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Helen Niña Tappan Loeblich (October 12, 1917 – August 18, 2004) was an American micropaleontologist who was a professor of geology at the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
, a
United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
(USGS) biostratigrapher, and a scientific illustrator whose
micropaleontology 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 ...
specialty was research on
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
foraminifera Foraminifera ( ; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are unicellular organism, single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class (biology), class of Rhizarian protists characterized by streaming granular Ectoplasm (cell bio ...
. She received a Guggenheim Fellowship award in 1953 and travelled to Europe to focus on her studies of foraminifera with her husband. She would also be awarded with multiple other titles and was recognized as the first woman professor in
Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...
.


Early life

Helen Nina Tappan Leoblich was born on October 12, 1917, in
Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...
on Columbus Day, which is why her middle name is Nina. Her mother Mary Pearl Jenks Tappan was a math teacher at Cornell, and her father, Frank Girard Tappan, was a Dean of Electrical Engineering at the
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
.In Memoriam: Dr. Helen Nina Tappan Loeblich. Journal of Foraminifera Research. January 1, 2005. doi.10.2113/35.1.86.


Education

Tappan Loeblich earned her
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
in 1937 and her
Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in 1939, both in geology from the
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
. She received the Sigma Gamma Epsilon Scholarship Award for Outstanding Senior in Geology. Her master's thesis was on mid-Cretaceous foraminifera of
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
and
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. At the University of Oklahoma, she met her future husband and long time scientific collaborator, Alfred R. Loeblich Jr, in chemistry class, in 1939. Shortly thereafter they married and spent their honeymoon doing field work with their graduate advisor, in the Arbuckle Mountains. Leoblich received her Ph.D. in 1942 from the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, and her dissertation continued her master's work. She intended to work for an oil company. When her husband was drafted in 1942, Tappan Loeblich became the first female professor at
Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...
's College of Arts and Sciences. After the war they moved to Washington DC and she continued her work with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on the NabyOil Project in the naval petroleum reserve of the Alaskan North Slope. In 1953 she was forced to take a break from her work with USGS due to her husband’s new work assignment in Europe. She was awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
to support herself and her four children financially during her year in Europe. She and her husband collected foraminifera and later illustrated with a camera-lucida the specimens they found. Over two tons of rock, from quarries and sites all over Europe, were shipped back to the US.


Research

While working on the ''
Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology The ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology,'' published from 1953–2007 by the Geological Society of America and the University of Kansas, then 2009–present by the University of Kansas Paleontological Institute, is a definitive multi-authore ...
'', Tappan Loeblich's research partner and husband Alfred was stationed in Europe by the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
, in order to do further research on
Foraminifera Foraminifera ( ; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are unicellular organism, single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class (biology), class of Rhizarian protists characterized by streaming granular Ectoplasm (cell bio ...
l samples seen in European museums, and those he collected in the field. Due to the USGS and their policy of not allowing work outside of the US, Tappan Loeblich took a leave of absence in order to join her husband in Europe. During their travels, the pair collected many samples, and greatly extended their knowledge on
Foraminifera Foraminifera ( ; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are unicellular organism, single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class (biology), class of Rhizarian protists characterized by streaming granular Ectoplasm (cell bio ...
. Collecting more than two tons of rocks and examining the historical collections of foraminifera as well. This foraminifera as well as other types of specimens they studied were illustrated with a camera Lucida and were used as backgrounds for Loeblich's work on the ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology,'' volume on foraminifera. Tappan Loeblich was known for her studies of Foraminifera, a single-celled organism that is capable of producing a shell called a test, usually made out of organic compounds, sand grains, and
calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...
depending on the species. The shells divide into chambers during growth, similar to the
Ammonite Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...
. Foraminifera are useful in terms of biostratigraphy, as they show fairly significant evolutionally development, so different subspecies are found at different times. File:Robert Hooke foraminifera.png, Illustration of a foraminifera shell, published by Robert Hooke. Helen Nina Tappan Loeblich became the first female professor at Tulane University's College of arts and Science in 1942, where she was then awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1953 which allowed her a sabbatical from the USGS appointment and where she collected the sample of foraminifera with her husband Alfred Loeblich. Tappan Loeblich continued to work part time for the USGS and in 1958, became an honorary research associate of the
Smithsonian institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
, and moved to California to pursue a career with the
University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
, where in 1966, she became a full-time faculty member, and then the vice chairman of geology from 1973 to 1975. Her husband Alfred began work on a micropaleontological program at Chevron Oil Field Research Company.


Publications

Tappan Loeblich, in collaboration with her husband, made significant contributions to the field of paleontology by authoring and co-authoring multiple articles in the ''Journal of Paleontology''. Among their noteworthy publications, the 1941 article titled "New Arenaceous Foraminifera from the Woodbine Sand of Northern Texas” stands out as a seminal work. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of a recently unearthed clay formation and the diverse array of species it contains. In 1980 Tappan Loeblich published a book titled ''The Paleobiology of Plant Protists''. The book discusses Loeblich's study of plant-like organisms known as
Protist A protist ( ) or protoctist is any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, land plant, or fungus. Protists do not form a natural group, or clade, but are a paraphyletic grouping of all descendants of the last eukaryotic common ancest ...
s. The book delves into the fossil record of plant protists, with the book providing valuable insight into ancient environments, climate change, and the evolution of Earth through the fossilized remains of ancient protists. The 1984 publication ''Suprageneric Classification of the Foraminiferida (Protozoa)'' refines the classification system Foraminiferida, by updating the analysis based on internal cellular structure and the influences they impact on their environment. The work was later refined by Tappan Loeblichs joint publication with her husband, ''Foraminiferal Genera and Their Classification''.


Awards

Tappan Loeblich received the Paleontological Society Medal in 1983, the Woman of the Year Award in Natural Science from the Palm Springs Desert Museum in 1987, the Raymond C. Moore Medal for “Excellence in Paleontology” in 1984, and the 1982 Woman of Science Award from the UCLA Medical Center Auxiliary. Tappan Loeblich also worked on numerous editorial and society boards. She published a total of 272 scientific papers or books mainly with her husband. One of their most notable works was their 1957 paper “Correlation of the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain Paleocene and lower Eocene formations by means of planktonic Foraminifera” which won the Best Paper Award in the Journal of Paleontology. Her book, “The Paleobiology of Plant Protists” (1980), was also voted “the best non-fiction book” for that year.


Contributions to science

Tappan Loeblich became an essential figure in the paleontology community. She mentored numerous students during the time she spent teaching at
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
. She also worked on numerous editorial and society boards. Tappan Loeblich is also known for her books, landmark papers, articles and her scientific output, both as a sole author and collaborator. She and her husband published 272 scientific papers in their lifetimes. In 1957, they won the Best Paper Award in the Journal of Paleontology after submitting their article "Correlation of the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain Paleocene and Lower Eocene formations by means of planktonic Foraminifera." She also won the Award of the Association of American Publishers for the best professional and scholarly book in the field of Geography and Earth Science, which she won in 1988 after publishing their two-volume book ''Foraminiferal Genera and Their Classification'' in 1987.


Personal life

Helen and Alfred did research in tandem for over 55 years despite the fact that they were completely the opposite. He was extravagant, resilient and candid while Helen was quiet and disciplined. Their home was full of equipment for paleontology purposes. But Helen was also a gifted artist and created all the illustrations for their scientific texts and articles, bookplates for the library. (example). She was also brilliant at sewing and made clothes and costumes for herself and her children. She also made doll clothes and animal hand puppets. Helen Nina excelled at cooking and cake decorating, often sharing her food with her neighbors. She and her husband wrote a cookbook of their favorite recipes in 1988. Other thae those activities she also had the ability to brick patios, tiled her kitchen, hang wallpapers, build fishponds, made electrical repairs, planted trees and was involved in the Association of American Publishers Gardens. After going through the Great Depression, Helen was always prudent. She kept the record of their expenses. Her family was never debt, she even also got into investment which helped her save up for the retirement and tuition fees of her children.


Later life and death

Most of Loeblich's achievements were accomplished alongside her husband. They had four children including Karen Elizabeth Loeblich, Judith Anne Loeblich Covey, Daryl Lousie Loeblich, and finally, Alfred Richard Leoblich III, who took a doctorate in botany at the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is the center for oceanography and Earth science at the University of California, San Diego. Its main campus is located in La Jolla, with additional facilities in Point Loma. Founded in 1903 and incorpo ...
. Both Tappan Loeblich and her husband toured different countries including Europe, Eastern Europe,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and Japan upon many government and university requests. When her husband was diagnosed with
Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
, she retired early from
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
in 1984 to care for her husband for him. He died of Alzheimer’s in 1994. Loeblich developed a stroke a year after her husband’s death. She was admitted to the hospital on August 15, what would have been her husband’s 90th birthday, and died three days later August 18, 2004 in California at age 86.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loeblich, Helen Nina Tappan American paleontologists American women paleontologists University of Oklahoma alumni University of Chicago alumni 1917 births 2004 deaths People from Norman, Oklahoma University of California, Los Angeles faculty Micropaleontologists 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American scientists 21st-century American women scientists Presidents of the Paleontological Society