great love of doing science that many women have shared with men. What is also apparent are the formidable barriers that have been thrown up against them."
This theme was taken up again in ''Marie Curie: A Biography'' (2004; paperback edition 2011), in which Dr. Ogilvie discusses Marie Curie's partnership with her husband Pierre. She also describes their individual contributions to the discoveries for which they jointly received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, and Marie received the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Dr. Ogilvie's books are currently held by hundreds of libraries around the world.
She was honored on the occasion of her 80th birthday at the Annual Meeting of the
History of Science Society
The History of Science Society (HSS), founded in 1924, is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. The society has over 3,000 members worldwide. It publishes the quarterly journal ''Isis'' and the yearly ...
in November 2016 as a "leading historian of women in science." According to her colleague
Pnina Abir-Am
Pnina Geraldine Abir-Am (; born 1947) is an Israeli and American historian of science whose work has focused on the history of molecular biology and women and gender in science. Educated in Israel, Canada, and England, she has held research and ...
of the Women's Studies Research Center at
Brandeis University
Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
, Dr. Ogilvie, through her work on biographical dictionaries of women in science, was instrumental in drawing attention to the sheer number of women in scientific fields throughout history.
Dr. Ogilvie was married to Philip W. Ogilvie, who taught zoology at the University of Oklahoma and served as director of the Oklahoma City Zoo and other zoos. The couple co-authored at least one scholarly article. They had three children and later divorced.
Publications
The following is a selection of Ogilvie's publications:
* Ogilvie, Marilyn (2021). ''Marie Curie: A Reference Guide to her Life and Works''. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
* Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey (2018). ''For the Birds: American Ornithologist Margaret Morse Nice.'' Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
* Ogilvie, Marilyn B. (2008). ''Searching the Stars: The Story of Caroline Herschel''. Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press.
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References
External links
Marilyn Ogilvie's faculty home page*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey
American historians of science
Living people
1936 births
21st-century American historians
Baker University alumni
University of Kansas alumni
University of Oklahoma alumni
American women historians
21st-century American women writers
American women curators
American curators