ACS President: Anna Jane Harrison (1912-1998)
Served as President: 1978
First Woman ACS President
Harrison did work on toxic gases or “smokes” in many environments
Education:
• Ph.D., 1940, University of Missouri , Physical Chemistry
Career Highlights:
- Science teacher, one-room school house, Benton City, Missouri (the same school she attended as a child), 1933-35
- Instructor, Sophie Newcomb College, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 1940-1942
- Professor of chemistry, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, 1945-1979
- Retired as professor emeritus and then taught at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis
Notable Accomplishments:
Noted for chemical research in molecular spectroscopy in the far ultraviolet region of spectrum. International leader in chemical education. Active nationally and internationally as a supporter of women in science.
Major Awards and Honors:
- Citation of Merit, University of Missouri, College of Arts and Sciences, 1960
- Manufacturing Chemists Association Award in College Chemistry, 1969
- James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching of Chemistry, ACS Northeastern Section, 1977
- ACS Award in Chemical Education, 1982
Service to Science:
- Chair, ACS Division of Chemical Education, 1971
- Member, National Science Board, 1972-1978
- President, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1983-1984
- Member, Board of Directors, Sigma Xi, 1988-1991
- Chair, Board of Publications, Journal of Chemical Education, 1960, 1964
- Editorial Boards, Journal of College Science Teaching and Chemical & Engineering News
Did You Know
. . . that she most often published in combination with students or other Mount Holyoke colleagues?
. . . that she did confidential defense work in the development of field kits for the army to collect and analyze gases during World War II?
