Women of Science at the New York State Museum

The New York State Museum presents its annual Women of Science program. Learn about current and past NYSM scientists and their research through online presentations.

Upcoming Programs

Women of Science in the Spotlight:

Beyond "Polite Botany": The Legacy of Mary Banning and Women in Early Mycological Research

Mary Elizabeth Banning (1822–1903) was a self-taught amateur mycologist who created one of the most comprehensive manuscripts about fungi in Maryland in the late 1800s. However, because she was a women, her work remained unrecognized for almost 100 years. Learn more about her life's research and how women used the study of "polite botany" to make a name for themselves in the natural sciences.

Winifred Goldring (1888-1971)

Discover more about the world's first woman State Paleontologist and the significant contributions she made to the fields of geology, paleontology, and paleobotany throughout her 40-year career at the New York State Museum.

From extensive research on the Devonian crinoids of New York and the development of the ground-breaking Gilboa Forest exhibit to over fifty research articles and publications, much of Goldring's pioneering body of work is featured here for you to explore!

Winifred Goldring (1888-1971) - NYSM Scientist & State Paleontologist

Meet the Scientists

lisa_amati_paleontologist_from_lovrich.jpg

Dr. Lisa Amati

Job: Invertebrate Paleontologist
Collection: Invertebrate Paleontology
Title: State Paleontologist

As the Curator of Paleontology, my jobs include overseeing the care of the fossil collection, conducting original research on fossils, and contributing to science education for New Yorkers of all ages. My main job is making sure that the extensive collection of fossils cared for by the New York State Museum are stored safely and organized so that we can easily locate them for loan to researchers ranging from scientists to artists. My research focuses mainly on 450- to 500-million-year-old extinct marine animals called trilobites. I study how and where the trilobites lived and analyze how the many different forms are related to each other. One of the best parts of my job is using the fossils in our teaching collection to share the amazing things I have learned about extinct, once-living things with people in my community.

anderson.jpg

Lisa Anderson

Job: Bioarchaeologist
Collection: Bioarchaeology
Title: Curator of Bioarchaeology and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Coordinator

I study and curate a collection of human skeletal material from archaeological sites that date from over 4000 years ago to the 1800s. Bones tell a unique story about a person’s life, so my research focuses on the impact of different ways of life on the health and well-being of people in the past. I’ve been fortunate to work on a number of projects, from the impact of maize agriculture on the health of pre-contact Native Americans to a study of enslaved Africans in colonial Albany. We also assist other institutions and law enforcement with the identification and documentation of bones when they are found.

bonk.jpg

Kathleen Bonk

Job: Geologic Open File Geologist
Collection: Geology
Title: Collections Technician, Geologic Open File

As a museum collections technician of the Open File collection it is my responsibility to preserve and organize many of the one-of-a-kind and unpublished materials produced by geologists and their research from across New York State. The Open File collection consists of maps, journals, theses, reports, and other information than cannot be found anywhere else. My focus is on preserving these invaluable materials so that they can be used in future research. Some of the items in the Open File collection date back to the late 1800s and contain important data that cannot be collected again today because our landscape has changed since they were written.

heatherbbclark.jpg

Heather Clark

Job: Archaeologist
Collection: Cultural Resource Survey Program (CRSP)
Title: Principal Investigator/GIS and CAD Specialist

At the Museum, I work for the Cultural Resource Survey Program (CRSP) where I serve a dual role as principal investigator and GIS/CAD specialist. As such, I often conduct my own research in addition to collaborating with colleagues and developing their geographic data.

As the GIS/CAD specialist, I create, process, and edit georeferenced data to help interpret and document archaeological sites. I am interested in using GIS as an aid to disseminate our work to the public via technical drawings, thematic maps, posters, and StoryMap websites. Working at the Museum has nurtured my love of New York State history, particularly early colonial domestic sites.

mayer.jpg

Dr. Denise Mayer

Job: Freshwater Ecologist
Collection: Malacology
Title: Museum Scientist and Collections Manager for Malacology

As a Freshwater Ecologist specializing in mollusks, I survey New York’s lakes and streams to find, identify, and count mollusks (mussels and snails). I curate the NYSM’s Malacology Collection which includes thousands of specimens from all over the world, including the oceans, lakes, river, and on land. The most important part of my job is sharing with scientists, teachers, and students the fragility and significance of freshwater ecosystems. I also emphasize that the animals inhabiting these ecosystems are essential for maintaining ecosystem health and for preventing the destruction of native mussel communities from human impacts such as pollution, dredging, dams, and invasive species.

A highlight of my job is SCUBA diving! I get to dive beneath the water and experience the environment where aquatic animals live. As part of my job, I have completed thousands of dives in the Upper Hudson River, I testified before the United States House of Representatives (Congress) in Washington, D.C. about managing invasive zebra mussels, and I toured the interior of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.

merwin.jpg

Dr. Daria Merwin

Job: Archaeologist
Collection: CRSP
Title: Co-Director of the New York State Museum Cultural Resource Survey Program (CRSP)

I work with the Cultural Resource Survey Program, which is an applied research program of the Museum’s Research & Collections Division that provides research and assessment of archaeological and architectural resources for other state agencies. This extensive program assists these agencies with their state and federal historic preservation mandates. The CRSP is the largest outside-funded Museum program and employs about one-sixth of the Research & Collections Division’s staff.

Most of my career as an archaeologist has been spent in New York State, and I have worked on a wide variety of sites here, ranging from a small camp marked by chips left over from making a stone tool thousands of years ago to trenches dug by soldiers training to fight for America in World War I.

My main research interests focus on underwater archaeology and the study of maritime cultural landscapes to learn about how people in the past lived on and near the water. As a scientist, I love the process of discovery and then putting together all the clues we find in the field, in the lab, and even in the library to explain how the people who came before us might have lived. I also enjoy the challenge of solving problems, something I get to do regularly at the Cultural Resource Survey Program.

morse.jpg

Sarita Morse

Job: Anthropologist
Collection: Archeology
Title: Archeology Technician

One and a half million years ago, a group of our ancestors walked along the shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya. Their footprints in the mud were quickly covered by sediment, preserving them. Uncovered in 2007 by evolutionary anthropologists, the prints began to erode quickly, and removing them for transport was deemed too risky. With the help of a retrofitted medical laser scanner, a generator, and patience, the prints are now recorded in high-resolution and available to scientists around the world to examine at their computers. For 5 years I traveled the world, scanning footprints of our distant and recent ancestors. This created a data set that could be analyzed to determine geological and biological factors and understand how they affect footprint formation and preservation.

In 2015 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, ending my field career. Turning my fall into a dive, I now work in the CRSP archaeological laboratory here at the New York State Museum.

oconnell.jpg

Kristin O’Connell

Job: Archaeologist
Collection: Historical Archaeology Research and Collections Technician
Title: Historical Archaeology Technician

I am the Research & Collections technician for the historical archaeological collections in the Anthropology Department. The material culture represents New York’s colonial and post-colonial past, spanning the 17th to early 20th centuries. The collection is estimated to contain over four million objects. A technician's responsibilities are broad, but over the years, my focus has centered on the preservation of artifacts and their associated documentation.

My research interest lies in artifact conservation (how to stabilize and preserve artifacts that are in danger of deterioration). Archaeological conservation uses chemistry to understand how and why an artifact will deteriorate after it has been removed from its subsurface environment and then finds the most appropriate treatment methods so the object and cultural data will not be lost.

I also assist with ongoing curatorial research fieldwork throughout the state and enjoy working with students who visit our department during their academic careers. One of my favorite field experiences was in 2012 after a devastating hurricane hit the Mohawk Valley. When flooding ripped through and washed away an asphalt parking lot at Schoharie Crossing State Historic State, a section of an 18th-century fort was revealed, requiring emergency excavation.

reith.jpg

Dr. Christina Rieth

Job: Archaeologist
Collection: Anthropology
Title: State Archaeologist in Archaeology at the New York State Museum and Co-Director CRSP

I currently work on the Early Late Prehistoric Period of New York (ca. AD 700–1400) and analyze prehistoric ceramics and their relationship to trade, exchange, and interaction in the Northeast. I have always been enamored with history and how we understand the past. By studying objects from our past, we can learn not only how lifeways have changed through time, but we gain insights into the future.

Because I am interested in both archaeology and chemistry, I decided to look at the archaeometry—applying scientific techniques to analyze ancient artifacts—of ceramics and lithic (rock) materials to better understand how changes occurred over time, and how they can used as trade items in the past.

weatherwax.jpg

Julie Weatherwax

Job: Bioarchaeologist
Collection: Bioarchaeology Lab
Title: Bioarchaeology Technician

I work in the Bioarchaeology Lab which houses human remains that have been recovered from archaeological excavations. Most of our collection is from excavations conducted as many as 100 years ago. Any new collections that come in are generally from salvage excavations where the remains are in danger of being destroyed. Once in the lab, my job and expertise are in documenting and assessing age, sex, and any pathology (disease or injury) the person might have had. Many of the remains are not permanent in our collection, and instead we work with indigenous nations and local communities to determine final disposition.

I became an osteologist (someone who studies bones) after going on an archaeological dig in Poland, where we excavated Medieval burials. I found it fascinating how much you can learn about a person’s life from examining their skeleton. My favorite thing about my job is seeing all the variations in the human body. Based on what I observe from bones, I get to reveal part of a person’s life story that isn’t in the history books.

winschell-sweeny.jpg

Susan Winchell-Sweeney

Job: Archaeologist
Collection: Anthropology Department
Title: Archaeological Research and Collections Technician, Certified Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP)

Working with a team of museum technicians (all women!), volunteers, and students, I manage the preparation of collections for storage, exhibit, and research. I also participate in field excavations and serve as the resident expert in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Instruments such as GPS (global positioning systems), GPR (ground-penetrating radar), magnetic susceptibility, and drones help map archaeological sites. These tools allow archaeologists to “see beneath the soil” without digging. I support the research projects of our curators, who have very diverse interests—there’s roughly a 13,000-year difference in the ages of the sites and artifacts they study.

The coolest thing I’ve ever done—and the most evocative of a tragic time in the past—was assisting in the discovery and excavation of North America’s first smallpox hospital from the French and Indian War era.

Women's History Resources

Discover educational resources, videos, and more focused on trailblazing women from New York State!

Women of Science Video Library

Take a deep dive into the science happening at the New York State Museum! The videos below will help introduce you to the variety of exciting and cutting edge work conducted by the museum's female scientists.