Women in Geology

The Department of Geology was an early provider of educational opportunities to women. Shown here is Mary Arizona "Zonia" Baber gathering fossils at Mazon Creek, Illinois, 1895. The summer class in Geology, taught by Thomas C. Chamberlin, was the first field class at the University of Chicago to which women were admitted. Baber (1862-1955) a pioneer in geography education, later served as Associate Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Chicago (1901-1921). Baber helped found the Geographic Society of Chicago in 1898. She emphasized the importance of practical fieldwork and laboratory work in geography teaching.