Mines professor receives National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship

GOLDEN, Colo., Jan. 3, 2008 –Assistant Professor Tina Gianquitto, who teaches in the Colorado School of Mines Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies, has been awarded a one-year National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowship.

Gianquitto’s fellowship — one of 94 granted out of 1,200 applications — will allow her to begin research for a new project, “Dear Mr. Darwin: Women and the Epistolary Tradition in the Nineteenth-Century Sciences.”

“I hope to show how women writers and activists in the late 19th century, instead of turning away from or ignoring the debates concerning evolutionary theory, were instead deeply interested in showing how that theory could be used to support radical social reform activities,” Gianquitto said.

According to Gianquitto, the study will examine the reciprocal relationship that existed between Charles Darwin and his female scientific and non-scientific correspondents. Gianquitto aims to reinsert women into the critical discussion of evolutionary theory to show how they were engaged in the cutting edge scientific discussions and controversies of their time.

“It’s important because it is a story that has not yet been told,” Gianquitto said.

NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities.

Founded in 1874, Colorado School of Mines was established to serve the needs of the local mining industry. Today, the School has an international reputation for excellence in both engineering education and the applied sciences with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's resources. For more information about Colorado School of Mines, visit www.mines.edu.

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Contact: Karen Gilbert, 303-273-3541

Karen.Gilbert@is.mines.edu