Creamed Spinach and Community: Alumnae Recount Stories of MIT

In 1873, Ellen Swallow Richards was the first woman to graduate from MIT. Since then, undergraduate and graduate women’s enrollment at MIT has grown from 1.3 percent in 1950 to 13.8 percent in 1975. By 2014, women made up nearly 40 percent of the student body.

What was it like to be a woman at MIT then and now? In this Slice of MIT podcast, MIT alumnae share their memories of the Institute.

(Read the podcast episode transcript.)

Margolia Gilson ’56 talks about her desire to go to MIT after reading an article on space in the seventh grade and her active social life when she arrived. Megan Pasquina ’08 and her mom, Fran Brown ’79, recount how a special professor provided much needed perspective at a late-night study group.

Food plays a major role in many alumnae stories. Anne Street '69, SM '72 explains why she hasn’t eaten creamed spinach since living at MIT’s all women’s dorm, while Dale Krouse ’71 remembers how a food science lab inspired her to help others.

Subscribe to the Slice of MIT podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud. Listen to past podcasts with novelists, professors, and entrepreneurs by visiting the Alumni Association’s SoundCloud page.

These interviews were recorded as part of the Reunions Access Memories (RAM) Project. Held during Tech Reunions, RAM is a multimedia story booth for alumni to share their stories of MIT. Learn more about how you can share your story for the project.