Caroline Ella Heminway Kierstead (July 12, 1904 – June 17, 1985) was an American geologist and

micropaleontologist Micropaleontology (American spelling; spelled micropalaeontology in European usage) is the branch of paleontology ( palaeontology) that studies microfossils, or fossils that require the use of a microscope to see the organism, its morphology and i ...

who was a professor of geology 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 ...

in Massachusetts, a Shell Oil Company paleontologist, and a scientist whose micropaleontology specialty was research on foraminifera.

Early life and education

Caroline Ella Heminway Kierstead was born in Corning, New York, to parents Herbert A. and Ella May (Daley) Heminway, on July 12, 1904. Her father was an attorney, as was her sister Marion L. Heminway. Kierstead attended many institutions throughout her life. In 1925, she graduated from

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

with a major in

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and Psychology, and a minor in Geology. She then took her master's degree at Cornell University, and graduated in 1928. From there, she went on to earn a PhD in 1941 at Indiana University. Aside from her major degrees, she also studied at the University of Colorado,

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

, and the University of Wyoming.

Career

In 1928, Kierstead joined the faculty of

in Massachusetts, where she spent most of her teaching career, ascending from instructor to full professor at 1964. She also served as a dean for the class of 1944. Furthermore, she was elected as chair of the geology department at the college in 1946, and served until 1952. Kierstead retired from her post at Smith College in 1969. While a member of the Smith College geology department, Kierstead guided a group from the Geology Department of the Carnegie Institute in Washington, D.C., to study magnetic materials in the lavas and the glacial lake sediments in the Connecticut valley region. The expedition was run by Dr. Ellis A. Johnson and aided by use of a mobile laboratory. In 1943, during World War II, Kierstead took a leave of absence from her job, and, bringing along two Smith College graduates, took a job at the Shell Oil Company, where she would work as a paleontologist until 1945. During a sabbatical in 1947, Kierstead studied foraminifera in three core samples taken from the Ross Sea, Antarctica during

Operation Highjump Operation HIGHJUMP, officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946–1947, (also called Task Force 68), was a United States Navy (USN) operation to establish the Antarctic research base Little America IV. The opera ...

, a US Navy operation.

Personal life

Heminway married electrical engineer Friend Hans Kierstead in 1947. Outside of work, Kierstead was known to be a breeder and exhibitor for welsh corgi dogs. Her dogs won numerous American kennel Championships. Additionally, she also participated in many dog clubs. Kierstead was acting president of the Mayflower Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club from its founding in 1977 until 1981, hosting the clubs first breeding match in October of 1977, and having an annual trophy named in her honor following her death. Kierstead died on June 17, 1985, in Goshen, Hampshire, Massachusetts, US. There is a collection of her papers from 1923 to 1985 at Smith College Libraries, including scientific journals, as well as research notes, correspondence, diaries and lectures.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kierstead, Caroline Ella Heminway 1985 deaths American geologists 1904 births Cornell University alumni Mount Holyoke College alumni Smith College faculty People from Corning, New York American women scientists Indiana University Bloomington alumni