Ellen Swallow Richards
Learn about this fantastic woman
Little Bio of Ellen:
Ellen is the founder of home economics and was the first woman to be admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. She was born December 3, 1842 in Dunstable, Massachusetts. She died March 30, 1911 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her grave is in Gardiner, Maine.
Contributions to Science:
The most prominent female American chemist of the 19th century, Ellen H. Swallow Richards (1842-1911) was a pioneer in sanitary engineering and a founder of home economics in the United States.
In 1875 she married Professor Robert H. Richards, head of the department of mining engineering at MIT. She started working with her husband on the chemistry or ore analysis and this work led to her being elected in 1879 the first woman member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. In 1876 she successfully petitioned the Woman’s Education Association of Boston to contribute funds to open the Woman’s Laboratory at MIT. She worked there as an assistant director under Professor John Ordway. She encouraged other woman to enter the scientific field and provided opportunities for their training.
Pictures of Ellen
Two experiments from Ellen
The Rumford Kitchen
Lawrence Experiment Station
Bibliography
http://www.biography.com/people/ellen-richards-9457351
http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/richards-es.html
https://libraries.mit.edu/archives/exhibits/esr/esr-rumford.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Experiment_Station
http://thisdayinwaterhistory.wordpress.com/tag/lawrence-experiment-station/