Martha J. B. Thomas, MBA (13 March 1926 – 16 October 2006) was an American chemical engineer and analytical chemist. She is particularly known for her work on phosphorus.

Life and education

Martha Jane Bergin was born in

West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to the ...

, Boston, on 13 March 1926 to Augusta and John Bergin. As a child she attended Boston Girls Latin School. She graduated cum laude from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

in 1945 with a Batheolr of Science degree, after which she obtained a PhD in chemistry from Boston University in 1953, while working at

Sylvania Electric Products Sylvania Electric Products Inc. was an American manufacturer of diverse electrical equipment, including at various times radio transceivers, vacuum tubes, semiconductors, and mainframe computers such as MOBIDIC. They were one of the companies in ...

. Later in life, she received an MBA at Boston's

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

in 1983.

Career and research

Thomas began her professional career in 1945 at

, where she became the head of the Phosphor Research and Development Section in 1970. During her time at Sylvania she established their first phosphor pilot plants. She also taught chemistry in Boston University's evening division between 1952 and 1970. She was a director of technical services at GTE Electrical Products Group in

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the renowned beaches of Glo ...

, US, working for the company for over four decades. During that time she made "23 official improvements in lightbulbs". Thomas held 24 patents for improving lighting technology and manufacturing, covering, for example, fluorescent lamps and phosphor chemistry. One of her most important contributions was the development of a white phosphorus powder coating for fluorescent tubes creating a much more daylight-like light. She also developed a phosphor-based treatment that increase the brightness of mercury lamps by 10%.

Awards and honours

Thomas was awarded the Achievement Award of the

Society of Women Engineers The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is an international not-for-profit educational and service organization. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in the United States, the Society of Women Engineers is a major advocate for women in engineering and ...

1965. The award was given "in recognition of her significant contributions to the science of chemistry as an engineer, educator, and administrator, while fulfilling her duties as a wife and mother." She was an active member of the organisation. In 1991 she was named the New England Inventor by the Museum of Science in Boston, an award given to individuals "whose application of science and technology, creativity, and independent thought has positively impacted society". She was the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University.

Personal life

Martha Jane Bergin married George Thomas, a government scientist, at St Brigid's Church in Millbury on 29 October 1955 and they had four daughters, Augusta, Anne, Abigail and Susan. On retirement in 1990, the couple moved

Westport, Massachusetts Westport (Massachusett: ) is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,339 at the 2020 census. The village of North Westport lies in the town. Other named areas of the town are "Westport Point," which has a do ...

, and after her husband's death, Thomas moved to live with her daughter Susan's family in Royal Palm Beach Florida. Marth J B Thomas died at her home on 16 Oct 2006 at the age of 80. She was buried in

Holyhood Cemetery Holyhood Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brookline, Massachusetts. Description Laid out in 1857, the cemetery was designed to reflect the rural cemetery movement begun at Cambridge's Mount Auburn Cemetery. It was the first such cemetery in B ...

in Brighton Massachusetts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Martha J. B. 1926 births 2006 deaths People from Boston 20th-century American chemists American chemical engineers Northeastern University alumni Boston University alumni Radcliffe College alumni People from West Roxbury, Boston Women chemical engineers