Gladys Amelia Anslow (May 22, 1892 – March 31, 1969)
was an American physicist who spent her career at
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
. She was the first woman to work with the
cyclotron.
Early life and education
Born in
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
, Anslow attended
Springfield Central High School
Springfield Central High School (SCHS) is a public high school located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The high school is for students in grades 9–12. With an enrollment of more than 2,000 students, Springfield Central High School ...
and entered
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
in 1909. While studying at Smith College, Anslow was a member of the Mathematical Society and served as vice president of the Physics Club.
In her second year, Anslow elected a focus on physics unde
Frank Allan Waterman Following her graduation with an
A.B. in 1914,
Anslow was appointed as a Department of Physics demonstrator
(1914–15) and then an assistant in physics (1915–17). In 1916 she began her graduate studies in advanced physics under Smith professor
Janet T. Howell, taking Howell's course in
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wa ...
. Howell introduced Anslow to the new Rowland grating
spectrograph
An optical spectrometer (spectrophotometer, spectrograph or spectroscope) is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically used in spectroscopic analysis to identify mate ...
acquired by Smith College to research the emission spectra of
radium, resulting in Anslow's thesis "Spectroscopic Evidence for the Electron Theory of Matter". Anslow graduated in 1917 with her
A.M. Following her graduation, she was appointed instructor in physics to replace Howell.
Career
Anslow obtained a Ph.D. from
Yale University in 1924
and upon graduation returned to Smith as an associate professor, attaining the role of full professor in 1930. In 1940, Anslow became Director of Graduate Study, followed by Professor on the Gates Foundation in 1946, and Professor Emeritus in 1960. During her tenure at Smith, Anslow frequently contributed to scientific journals and was a member of both the American Academy of for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society, where she was the president of the New England Section.
The first woman to work with the
cyclotron ("atomic whirligig to smash the atom") at UC Berkeley, she collaborated with fellow Smith physicist
Dorothy Wrinch on a "spectrochemical study of protein molecules for the eventual production of synthetic foods and drugs" under a grant from the Office of Naval Research, the first research grant of its kind at Smith College.
During World War II, Anslow was named Chief of Communications and Information Section for Liaison with Civilian Scientists and attached to the armed forces.
Honors
For this work she was awarded the
President's Certificate of Merit one of only three educators so honored.
She was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1936
[ (search on year=1936 and institution=Smith College)] and a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1955.
References
External links
Gladys Amelia Anslow papers Smith College Archives
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college with coed graduate and certificate programs, located in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. The Smith College Archives document the life of the College by collecting mat ...
, Smith College Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anslow, Gladys Amelia
1892 births
1969 deaths
People from Springfield, Massachusetts
Smith College alumni
Smith College faculty
Yale University alumni
20th-century American physicists
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Fellows of the American Physical Society