Lydia Jane Roberts (1879–1965) was a pioneering

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and Human nutrition, nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disci ...

in childhood nutrition, especially in creating government nutrition standards like the

Recommended Dietary Allowances In the U.S. and Canada, the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products to indicate the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97� ...

(RDA) of

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and

vitamin Vitamins are Organic compound, organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamer, vitamers) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolism, metabolic function. Nutrient#Essential nutrients, ...

s. She studied and taught at 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 ...

, receiving her Ph.D. in

home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

in 1928 and later becoming department chair in 1930.

Early life

Lydia Jane Roberts was born June 30, 1879, in Hope Township, Barry County, Michigan to Warren and Mary (McKibbin) Roberts. She was one of four children. Her father was a carpenter. He moved the family to Martian, Michigan not long after the birth of Lydia.

Education

Roberts attended primary and high school in Martin, Michigan.Lydia Roberts 1879-1965
/ref> She completed a one-year course at Mt. Pleasant Normal School in 1899, and was later awarded a Life Certificate from Mt. Pleasant Normal School, allowing her to teach at any Michigan elementary school. Roberts entered with advanced standing at the University of Chicago in 1915 where she majored in home economics under the direction of noted biochemist Katharine Blunt.

Career

After receiving her degree in

in 1917, Roberts worked as an assistant professor at the

. Upon the completion of her Ph.D., she was promoted to Associate Professor. Roberts received full professorship and was appointed to the Chair of the Home Economics Department in 1930. During her time as chair, she also led the committee for creating the Recommended Daily Allowances, the suggested daily intake of nutrients. Due to mandatory retirement, Roberts left the University of Chicago in 1944 and took on the role of professor and Chair of the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

, a position she held from 1946 to 1952 when she retired. After retirement, Roberts continued to be active in initiatives for improvements in nutrition for the families of Puerto Rico.

Work

Roberts had been a leader in the development of the first set of RDAs, or recommended daily allowances. Roberts possessed the knowledge and expertise to create a scientifically sound set of RDAs. Her leadership approach was described as being democratic. Roberts had been a member of the National Research Council’s committee for food and nutrition. She had served on three committees of the White House Conference on Child Health and Protection. She had been a member of the American Medical Association’s Council on Foods and Nutrition. Throughout her career, her main work had been along the lines of improving nutrition for children and families in need.

Achievements

Roberts has been acknowledged for her work in nutrition. She received the Borden award of the Home Economics Association in 1938, the Marjorie Hulsizer Copher Award in 1952 from the

American Dietetic Association The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a multi-unit enterprise that includes a 501(c)(6) trade association in the United States. With over 112,000 members, the association claims to be the largest organization of food and nutrition professiona ...

, and in 1957, for her work with nutrition services to children, she received the Marshall Field Award. Additionally, Roberts has authored many books on nutrition. Her most notable book is ''Nutrition Work with Children,'' which was her dissertation for her Ph.D. before publishing it in 1928 as a textbook, focused on the nutritional needs of children. Other books written by Roberts include ''The Road to Good Nutrition'' (1942), ''Patterns of Living in Puerto Rican Families'' (1949), and ''The Dona Elena Project: Better Living Program in an Isolated Rural Community'' (1963).

Death

On May 28, 1965, Roberts died in

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, Puerto Rico, from a ruptured abdominal aneurism. She is buried in East Martin Cemetery in

Martin, Michigan Martin is a village in southeastern Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 377 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. Demographics 20 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Lydia 1879 births 1965 deaths American women nutritionists American nutritionists American women scientists Home economists