Work

Gertrude Cox in Egypt: A Case Study in Science Patronage and International Statistics Education during the Cold War

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Argument Gertrude Cox, first chair of North Carolina State University's Department of Experimental Statistics, worked as a consultant for the Ford Foundation to Cairo University's Institute of Statistical Studies and Researches in 1964. An analysis of this work provides a case study in the internationalization of the statistics profession, the systems of patronage available to scientists in the second half of the twentieth century, and the history of women in science. It highlights some of the complexities in the process of internationalization in science, showing that even when scientists cross national boundaries to promote their discipline, they may have as a goal the advancement of their own nationalistic interests, or those of their patrons. In documenting Cox's commitment to serving her professional community, this case study will show that some particularly feminine qualities of Cox's approach to her work enabled her to accomplish what her male colleagues tried unsuccessfully to do.

Source: Science in Context

DOI: 10.1017/s026988970800207x

Author: Patti W. Hunter

Institution: Westmont College

Language: English

Topic: Twentieth Century Scientific Developments

Subfield: History and Philosophy of Science

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Gender equality

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Ford Foundation, Iowa State University, University of Cambridge, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill