Mary Engle Pennington
Encyclopedia
Mary Engle Pennington was an American bacteriological
chemist and refrigeration engineer.
; her parents were Henry and Sarah B. (Malony) Pennington. Shortly after her birth, her parents moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, to be closer to Sarah Pennington's Quaker relatives. Mary Pennington demonstrated an early interest in chemistry. She entered the University of Pennsylvania
in 1890 and completed the requirements for a B.S. degree in chemistry with minors in botany and zoology in 1892. However, since the University of Pennsylvania did not grant degrees to women at this time, she was given a certificate of proficiency instead of a degree.
Pennington received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1895, and was a university fellow in botany there in 1895–96. She was a fellow in physiological chemistry at Yale
in 1897–99, where she did research in physiological chemistry with Mendel. In 1898, she accepted a position with the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania as Director of their Clinical Laboratory. She also served as a research worker in the department of hygiene at the University of Pennsylvania from 1898 to 1901, and was a bacteriologist with the Philadelphia Bureau of Health. In her position with the Bureau of Health, she was instrumental in improving sanitation standards for the handling of milk and milk products.
, encouraged her to apply for a position as chief of the newly created Food Research Laboratory, which had been established to enforce the Pure Food and Drug Act
of 1906. She accepted the position in 1907. One of her major accomplishments was the development of standards for the safe processing of chickens raised for human consumption. She also served as head of an investigation of refrigerated boxcar design, and served on Herbert Hoover
's War Food Administration during World War I.
and the Society of Biological Chemists. She was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, and a member of the Philadelphia Pathological Society, Sigma XI
, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sorority.
, the highest award given to women in the American Chemical Society
. She is also an inductee of both the National Women's Hall of Fame
and the ASHRAE
Hall of Fame.
Bacteriology
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classification, and characterization of bacterial species...
chemist and refrigeration engineer.
Early Life and Education
Mary Engle Pennington was born in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
; her parents were Henry and Sarah B. (Malony) Pennington. Shortly after her birth, her parents moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, to be closer to Sarah Pennington's Quaker relatives. Mary Pennington demonstrated an early interest in chemistry. She entered the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1890 and completed the requirements for a B.S. degree in chemistry with minors in botany and zoology in 1892. However, since the University of Pennsylvania did not grant degrees to women at this time, she was given a certificate of proficiency instead of a degree.
Pennington received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1895, and was a university fellow in botany there in 1895–96. She was a fellow in physiological chemistry at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
in 1897–99, where she did research in physiological chemistry with Mendel. In 1898, she accepted a position with the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania as Director of their Clinical Laboratory. She also served as a research worker in the department of hygiene at the University of Pennsylvania from 1898 to 1901, and was a bacteriologist with the Philadelphia Bureau of Health. In her position with the Bureau of Health, she was instrumental in improving sanitation standards for the handling of milk and milk products.
Association with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
In 1905, Pennington began working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a bacteriological chemist. Her director at the Bureau of Chemistry, Harvey W. WileyHarvey W. Wiley
Harvey Washington Wiley was a noted chemist best known for his leadership in the passage of the landmark Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and his subsequent work at the Good Housekeeping Institute laboratories. He was the first commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration...
, encouraged her to apply for a position as chief of the newly created Food Research Laboratory, which had been established to enforce the Pure Food and Drug Act
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act of June 30, 1906, is a United States federal law that provided federal inspection of meat products and forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated food products and poisonous patent medicines...
of 1906. She accepted the position in 1907. One of her major accomplishments was the development of standards for the safe processing of chickens raised for human consumption. She also served as head of an investigation of refrigerated boxcar design, and served on Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
's War Food Administration during World War I.
Refrigeration Engineer and Consultant
Pennington's involvement with refrigerated boxcar design at the Food Research Laboratory led to an interest in the entire process of transporting and storing perishable food, including both refrigerated transport and home refrigeration. In 1919, Pennington accepted a position with a private firm, American Balsa, which manufactured insulation for refrigeration units. She left the firm in 1922 to start her own consulting business, which she ran until her retirement in 1952. She founded the Household Refrigeration Bureau in 1923 to educate consumers in safe practices in domestic refrigeration. Much of her work in the 1920s was supported by the National Association of Ice Industries (NAII), an association of independent icemakers and distributors who delivered ice to the home for use in iceboxes, before the widespread availability of electric refrigerators. With NAII support, she published pamphlets on home food safety, including The Care of the Child's Food in the Home (1925) and Cold is the Absence of Heat (1927).Publications and Memberships
She contributed to many scientific and medical journals and was a member of the American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
and the Society of Biological Chemists. She was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, and a member of the Philadelphia Pathological Society, Sigma XI
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...
Sorority.
Awards
Mary Engle Pennington was the recipient of the Garvan-Olin MedalGarvan-Olin Medal
The Francis P. Garvan–John M. Olin Medal is an annual award that recognizes distinguished service to chemistry by women chemists. The Award is offered by the American Chemical Society , and consists of a cash prize and a medal. The medal was designed by Margaret Christian Grigor.Any individual...
, the highest award given to women in the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
. She is also an inductee of both the National Women's Hall of Fame
National Women's Hall of Fame
The National Women's Hall of Fame is an American institution. It was created in 1969 by a group of people in Seneca Falls, New York, the location of the 1848 Women's Rights Convention...
and the ASHRAE
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers is an international technical society for all individuals and organizations interested in heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration...
Hall of Fame.
External links
- Profile at National Women's Hall of Fame