Throughout the history of science, groups of people who have been marginalized for their identities often do not get credit for their work or are relegated to a footnote—and the California Academy of Sciences, one of the oldest scientific institutions in the West, is no exception to this exclusionary trend.
It is our duty to tell the stories of our staff and affiliates that have yet to be told in order to reveal a fuller and truer picture of the history of our institution, which reflects the history of science as a whole. Academy archivists, including a graduate student, undergraduate students, and Careers in Science high school interns, profiled staff from the past using archival materials from the Academy Library to shed light on stories that have not been told in their entirety until now.
Sonoda was an ichthyologist who survived a Japanese internment camp during World War II.
Baptista was an ornithologist who used bird calls to pinpoint species to the San Francisco neighborhoods where they lived.
Frizzell was an arachnologist who brought order to the spider tree of life—albeit as an unpaid researcher.
See how the Academy is advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access at the museum and in the field.
Head into the archives with our interns as they uncover the stories of barrier-breaking Academy staff.
An Academy researcher reckons with the racist legacy of Academy president and ichthyologist David Starr Jordan.
Founded in 1853, the Academy Library is a research library devoted to natural history and the natural sciences. Explore our extensive collections, including rare books, serials, maps, and photography.
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