Katharine Burr Blodgett
Personal Information
Born: 1898
Died: 1979
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
BA Physics, Bryn Mawr College, 1917; MS Physics, University of Chicago, 1918; PhD Physics Newnham College of the University of Cambridge, 1926
Professional Life
Field of Study: Physics; Surface Chemistry
Institution/Corporation: General Electric
Degrees & Memberships: Honorary Degree: Elmira College, 1939; Western College, 1942; Brown University, 1942; Russell Sage College, 1944; Member: American Physical Society Fellow; Optical Society of America
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1951, Garvan Medal; 1943, received a star in 7th edition of American Men in Science; 1945, American Association of University Women Annual Achievement Award; 1951, 1 of 15 Women of Achievement, US Chamber of Commerce; 1951, Boston s First Assembly of American Women in Achievement; June 13, 1951 declared Katharine Blodgett Day in Schnectady, NY; 1972, Annual Achievement Award, Photographic Society of America; Institute of Physics awards a Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal & Prize
Achievements: Langmuir-Blodgett Films ( nonreflective glass); first female to recieve PhD in Physics from Cambridge University; Longmuir-Blodgett trough;invented color guage; made improvements to the light bulb; laid the foundation for plasma physics; invented poison gas absorbant; invented a method for deicing airplane wings; improved smoke screens; first female research scientist hired by General Electric
While working at GE she invented "invisible" or non reflective glass
1st female awarded a PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge
Spent her summers at a camp at Lake George in NYS & pursued her love of gardening
Was an avid amatuer astronomer & collected antiques
Wrote funny poems in her spare time
1901, her widowed mother moved to France so Katharine & her brother would be bilingual
Wasn't enrolled in school until she was 8
1st woman to work as a scientist for GE Lab in Schenectady, NY
1st major cinematic production to use her invisible glass was Gone With the Wind in 1939
Invented the color gauge-a method to measure the molecular coatings on the glass to 1 millionth of an inch
Made improvements to gas masks during WW1
Held 8 patents