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Elizabeth Peckham (1854-1940)

As a woman heavily involved in STEM and the fight for female suffrage Elizabeth Peckham was one of the most influential female figures in the late 19th century. Born in 1854 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Elizabeth Peckham was intensely interested in science as a child. She graduated as one of the only women with a science degree from Vassar in 1876, where she later returned for her Master's degree in 1888. She married George Peckham, who met her interest in science with equal fervor. Their union brought three children, twenty-two jointly published science journals on entomology, and a legacy of renowned research on jumping spiders (Salticidae).

Career

After graduating from Vassar, Peckham became one of Wisconsin's first librarians. She maintained a serious interest in biology, specifically evolutionary biology, and her pursuit eventually led her back to Vassar for a Master's Degree and to Cornell for her Ph. D in 1916. Throughout her lengthy education, Peckham was also a dedicated suffragette in the fight for female rights. She served on the National Woman Suffrage Association Board for several years in addition to testifying in front of several legislative committees. After her marriage to George Peckham, they began publishing extensive research on jumping spiders. Their first paper, "Animal Psychology" was published in 1883, and their paper that gained them the most attention was on a separate project about wasps, "Instincts and Habits of Solitary Wasps".

Research

The Peckham's most prominent research was on the behavior and classification of jumping spiders, using Darwinian methods. They also used this research to help confirm behaviors that involved sexual selection rather than courtship methods in some insects.

Their research on wasps identified that wasp behavior was not uniform, as previously believed, but differentiated due to natural selection.

Death and Legacy

Elizabeth Peckham died in 1940 at the age of 85 due to pneumonia. She left behind key research about the evolution and behavior of jumping spiders, and the Salticus peckhamae was named in her honor. The "Peckham Honor Society" was also named in the honor of the Peckhams.