Rock Star: How Ursula Marvin Mapped Moon Rocks and Meteorites

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I always love learning about women who we may not have heard of but are famous in their own right. I really love learning about female mathematicians and scientists who have made a difference in our world. And although we always focus on women in March for Women's History Month I also feel it is important that we learn about them all year long. After all women do make up at least 50% of the world population. Today I am sharing a new book (released today) that is about a famous scientist. The book is Rock Star: How Ursula Marvin Mapped Moon Rocks and Meteorites by Sandra Neil Wallace and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. This book is recommended for ages four to eight.

About the Book:

Ursula Marvin was a rock star in the field of geology at a time when it was nearly impossible for women to pursue careers in science. Discover her story in this nonfiction picture book biography by Orbis Pictus award recipient Sandra Neil Wallace.

While attending college in the early 1940s, Ursula Marvin fell in love with geology, but when she asked her male professor about making the field her major, he tried to stop her, saying it would be a better use of her time to learn how to cook. Ursula studied geology anyway, eventually getting her master’s and PhD in the subject.

As a visionary and groundbreaking geologist, Ursula also had to be brave. She believed meteorites held the key to unlocking the origins of the solar system. To prove it, she travelled to Antarctica where she faced fierce winds, the coldest climate on Earth, and cracks in the ice that could have crushed her, but she knew the danger was worth the risk and scientific exploration wasn’t just for men. She proved her theory and that meteorites could be made up of pieces of planets or the moon.

Ursula Marvin charted new territory as a scientist and fought gender discrimination at every turn in her career. She broke barriers in science, helped create the field of planet geology, and discovered theories that are now foundational, reshaping our understanding of the universe.

From Me:

Ursula Marvin grew up in Vermont and loved exploring nature all around her and in any season. In college she falls in love with geology but is discouraged by the geology professor. What does she do? She switches universities. She was so good at recognizing rare minerals that she became one of the first geologists to study the moon rocks brought back by Apollo astronauts. She discovered minerals on the moon that showed the moon once had a bubbling ocean of melted rock. She began to study more rocks from outer space and in particular meteorites. She revolutionized how we saw the solar system. 

However, she wanted to explore more like she did when she was young. She wanted to look for meteorites in Antartica. No woman had ever done this. She however got to live this dream. She was a woman who did many things that she was told women didn't do. She was so successful that her work demanded the respect of the males around her. She shared her knowledge with scientists around the world and has several things named after her on Earth as well as in space!

This book shares a look at the life of Ursula Marvin. It shares some of the challenges she had as well as her many successes. She helped scientists understand how the universe began as well as information about the moon that was not known. At the end of the book is the Author's Note which includes more details about Ursula and her work as well as a photo of her in Antarctica. After the Author's Note is quotes from Ursula's journal, facts about Antarctica, Ursula's milestones with moon rocks and meteorites as well as another photograph of Ursula. There are also acknowledgments as well as sources and a bibliography.

This book is perfect for the classroom and learning about this famous geologist and how her work helped us learn more about space. I love that she was the first woman to do many things as well as became an expert in a field that was for men in the time she lived. Her success encouraged more female scientists, and she had a huge influence in the world of science. It is the perfect book for studying a biography, introducing geology, as well as learning about space. The book is also perfect for a read at home or the library to have this resource about an amazing woman that you may not have heard about but whose work gave us a better understanding of the universe.