Welcome to the Twenty-First Century...
By Tanisha A'see
Well is like you had imagined?
Where
are all of the flying cars and interplanetary societies?
And, what about anti-gravity devices and robotic, computerized
servants?
The new millennium appears to have fallen short of the expectations and
predictions
conceived by the human mind in years gone by.
The human race continues in its efforts towards creating a society
comparable to the futuristic, “Jetsonian” one that was envisioned decades
ago. The technology of today is
rapidly improving, and so the possibility of reaching just such a highly
advanced society seems closer than ever.
Consider the continual release of new and upgraded technologies.
Think of cellular phones; computers and computer software; digital
production equipment; medical drugs; surgical instruments and procedures,
household electronics, just to name a few.
And each year, the manufacturers of these and similar products are
redistributing newer models with more user-friendly features and functions,
all of greater benefit to the user.
So who can be thanked for the evolution of technology?
The global community has already expressed its debt to their fellow man
for the contributions he has made over the centuries.
In fact, men contributors have received so much acclaim and praise, it
would appear that women have made no contribution to technology outside of the
curling iron and apple pie. Let
the record show that women have been contenders in the field of technology and
invention since practically the inception of history and humanity, as we know
them.
Hypatia, an Egyptian who lived in the age before the Common Era, was believed
to be one of the first, and only, women mathematicians of her time.
She also taught mathematics at the University of Alexandria.
Hypatia helped to revise Euclid’s elements, and invented a number of
instruments used today in science labs, hospitals, and automotive facilities,
among other places. Hypatia is
also credited with inventing instruments such as the astrolabe, the hydrometer
and an apparatus for distilling water.
The recorded list of women inventors and contributors to the science of
technology is extensive, and more are added to the list each day.
One notable contender is Beulah Henry, who is credited with inventing a
photocopier in 1932. Then there
is Mary Kies, the first woman to receive a patent in 1890 for a new straw-silk
fabric combination. In 1859,
Martha Couston patented “pyrotechnic night signals”, which are the flare
signals used today out at sea. Marie
Curie discovered radium and polonium in 1903; and she succeeded in isolating
pure radium in 1911. In 1945,
Henrietta Bradbury created a means for torpedo discharge.
And some years later, Marie V. Brittan Brown developed the home
security system in 1969.
With the dawning of the new hi-tech age, it is only fitting that women receive
recognition for all of their long-standing, invaluable contributions.
The technological advances women have contributed to society are highly
remarkable. Women have
continually revolutionized the technological world in areas ranging from the
creation of the hybridization process, to the development of drug treatments
for diseases such as viral herpes, and malaria, as well as treatment for
leukemia. As the years progress,
acknowledgement of women’s’ contributions to technology – past, present
and future – must be given higher regard.
Those times when women were viewed as less than serious contenders in
the arena of technology are now dead and gone.
Women are not merely stepping up to the technological scene – we are
at the forefront, leading the trail on the newest frontier.
Basement
Recordings is part of the needed initiative as mentioned above, because
it fosters the recognition of women’s role within the realm of technology.
At Basement Recordings,
it is understood that women, just like men, can be educated and trained in
technology – and succeed. The
women at Basement Recordings
“hold it down”, from computer programming and web design, to audio
engineering and music production as well as marketing and distribution!
It doesn’t stop here, though. Women
will continue to have a place at Basement
Recordings, and in the technological world throughout the ages of time,
not just for Women’s History Month. So
watch out, world!
Tanisha is an intern and Associate Director of Marketing and Distribution West
at Basement Recordings, a student at Columbia University, a musician and
dancer. …
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