Haines, Catharine M.C. 1939- (Catharine Manya Colton Haines)

PERSONAL:

Born April 10, 1939, in Tynemouth, England; daughter of Maurice Humphrey Colton (an Anglican priest) and Ethel Margaret (a teacher) Haines. Ethnicity: "White." Education: University of Durham, B.S.C. (honors), 1960; Institute of Education, London, postgraduate certificate of education, 1963; University College, London, M.A., 1981; Open University, B.A. (honors), 1989; also attended University of British Columbia, University of Reading, University of Central Lancashire, and University of Manchester. Religion: Anglican. Hobbies and other interests: Walking with her dog, painting, embroidery, photography, writing poetry.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—Lancaster, England.

CAREER:

Vancouver City Library, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, children's librarian, 1961-62; primary teacher in Witney, Oxfordshire, England, 1963-64; Commonwealth Forestry Bureau, Oxford, England, abstractor, 1965-66; primary teacher in Warnham, West Sussex, England, 1966; biology teacher and department head at British secondary schools, 1967-83; Lancashire County Council, Lancashire, England, supply teacher, 1984-95. Also worked as a private tutor.

MEMBER:

Society of Authors, Chartered Institute of Library Information Professionals, Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Institute of Biology, British Society for the History of Science, Freshwater Biology Association, Marine Biological Association, Lancashire Authors' Association.

WRITINGS:

(Compiler, with Helen Stevens) International Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary to 1950, American Bibliographical Center-Clio Press (Santa Barbara, CA), 2001.

Contributor to other reference books.

SIDELIGHTS:

Catharine M.C. Haines is the compiler, with Helen Stevens, of International Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary to 1950. The book includes approximately 400 entries on women scientists from 1600 to 1950. The collection specifically excludes North American scientists, focusing mostly on British women but also including entries on women from other European countries, East Asia, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. "The descriptions are concise, averaging 750 words in length, and they effectively convey even the most complex concepts," noted David M. Fagerstrom in Reference and User Services Quarterly. In addition to biologists, physicists, and chemists, the book covers archaeologists, home economists, aviators, and historians of science. The book includes familiar names such as Marie Curie and Mary Leakey as well as a large number of lesser-known but often fascinating figures. "One particularly interesting entry is for James Miranda Stuart Barry, 1795-1865, who went to medical school disguised as a man and became a respected military physician," commented a Booklist reviewer. In addition, the dictionary provides a list of entries by profession and useful bibliographies, often tilted toward primary sources. Overall, concluded Barbarly Korper McConnell in Feminist Collections: Quarterly of Women's Studies Resources, "this is a well-done volume that would be a good addition to a high school, academic, or public library."

Haines once told CA: "My first employment was as a sub-professional children's librarian in Vancouver City Library. This was a wonderful experience, as I learned the art of storytelling and gained a wide experience of children's literature.

"From this, I decided to return to England to train as a primary school teacher. I taught in two primary schools, which I greatly enjoyed, but I decided to use my interest in biology and teach in secondary education. In the school in which I worked we always had a successful animal club, keeping a variety of small animals. I was also very keen on fieldwork and took a group of students on a week's field trip each year, usually based at a youth hostel. I was also very keen on practical work, and my students always did a lot of practical exercises. I was fortunate in having very good laboratory technicians.

"I became involved in research through the Royal Society. The Society's schools committee felt that if teachers were themselves involved in research, they would become better teachers, so they provided a supervisor and some funding for equipment. They also hoped that the students would become involved in the research, and I was fortunate that my students at Newbury Girls Grammar School were enthusiastic, and many took part in observations. We investigated the biology of the pea crab, Pinnotheres pisum, which lives as a commensal in the mussel Mytilus edulis. As a result of exhibiting the work at the Oxford Science Fair, my students were asked to participate in the Young Scientists of the Year competition on BBC-TV, a great thrill at the time. Following this, we were invited to the Royal Society's annual Conversazione—the first time high school students had been invited to such an event.

"From 1963 to 1983, I was a full-time teacher and was head of biology at four schools. I was a supply teacher for Lancashire County Council from 1984 to 1995 and taught in primary, secondary, and special schools. In addition, I was an assistant examiner for several boards, in biology, physics, and natural economy. For over a decade, I was a tutor for the Rapid Results College, and I also tutored students in Lancaster at the primary and secondary level, in a variety of subjects.

"After taking a journalism course, I had a number of articles published in dictionaries. Compiling International Women in Science gave me a new challenge and allowed me to use both my writing and scientific expertise. The aim of the book is to show the wide variety of careers linked with science and to allow the readers to be inspired by the success stories of a range of women scientists."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2002, review of International Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary to 1950, p. 1180.

British Journal for the History of Science, June, 2003, Paula Gould, review of International Women in Science, pp. 231-233.

Choice, April, 2002, review of International Women in Science, p. 1397.

Feminist Collections: Quarterly of Women's Studies Resources, winter, 2002, Barbarly Korper McConnell, review of International Women in Science, p. 33.

Isis, March, 2003, Marilyn Ogilvie, review of International Women in Science, p. 205.

Reference and User Services Quarterly, summer, 2002, David M. Fagerstrom, review of International Women in Science, p. 392.

SciTech Book News, March, 2002, review of International Women in Science, p. 17.