Florence P. Haseltine High School Yearbook

Scope and Contents

This item is Florence Haseltine's Burroughs High School yearbook, , 1960. The yearbook includes a photograph of Haseltine receiving the Westinghouse Science Talent Search Award.

Arrangement

No arrangement, just one item.

Biographical / Historical

Florence P. Haseltine (born 1942) was a participant of Operation Moonwatch, the amateur science program initiated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) in 1956 as part of the International Geophysical Year (IGY). As one of the largest single scientific undertakings in history, Operation Moonwatch's goal was to enlist the aid of amateur astronomers and other citizens who would help professional scientists spot the first artificial satellites. By the late 1950s, thousands of teenagers, homemakers, amateur astronomers, school teachers, and other citizens served on Moonwatch teams around the globe, including Haseltine, who received an Operation Moonwatch pin for her observation of Sputnik 3 in May 1958. While Haseltine did not pursue a career in astronomy, this program fueled her excitement for science from a young age and she went on to have a wide-ranging career as a physician, biophysicist, reproductive endocrinologist, journal editor, novelist, inventor, and advocate for women's health.