Martha Doan (June 6, 1872 – April 18, 1960) was an American chemist whose contributions include research in compounds of thallium, three published work, and tenure as a professor and dean at various institutions in the US. Throughout her lifetime she received four degrees, a B.S. and master's from

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

, a B.L. from

Earlham College Earlham College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quake ...

, and a Sc.D. from

Cornell Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...

. She was a dean of women for two colleges,

and

Iowa Wesleyan College Iowa Wesleyan University was a private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. It was Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River. The institution was affiliated ...

. In addition to her involvement in higher education, she was involved with several national organizations that involved chemistry and science. She was awarded a certificate for Outstanding Service to Science in 1951. There is now a garden dedicated to her in her hometown of

Westfield, Indiana Westfield is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. It is a northern suburb of Indianapolis. As of 2023, the population was 58,410. Westfield is in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. History Westfield was founded on May 6, 1834, b ...

, in honor of her interests in science, nature, and

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

Early life

Born to Pheobe MacPherson and Abel Doan, Martha grew up in Westfield,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. She was the oldest of seven children. Abel Doan was the president of the local bank, and the family was well known among the community. Martha graduated from Union High School, a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

school which was known for helping students develop into leaders in many different fields of study. After high school, Martha decided to pursue a college education. Her six younger siblings would also attend college.

Education and career

Martha Doan would eventually hold 4 collegiate level degrees. She earned her B.S. at age 19, from

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

. Her next year of study would be directed at the pursuit of a B.L. from

in English Literature. Afterwards, she received an M.S. from Purdue. Her final degree came from Cornell University. During her time at Cornell, she pursued a Doctorate of Science (Sc.D.) in chemistry. Her studies were funded by the Henry W. Sage Fellowship offered to select graduate students at Cornell. Her work towards this advanced chemistry degree revolved around the research of thallium and related compounds. In 1896, the year that she received her Sc.D., she was listed as a co-author for a paper regarding the thallium related compounds, that would be published by the

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 ...

. She was the first woman to receive a doctoral degree in chemistry from Cornell. Another publication of Martha Doan's is the ''Index to Literature of Thallium 1861-1896.'' This index was unanimously recommended to the Smithsonian Institution by a committee from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It would go on to appear in Miscellaneous Collections at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

in 1899. Her last publication was a translation of ''Radio Indicators and other selected topics in Inorganic Chemistry.'' In addition to being a published chemist, Martha Doan taught for a majority of her life. Her first job in teaching was at Manual Training High School, in Indianapolis. She was then quickly offered a position at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

, where she taught as an instructor for 14 years. After teaching at Vassar College, she went on to be both a professor and dean of women at Earlham College. She stayed at Earlham until 1926. Three years later, she became a professor and dean of women for yet another College,

and held this position until 1937. There were several occasions where she served as an active or assistant dean of women during summer semesters at other institutions. During her deanship's, there were no indicators of difficulties, and she concerned herself with expanding the available educational opportunities. Her pursuits as an administrator included further developing strong teaching, research, and university extension work.

Recognition, honors and awards

Throughout her career, Martha was highly involved in several organizations in the scientific and academic realm. After retirement she was an active member of the community. Her dedication to science and academia earned her several honors and awards from various institutions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doan, Martha 1872 births 1960 deaths Cornell University alumni American women chemists Purdue University alumni Earlham College alumni Vassar College faculty Earlham College faculty Iowa Wesleyan University faculty 20th-century American chemists American women academics Graduate Women in Science members