Madeleine M. Joullié facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Madeleine M. Joullié
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| Born | March 29, 1927 Paris, France
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| Nationality | Brazilian, American |
| Alma mater | Simmons College, University of Pennsylvania |
| Spouse(s) | Richard E. Prange |
| Children | None |
| Awards | Garvan–Olin Medal (1978) Edward Leete Award (2009) John Scott Medal (2015) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organic chemistry |
| Institutions | University of Pennsylvania |
| Doctoral advisor | Allan R. Day |
Madeleine M. Joullié (born March 29, 1927) is an amazing American-Brazilian scientist. She is an organic chemist, which means she studies chemicals that contain carbon. She made history at the University of Pennsylvania by becoming the first woman to join their chemistry teaching team. She was also the first woman organic chemist to get a permanent teaching job at a big American university.
Madeleine Joullié is known for being a great teacher and a helpful mentor to her students. She has written three textbooks and over 300 scientific papers. Her research has helped create important antibiotic and antiviral drugs. She has won many awards, including the 1978 Garvan Medal, for her excellent work in teaching and research.
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Early Life and Education
Madeleine Joullié was born in Paris, France. Her father was a businessman, and his work took the family to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There, Madeleine went to a French school called the Lycée Français. They also lived for a short time in São Paulo, where she attended a private school.
In 1946, Joullié moved to the United States to continue her studies. She earned a science degree in chemistry from Simmons College in Boston in 1949. Simmons College was a women's college at the time. After that, she moved to Philadelphia to study at the University of Pennsylvania. She was the only full-time female graduate student in chemistry there. The chemistry building didn't even have bathrooms for women back then! She earned her master's degree in 1950 and her Ph.D. in 1953.
During her studies, she worked with Allan R. Day, who inspired her to be both a researcher and a teacher. At the university, she also met Richard E. Prange, a physics scientist. They got married in 1959.
Career at University of Pennsylvania
In 1953, Madeleine Joullié joined the chemistry department at the University of Pennsylvania. She was the very first woman to do so. At first, her job was not permanent. She taught organic chemistry to undergraduate students five days a week and managed the lab. For her first five years, no graduate students chose to work with her on research. So, she worked with undergraduate students instead. As more women joined the department, both female and male graduate students eventually started working with her.
Joullié received a special scholarship called a Fulbright scholarship in 1965 to teach at the University of Brazil. While there, she wrote a chemistry textbook in Portuguese. She also taught as a visiting professor at other universities around the world. However, most of her career was spent at the University of Pennsylvania. She became a full professor in 1974.
Helping the University Community
Madeleine Joullié was very involved in making the university a better place. She worked on the safety committee, helping to create and enforce safe rules for the chemistry department.
In the 1970s, Joullié and another professor, Mildred Cohn, worked on a committee that looked into the status of women at the university. They found that women professors had lower ranks, earned less money, and waited longer for promotions compared to men. This committee helped create new rules to encourage the university to hire more women and minority professors.
Later, Joullié became one of the first "affirmative action officers" at the University of Pennsylvania. This meant she helped make sure that hiring and promotion decisions were fair for everyone, especially women and minority groups. She even refused to approve new hires if she felt qualified women had been overlooked. Her hard work led to her leading the university's Council for Equal Opportunity, overseeing fairness in all departments. People described her as "fearless and formidable" because she played a huge part in making the university a more equal place for women. She also helped the American Chemical Society create professional guidelines for chemists.
Amazing Scientific Discoveries
Early in her career, Madeleine Joullié studied heterocyclic compounds, which are special types of chemical structures. She also did important research on heterocyclic ketones in the 1970s. In the early 1970s, she successfully created a compound called tilorone, which helps protect cells by boosting the body's natural defenses.
Much of Joullié's research has focused on creating natural products in the lab. In 1980, she was the first to create the antibiotic (+)-furanomycin in a special way. She also helped develop new methods for changing chemical structures and introduced the idea of "chirality transfer." Her work has led to the creation of several natural products, including muscarine and ascofuranone.
Working with other scientists, Joullié helped create beta-cyclodextrin sulfate. This is a ring-shaped sugar molecule that can attach to growing blood vessels. It helps deliver medicine that can slow down the growth of new blood vessels. This is important because it can help stop the growth of harmful tumors. Her special compounds made existing treatments much more powerful. Beta-cyclodextrin sulfate is also useful in preventing blockages in arteries after surgery.
Another exciting area of her research involved a group of compounds called Didemnins. These come from sea creatures called tunicates and have properties that fight tumors, viruses, and help the immune system. In 1990, Joullié successfully created didemnin B in the lab. This was a big step because didemnin B was the first natural product from the ocean to be tested as a cancer treatment. Joullié has also created similar compounds and special molecules to help researchers study how didemnins work in the body.
Joullié's lab has also developed new compounds for fingerprinting and forensic science. The United States Secret Service asked her to help create better chemicals for finding fingerprints. These chemicals need to be safe and not damage evidence. Joullié and her students developed and patented a group of compounds called indanediones. Like other chemicals used for fingerprints, indanediones react with the oils from fingertips. They are cheaper, easier to use, and more sensitive, making fingerprints clearer. Indanediones are now commonly used to find hidden fingerprints.
Awards and Recognition
Madeleine M. Joullié has received many important awards for her contributions to chemistry and science. Some of these include:
- John Scott Medal (2015)
- Edward Leete Award (2009)
- Arthur C. Cope Senior Scholar Award (2002) from the American Chemical Society
- Distinguished Achievement Award University of Pennsylvania Graduate Student Associate and Phi Lambda Upsilon (1999)
- ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences (1998)
- H. Martin Friedmann Lectureship, Rutgers University (1995)
- Henry Hill Award (1994)
- Philadelphia Organic Chemist's Club Award (1994)
- Second Annual Association of American Women in Science, Philadelphia Chapter Award (1991)
- Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching (1991)
- American Institute of Chemists 34th Annual Scroll Award (1988)
- American Cyanamid Faculty Award (1984)
- Garvan Medal (1978)
