Vera Varsonofeva

Vera Varsanofieva (10 July 1890, Moscow — 29 June 1976) was a Soviet geologist, geomorphologist, a member-correspondent of the USSR Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, and an honored scientist of the RSFSR. She was the first woman to be awarded the degree of Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences.

Born in Moscow to a military family, she received her initial education at home under the guidance of her mother, the French, Yulia Lvovna, who taught her foreign languages and aroused her interest in scientific pursuits. Varsanofieva spent most of her childhood in Ryazan, according to the duty station of her father. At the age of 13, she entered the Mariinsky Women's Gymnasium in Ryazan. In 1906, she graduated with a gold medal. At 14 years old, Varsanofieva told her parents that she would be a geologist. In the gymnasium, the sister of the future professor-geologist A. D. Arkhangelsky became a classmate and friend of Varsanofieva. To supplement her education in mathematics and history, she began to attend the 8th grade at the V. P. Cimicky private gymnasium.

In 1907, she entered the physics and mathematics department of the Higher Women's Courses in Moscow. In the summer of 1911, Professor A. A. Chernov organized the first excursion to the Northern Urals for students, and thus V. A. Varsanofyeva first came to the area, which later became the site of her many years of geological research.

In 1915, Varsanofieva passed the state exams at the First State Testing Commission at the Moscow Higher Women's Courses and was left at the geology department of these courses “to prepare for a professorship”.In 1916-1919, she taught at the Moscow Prechistenskii working courses. In 1918, as an assistant, she gave lectures on geology and mineral resources at the Moscow Higher Courses for Women, and then at Moscow State University in the Department of A. P. Pavlov. Since 1920, as an assistant professor at the 1st Moscow State University, she read the first special tectonics course in Moscow. In 1919–24 she taught at the Tver Pedagogical Institute, at the Ivanovo-Voznesensky Pedagogical and Polytechnic Institutes. In 1921–1924, she conducted research, mainly in the mountainous belt of the Northern Urals.

In 1925 she was briefly arrested. In 1925-1956 she taught at the 2nd Moscow State University (from 1930 - MGPI them. V. I. Lenin ), where she read her original course in mineralogy and geology, which included the basics of paleontology and lectures on dynamic and historical geology. In 1934–1935, under the leadership of Varsanofyeva, a course of teaching geology was developed.

In 1935, for the totality of the works of V. A. Varsanofyev that were published by that time, she was the first woman to receive the degree of Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences without defending a thesis.

Academician V.A. Obruchev recommended in 1941 to print her book "The Origin and Structure of the Earth" with the following words: "The book is read with great interest and even I have learned from it quite a bit of new knowledge departments that are less close to me."

In 1945, she was elected a corresponding Member of the Academy of pedagogical Sciences of the USSR.

Since 1954, living in Moscow, she worked as a senior researcher and head of laboratory (1961-1964) in the Institute of Geology, Komi branch of the USSR.

In 1970, she retired.

In 1976, she died and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.

• since 1916 member of the society of lovers of natural science, anthropology and Ethnography.
• since 1923 — member of the Moscow society of naturalists. Vice-President of the society since 1942.
• since 1927 — member of the Geographical society of the USSR.

The Name V. A. Varsanofieva was named:

• Mountain and glacier in the Subpolar Urals.
• Cape on the island of Novaya Zemlya.

Fossils:

• Tollina warsanofievae Barskaja — a type of stromatoporoid, the upper Ordovician of Northern Siberia.
• Palaeoleptophycus warsanofievae Korde, 1955 — a kind of algae, the upper Cambrian of Siberia.
• Darwinula warsanofievae Beliajeva — species of ostracods, Permian of the Russian platform.
• Sphaerestheria warsanofievae Molin — a kind of phyllopod, Permian of the Russian platform.

• Varsanofyeva, Vera Alexandrovna // Big Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 t.] / Ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
• Богданов А. А. (1970). "К юбилею В. А. Варсанофьевой" [To the anniversary of V. A. Varsanofyeva]. 45 (Bulletin of the Moscow Society of Naturalists. Separate geology ed.).
• Яншин А. Л. (1970). "В. А. Варсанофьева". 45 (Bulletin of the Moscow Society of Naturalists. Separate geology ed.).
• Калашников Н. В.Юшкин Н. П. Боринцева Н. А. (1990). Вера Александровна Варсанофьева (in Russian). Komi scientific Center of URO of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
• Наливкин Д. В. (1979). Наши первые женщины-геологи [Our first women geologists] (in Russian). Л.: Наука.
• Fund RSA —f. 3, 660., 1846-1976.