Mary L. Good facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mary L. Good
United States Secretary of Commerce
Acting
In office April 3, 1996 – April 12, 1996
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Ron Brown
Succeeded by	Mickey Kantor
Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology
In office 1993 – June 3, 1997
President	Bill Clinton
Personal details
Born	Mary Lowe (1931-06-20)June 20, 1931 Grapevine, Texas, U.S.
Died	November 20, 2019(2019-11-20) (aged 88) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Spouse	Bill Good ​ (m. 1952)​
Children	2
Education	University of Central Arkansas (BS) University of Arkansas (MS, PhD)
Awards	Garvan-Olin Medal (1973) Industrial Research Institute Medal (1991) Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment (2000) Vannevar Bush Award (2004)

Mary Lowe Good (June 20, 1931 – November 20, 2019) was an amazing American chemist. She worked in universities, for big companies, and even for the government! Mary Good helped us understand catalysts, which are special substances that make chemical reactions happen faster. One catalyst she studied was ruthenium.

Good worked for the United States Department of Commerce from 1993 to 1997. She was the Under Secretary for Technology under President Bill Clinton. For a short time in April 1996, she was even the Acting United States Secretary of Commerce.

Mary Lowe Good received many important awards for her work. These include the Garvan–Olin Medal, the Othmer Gold Medal, the Priestley Medal, and the Heinz Award for Technology.

Early Life and Education

Mary Lowe was born on June 20, 1931, in Grapevine, Texas. Her parents were Winnie and John Lowe. In 1942, her family moved to Kirby, Arkansas. Her dad was a school principal, and her mom was a teacher and librarian.

Later, the family moved to Willisville, Arkansas. Mary went to high school there. Her school didn't offer chemistry classes, so Mary created her own science labs at home! Once, she even made a photography studio in her cellar. She fixed an old enlarger and learned about the chemicals needed to develop photos.

Mary first went to Arkansas State Teacher's College (now the University of Central Arkansas). She planned to become a home economics teacher. But in her first year, she became very interested in chemistry. She changed her major to chemistry and physics. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Central Arkansas in 1950. She was one of the first three students to graduate from the university's chemistry program.

Her professors encouraged her to go to graduate school. She received a special scholarship that allowed her to study radiochemistry at the University of Arkansas. At just 19 years old, she got a high-level government security clearance. This meant she could work on secret atomic energy research.

In 1952, she married Bill Jewel Good, who was also a graduate student. Mary Lowe Good earned her master's degree in 1953 and her PhD in 1955 from the University of Arkansas. She was the first woman from Arkansas to get a doctoral degree in a science field. For her PhD, she studied radioactive iodine in water solutions. This type of iodine is used to treat thyroid problems. She also worked on how to separate metal compounds using special liquids.

Teaching and Research at LSU

Mary Good spent 25 years teaching and doing research. She worked at Louisiana State University (LSU) and the University of New Orleans. Both were part of the Louisiana State University System.

From 1954 to 1958, Good was a chemistry instructor and professor at LSU in Baton Rouge. She also directed the radiochemistry lab there. She continued her work on iodine and sulfur chemistry.

In 1958, Mary and her husband moved to New Orleans. They both got jobs at a new university campus. This new campus, Louisiana State University New Orleans (LSUNO), was the first university in the southern states to welcome students of all races.

Good became interested in using spectroscopy to study inorganic chemistry compounds. Spectroscopy is a way to study how light interacts with matter. She used it to learn about how molecules bond together in both liquids and solids. She also found a way to separate rhodium compounds using special liquids. She showed that these compounds contained two metals.

Good became a very respected professor. From 1974 to 1978, she was the Boyd Professor of Chemistry at New Orleans. She was the first woman to reach this high rank at the university. From 1978 to 1980, she returned to Baton Rouge. There, she helped create a new program as the Boyd Professor of Materials Science.

Mary Good was one of the first scientists to use a method called Mössbauer spectroscopy for basic chemistry research. This method helps scientists study how gamma rays interact with atoms. It can show tiny differences in the energy of electrons inside atoms. This information helps identify the structure of complicated compounds that contain metal ions.

Good also helped us understand catalysts, like ruthenium. Catalysts are substances that speed up chemical reactions. At the time, no one had tried to study ruthenium using Mössbauer spectroscopy. This was because it needed to be cooled to extremely low temperatures using liquid helium. Good was able to study ruthenium, which can exist in many different forms. She gathered detailed information about its chemical structure.

She also worked on materials science. She studied special coatings used on ships to prevent barnacles from growing on them. Mary Good wrote over 100 articles for science journals and several books.

Leading Chemical Organizations

Mary Good was a leader in many important science organizations.

She was the first woman elected to the board of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 1972. She became the ACS Board Chairman in 1978 and 1980. In 1986, she was chosen to be the next ACS President, and she served as president in 1987.

Good was also elected President of the inorganic chemistry division of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in 1981. She held this position until 1985. She was the first woman to lead a division at IUPAC.

As head of the inorganic chemistry division, she oversaw work on naming rules for inorganic chemistry. She also supervised commissions on atomic weights and high-temperature materials. Her work included revising the official naming rules for inorganic chemistry, known as the "Red Book."

Good also served on IUPAC's main leadership group, the Governing Bureau, from 1985 to 1993. She was also on the Executive Committee of IUPAC from 1985 to 1993. In 1989, Good helped start the "Chemistry in Action" program. This program encouraged IUPAC members to become active leaders in important areas like the environment, energy, and new materials.

Good also served on the board of directors for the Industrial Research Institute (IRI) from 1982 to 1987.

Career in Industry

In 1980, Mary Lowe Good was asked to lead the Engineered Materials Research division at Signal Research Center, Inc. This company later became part of Allied-Signal Inc.. She managed 400 scientists and technicians.

In 1981, Mary Good became the Vice-President and Director of Research. She led the Research Center during a time of big changes for the company. She made sure they kept focusing on developing new technology and selling or licensing it. In 1985, she became President and director of research for Signal Research Center. In 1986, she became President of Allied-Signal Engineered Materials Research. Later, she became the Senior Vice-President of Technology, overseeing three research centers.

Government Service

Mary Lowe Good worked for the U.S. government under four presidents: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation. President Ronald Reagan appointed her again in 1986. From 1988 to 1991, she was the first woman to lead this board. In 1991, President Bush appointed her to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). These were part-time roles she held while working at Allied-Signal Inc.

In 1993, Good left Allied Signal for a full-time government job. She became the Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology in the Technology Administration under President Clinton. In this role, she led the Clean Car Initiative. This project aimed to develop a car that uses both gas and electricity. She also encouraged the government to fund basic scientific research and new technologies.

On April 3, 1996, Mary Good was appointed Acting United States Secretary of Commerce. This happened after the death of Ronald H. Brown. She held this important position for 9 days until Mickey Kantor was appointed by Bill Clinton.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

In 1997, Good became a special professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She also became the first Dean of the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (EIT). She retired on July 1, 2011. After retiring, she became the Dean Emeritus of the College and a special advisor to the Chancellor for economic development.

Other Activities

In 1976, Mary Lowe Good joined the Beta Phi chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma.

She was a member of several boards, including Fund for Arkansas, LLC and Stage 1 Diagnostics. She also served on the boards of Delta Trust & Bank and St. Vincent Infirmary, Biogen Idec, IDEXX Laboratories, Cincinnati Milacron, Ameritech, and Acxiom Corporation.

From 1988 to 1993, Mary L. Good was president of Zonta International Foundation. This organization helps women in business and science. It also works to improve women's legal, political, economic, educational, and health status around the world.

Good was the first Chairman of ASTRA, the Alliance for Science & Technology Research in America, starting in 2000. She strongly supported STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). She also supported women in technology and was known as a national leader in this area.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) elected Good to be its president in 2001.

Death

Mary Lowe Good passed away at her home in Little Rock, Arkansas, on November 20, 2019. She was 88 years old.

Awards

• 1969 Agnes Fay Morgan Research Award
• 1973 Garvan-Olin Medal
• 1982 Scientist of the Year, Industrial Research and Development Magazine
• 1983 American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal
• 1987 Member of the National Academy of Engineering for both materials and chemical engineering
• 1988 The Delmer S. Fahrney Medal of the Franklin Institute
• 1991 Charles Lathrop Parsons Award for Public Service (first woman to receive it)
• 1991 IRI Medal from the Industrial Research Institute (first woman to receive it)
• 1994 Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
• 1996 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal (first woman to receive it)
• 1997 Priestley Medal (first woman to receive it)
• 1998 AAAS Philip Hauge Abelson Prize (first woman to receive it)
• 1998 Othmer Gold Medal
• 1999 Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• 2000 Member of the American Philosophical Society
• 2000 The 6th Annual Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy and Employment
• 2002 Alpha Chi Sigma Hall of Fame
• 2004 Vannevar Bush Award, the National Science Foundation's highest honor

See also

In Spanish: Mary L. Good para niños