Whitin Observatory

In 1896, Wellesley College physics professor Sarah Frances Whiting met trustee Sarah Elizabeth Whitin at a traditional college ceremony, "Float Night." The conversation turned to a 12" refracting telescope Whiting had used that was being offered for sale, and as told in Wellesley College 1875–1975: A Century of Women: Whiting used the telescope in teaching her classes in astronomy to Wellesley students, one of the first of its kind. According to Wellesley records, in 1942, before the U.S. entered World War II, "astronomy professor Helen Dodson and Barbara McCarthy, professor of Greek, teach a secret course in cryptography to (at least) ten students. The course was taught evenings at the Observatory, where late-night activity would not attract attention. Following graduation, most of these students went on to work for the U.S. Navy] WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), working on Japanese and German codes." == Faculty ==

• Leah B. Allen • John Charles Duncan • Ellen Amanda Hayes • Sarah Frances Whiting == Students ==

• Annie Jump Cannon, after whom the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy was named. • Andrea Dupree • Martha P. Haynes • Nergis Mavalvala • Pamela Melroy File:Annie jump cannon.jpg|Annie Jump Cannon File:Pamela Melroy.jpg|Astronaut Pam Melroy == Friends ==

• Margaret Lindsay Huggins, who bequeathed items to the observatory File:Margaret Lindsay Huggins.jpg|Lady Margaret Lindsay Huggins ==See also==