Dorothy Martin Simon (September 18, 1919 – March 25, 2016) was an American

physical chemist Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...

known for her work in space engineering, especially with aerospace combustion and the development of

polymer A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...

s. She made important contributions while at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (

NACA The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency that was founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its ...

) regarding

heat shield In engineering, a heat shield is a component designed to protect an object or a human operator from being burnt or overheated by dissipating, reflecting, and/or absorbing heat. The term is most often used in reference to exhaust heat management a ...

construction and improvement of

rocket engine A rocket engine is a reaction engine, producing thrust in accordance with Newton's third law by ejecting reaction mass rearward, usually a high-speed Jet (fluid), jet of high-temperature gas produced by the combustion of rocket propellants stor ...

designs that were critical to the success of the Apollo space program. Her work with

DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

resulted in the creation of synthetic polymers

Dacron Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods ...

and

Orlon Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers made from a polymer (polyacrylonitrile) with an average molecular weight of ~100,000, about 1900 monomer units. For a fiber to be called "acrylic" in the US, the polymer must contain at least 85% acrylonitri ...

.
In 1966 she was awarded the Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award, the highest honor the society bestows in recognition of her significant contributions to engineering administration and space engineering, especially combustion and ablative coatings.
Dr. Simon said of herself, "I was born into science. I knew the word chemistry before I learned to talk."

Early life and education

Dorothy Martin was born on September 18, 1919 in Harwood, Vernon County, Missouri to Laudell M (née Flynn) (1892–1978) and Robert W. Martin. She graduated Greenwood Grade and High School as class Valedictorian. Strongly influenced by her father, a chemist and college professor, she earned her AB degree from

Southwest Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...

where her father was head of the science department. She was the first graduate to achieve a perfect score (4.0

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

). In 1940, she attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

for one year, before transferring to

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

. She earned the Strong Fellowship in 1944 and in 1945 completed her PhD in physical chemistry with thesis work regarding

radon Radon is a chemical element; it has symbol Rn and atomic number 86. It is a radioactive noble gas and is colorless and odorless. Of the three naturally occurring radon isotopes, only Rn has a sufficiently long half-life (3.825 days) for it to b ...

Career Highlights

1941 - 1945 - University of Illinois, Teaching Assistant. 1945 - 1946 - DuPont de Nemours & Company, Rayon Division, Pioneer Research Lab,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. Associate Chemist. After earning her PhD, Simon worked to develop new

catalysts Catalysis () is the increase in reaction rate, rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst ...

to change the properties of synthetic polymers. This work led to the development of two polymers which would later be named Dacron and Orlon. 1946 - 1949 Atomic Energy Commission,

Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Lemont, Illinois, Lemont, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1946, the laboratory is owned by the United Sta ...

, Chicago, Illinois, and

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1943, the laboratory is sponsored by the United Sta ...

(ORNL), in

Oak Ridge, Tennessee Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, Anderson and Roane County, Tennessee, Roane counties in the East Tennessee, eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville. Oak Ridge's po ...

. Associate Chemist. After completing her work with DuPont, Simon transferred to ORNL. There, she made discoveries in the field of

radiochemistry Radiochemistry is the chemistry of radioactive materials, where radioactive isotopes of elements are used to study the properties and chemical reactions of non-radioactive isotopes (often within radiochemistry the absence of radioactivity leads t ...

while studying the triple-fission of

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

. Simon also became the first to discover a new

isotope Isotopes are distinct nuclear species (or ''nuclides'') of the same chemical element. They have the same atomic number (number of protons in their Atomic nucleus, nuclei) and position in the periodic table (and hence belong to the same chemica ...

calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

. For a short period of time after leaving ORNL, she continued with similar research regarding uranium at

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. 1949 - 1955 National Space and Aeronautics Administration (then National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)) Lewis Research Center Fuels and Combustion Division. Assistant Branch Chief, Chemistry Branch. Simon began work at

Lewis Research Center NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center within the cities of Brook Park and Cleveland between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Rocky River Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks, with a subsidiary facil ...

, a division of the

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency that was founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its ...

(NACA), the predecessor of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

. She conducted research regarding flame velocities and types of fuel for aerospace applications including studies to determine the minimum diameter of tubing necessary to maintain an engine flame. This led to Simon being credited in numerous technical publications and research papers, and led to improvements in engine designs for aeronautic and

spaceflight Spaceflight (or space flight) is an application of astronautics to fly objects, usually spacecraft, into or through outer space, either with or without humans on board. Most spaceflight is uncrewed and conducted mainly with spacecraft such ...

purposes. As a result of her work at NACA, Simon was given the Rockefeller Federal Service Award, which entailed a $10,000 (~$110,000 in 2022) grant from the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

. She used this award to travel to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

to further her education at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Cambridge, England Cambridge ( ) is a city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of ...

. Simon toured around Europe where she met with scientists from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

to examine their research regarding physical chemistry and radiochemistry. Upon returning from her tour, she was promoted to assistant chief of NACA’s combustion branch, where she became a pioneer in female

corporate management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administr ...

. 1955 - 1956

Magnolia Petroleum Company The Magnolia Petroleum Company was an early twentieth-century petroleum company in Texas. The company was established in 1911, being later acquired by the Standard Oil of New York, which operated it as a wholly-owned subsidiary until its demise ...

, Dallas, Texas. Group Leader, Fundamental Combustion Branch. Once leaving NACA, Simon briefly held a position at Magnolia Petroleum in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where she did work regarding

oil sands Oil sands are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. They are either loose sands, or partially consolidated sandstone containing a naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay, and water, soaked with bitumen (a dense and extremely viscous ...

. Her efforts aimed to develop a profitable method of removing the oil, separating it from the sand underground. 1956 - 1985

Avco Avco Corporation is a subsidiary of Textron, which operates Textron Systems Corporation and Lycoming. History The Aviation Corporation was formed on March 2, 1929, to prevent a takeover of CAM-24 airmail service operator Embry-Riddle Compa ...

, Greenwich Connecticut. Vice President and Director of Corporate Research for the Defense and Industrial Products Group. Simon took a position at

Corporation, an

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

conglomerate in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. There, she applied her previous experience with polymer construction and physical chemistry to develop the technology for early aerospace

s, which were critical to NASA’s

crewed spacecraft This is a list of all crewed spacecraft types that have flown into space, including sub-orbital flights above 80 km, space stations that have been visited by at least one crew member, and spacecraft currently planned to operate with crews ...

endeavors. This technology would go on to be used most notably during NASA’s

Apollo program The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...

, and later was applied to

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...

s at the height of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. Her success led to her appointment as Director of Corporate Research in 1962, where she directed advanced research in six AVCO divisions: Aerospace Structures (Nashville, Tennessee); Lycoming (Stratford, Conn.) Electronics (Cincinnati, Ohio); Ordance (Richmond, Indiana); AVCO-Tulsa; and Research and Advanced Development (Wilmington, Mass.) In 1964 she was promoted to Vice-President of these six groups, becoming the company's first female corporate officer. In 1965 she was appointed Director of Economic Systems Corporation, an Avco subsidiary that operated the largest girls'

Job Corps Job Corps is a program administered by the United States Department of Labor that offers free education and vocational training to young people ages 16 to 24.

Training Center at Poland Springs, Maine. 1n 1983, Dr. Dorothy Simon testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, stating that fire-related costs of building construction in the United States could be reduced by 40 percent through the use of modern fire technology. 1985 - 1993 Consultant She operated her consulting firm, Simon Associated, from her home in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

Affiliations

* Honorary Mathematics and Foreign Language Society *

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is an international non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a faculty member and graduate students in 1886 and is one of the oldest ...

Iota Sigma Pi Iota Sigma Pi () is a national honor society in the United States. It was established in 1900 and specializes in the promotion of women in the sciences, especially chemistry. It also focuses on personal and professional growth for women in these f ...

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) 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 155,000 members at all ...

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecra ...

American Ordnance Association

International Combustion Institute
*

Society of Women Engineers The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is an international not-for-profit educational and service organization. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in the United States, the Society of Women Engineers is a major advocate for women in engineering and ...

Awards and honors

* Rockefeller Public Service Award awarded by the Trustees of Princeton University (1953)Simon, Dorothy,

Records (LR001539), Box 192, Folders 39, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University * Invited Lecturer, Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and Development (AGARD) or NATO, Cambridge, England. 1953 * Named an "Outstanding Alumnus" by the SMSU Alumni Association (1957) * Marie Curie Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University 1962 * Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award (1966) * Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1971) *

Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

’s list of 100 Top Corporate Women (1976) * Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Lehigh University (1978). * Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois (1983) * Listed in American Men of Science, Who’s Who in the East, and Who’s Who of American Women.

Legacy

Throughout the 1950’s she served as an advocate for

women in science The presence of women in science spans the earliest times of the history of science wherein they have made substantial contributions. Historians with an interest in gender and science have researched the scientific endeavors and accomplishments ...

and

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

, appearing in several

radio shows A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

and

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

s. * The Saturday Evening Post, November 14, 1959 “Dr. Dorothy Martin Simon Knows Rockets” * Missouri State University Magazine, undated, “The Lady is a Scientist”. * Junior Engineering Technical Society - Jets Journal Nov 1963. Dr. Dorothy Martin Simon had several firsts during her career: * Critical developments in synthetic polymers led to Dacron and Orlon. * She was the appointed a trustee at

Worcester Polytechnic Institute The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a Private university, private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1865, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities and now h ...

(WPI). * Dr. Simon was the first to discover a new isotope of calcium. * In addition to scientific and engineering firsts, Dr. Simon garnered recognition throughout her career for her management style.

Selected Published Works

* “An evaluation of the soap-bubble method for burning velocity measurements using ethylene-oxygen nitrogen and methane-oxygen-nitrogen mixtures.” NACA-TN-3106. co-authored with Wong, Edgar L. February 1954 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930083831 * “Prediction of flame velocities of hydrocarbon flames.” NACA-TR-1158 co-authored with Dugger, Gordon L. 1954 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930092187 * “Prediction of flame velocities of hydrocarbon flames.” NACA-RM-E52J13 co-authored with Dugger, Gordon L. 1953 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930087439 * “Flame velocities over a wide composition range for pentane-air, ethylene-air, and propyne-air." NACA-RM-E51H09 co-authored with Wong, Edgar, L. 1951 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930086813 * “Variation of the pressure limits of flame propagation with tube diameter for propane-air mixtures.” NACA-RM-E51J09 co-authored with Belles, Frank. E. 1951 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930087025 * “An active particle diffusion theory of flame quenching for laminar flames.” NACA-RM-E51L18 co-authored with Belles, Frank E. 1952 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930086923 * “Effects of additives on pressure limits of flame propagation of propane-air mixtures.” NACA-RM-E53I29 co-authored with Belles, Frank E. 1953 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930088034

Personal life

After concluding her research career, she served on numerous committees and advisory boards for government agencies, universities, and corporations. The most notable positions include the

Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business ...

Committee for the National Bureau of Standards, and the committee for the

National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral science, behavior ...

during the

Carter administration Jimmy Carter's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 39th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Jimmy Carter, his inauguration on January 20, 1977, and ended on January 20, 1981. Carter, a Democratic Party ...

. Simon served as the first female trustee at

, where she set up the Dorothy M. Simon Endowed Fund for Fire Safety Studies.

Marriage

She marrie
Dr. Sidney L. Simon
(1913 - 1975) a fellow graduate student from the University of Chicago, in 1946 and took his surname.

Death

Simon died on March 25, 2016, at the age of 96, in her home in

Pittsboro, North Carolina Pittsboro is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,743 at the 2010 census and 4,537 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Chatham County. The town was established in the late 18th century, shortly ...

References

External links

SWE Achievement Award Recipients, Engineering and Technology History Wiki (ETHW)

Additional Reading

* Reed, Linda (2025). Chapter 19 "Dorothy Martin Simon". In Craig, Cecilia; Teig, Holly; Kimberling, Debra; Williams, Janet; Tietjen, Jill; Johnson, Vicki (eds.). Women Engineering Legends 1952-1976: Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award Recipients. Springer Cham. {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Dorothy 1919 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American chemists American women chemists American physical chemists DuPont people University of Chicago alumni Missouri State University alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Scientists from Missouri People from Springfield, Missouri National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics People from Vernon County, Missouri 20th-century American women engineers American women engineers Women in engineering Achievement Award Recipients of the Society of Women Engineers Members of the Society of Women Engineers