Allene Jeanes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Allene Jeanes
Born	Allene Rosalind Jeanes (1906-07-19)July 19, 1906 Waco, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 11, 1995(1995-12-11) (aged 89) Urbana, Illinois, U.S.
Education	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Occupation	Chemist
Known for	Developing Dextran

Allene Rosalind Jeanes (born July 19, 1906 – died December 11, 1995) was an amazing American chemist. She spent her career studying carbohydrates, which are like sugars and starches. Her most famous discovery was developing Dextran. This special substance was used instead of blood plasma to help injured soldiers during the Korean War. Allene Jeanes was a member of the American Chemical Society. She wrote over 60 scientific papers and received ten patents for her inventions.

Early Life and Learning

Allene Jeanes was born on July 19, 1906, in Waco, Texas. Her father, Largus Elonzo Jeanes, worked for the St. Louis Southwestern Railway.

College and Degrees

Allene loved to learn!

• In 1928, she earned her first degree from Baylor University.
• In 1929, she got her master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Teaching and PhD

After her master's, Allene taught science.

• From 1930 to 1935, she was the head science teacher at Athens College in Alabama.
• From 1936 to 1937, she taught chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• In 1938, she earned her PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This is the highest degree you can get in a field of study!

Her Amazing Career

Allene Jeanes was a very important chemical researcher.

• From 1938 to 1940, she worked with famous scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
• In 1941, she joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Northern Regional Research Lab (NRRL) in Peoria, Illinois. She worked there until 1976.
• Allene helped make the NRRL a world-famous place for studying carbohydrates.

Discovering Dextran

Allene's main research was on natural polysaccharides. These are large sugar molecules found in things like starch (in potatoes and corn) and cellulose (in cotton and wood).

• She found special bacteria in some old root beer that could make dextrose.
• This discovery led to a way to make a lot of dextran.
• Dextran was then used as a substitute for blood plasma. This was very important for helping injured soldiers in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
• Because of her important work, Allene was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the Department of Agriculture in 1953.
• She also won the Garvan Medal in 1956.

Developing Xanthan Gum

Allene was also part of the team that created xanthan gum.

• Xanthan gum is another type of polysaccharide.
• It's made by bacteria called Xanthomonas campestris.
• This gum is used as a thickener in many foods, like salad dressings. It helps keep oil and vinegar from separating!

Memberships

Allene Jeanes was a member of several important scientific groups:

• The American Chemical Society
• Sigma Xi
• Iota Sigma Pi

Later Life

Allene Jeanes passed away on December 11, 1995, in Urbana, Illinois.

Awards and Honors

Allene Jeanes received many awards for her important scientific work:

• 1953 – Distinguished Service Award from the USDA.
• 1956 – Garvan Medal from the American Chemical Society.
• 1962 – Federal Woman's Award from the U.S. Civil Service Commission.
• 1968 – Superior Service Award to the Xanthan gum team, from the United States Department of Agriculture.
• 1999 – She was honored after her death by being put into the Agricultural Research Service Science Hall of Fame. This was for her work in microbiological research that created life-saving polymers from agricultural products.
• 2017 – She was honored again after her death by being put into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: Allene Jeanes para niños