Photo of Mary Engle Pennington

Mary Engle Pennington

1872 - 1952
Bacteriological Chemistry; Refrigeration Engineering
USA USA

Personal Information

Born: 1872

Died: 1952

Country of Birth: USA

Nationality: USA

Ethnicity: White

Education

University of Pennsylvania - completed all work for a BS in Chemistry however the school would only issue a Certificate of Proficency in Chemisty in 1892 due to her gender; University of Pennsylvania 1895 PhD Chemistry

Professional Life

Field of Study: Bacteriological Chemistry; Refrigeration Engineering

Institution/Corporation: US Dept of Agriculture; National Association of Ice Industries; Borden Company

Degrees & Memberships: Member: Fellow American Association of Refrigerating Engineers (1947) American Chemical Society Society of Biological Chemistry Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science Philadelphia Pathological Society Sigma Xi Kappa Kappa Gamma

Awards & Achievements

Awards: 2002 National Women's Hall of Fame; 1940 Garvin-Olin Medal American Chemical Society; 1923 named America's Foremost Authority on Home Refrigeration American Society of Heating Refrigeration & Airconditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); 1959 Poultry Historical Society Hall of Fame; 2007 ASHRAE Hall of Fame; 2018 National Inventors Hall of Fame; 1919 Notable Service Medal for Contribution to the War Effort

Achievements: oversaw the handling transportation & storage of perishable food items

Developed milk & dairy handling standards, standards for refrigeration railroad cars & refrigeration warehouses, & processing chicken for human consumption

Held 4 patents

Spent over 40 years educating the US government & public in the techniques & importance of proper handling of perishable foods

Completed the requirements for a BS in Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania but they didn't grant degrees to females at the time; was given a certificate of proficiency instead