Mary Peters Fieser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Peters Fieser
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| Born | May 27, 1909 Atchison, Kansas, US
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| Died | March 22, 1997 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Bryn Mawr College, US; Radcliffe College, US |
| Known for | synthesizing vitamin K; writing organic chemistry textbooks |
| Spouse(s) | Louis Fieser (1932–1977) |
| Awards | Garvan–Olin Medal (1971) |
Mary Peters Fieser (born May 27, 1909 – died March 22, 1997) was an amazing American chemist. She is best known for writing many important chemistry books with her husband, Louis Fieser. Together, they helped make chemistry easier to understand for students and scientists around the world.
Contents
About Mary Fieser's Life
Her Early Years and Education
Mary Peters was born in 1909 in Atchison, Kansas. Her father, Robert Peters, was a college professor who taught English. Her family later moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This happened when her father got a job at the Carnegie Institute of Technology.
Mary and her sister Ruth went to a private high school for girls. Both sisters then went on to study at Bryn Mawr College. Mary finished her studies at Bryn Mawr in 1930. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in chemistry.
Studying Chemistry at Harvard
At Bryn Mawr, Mary Peters met Louis Fieser. He was a chemistry professor and became her mentor. In 1930, Louis Fieser moved to Harvard University. Mary Peters decided to follow him. She wanted to continue her advanced studies in chemistry.
She had to enroll at Radcliffe College to take chemistry classes at Harvard. This was because of the rules about gender at the time. One professor, Gregory Baxter, did not let her work in the lab with the male students. Instead, she had to do her experiments alone. She worked in the empty basement of a nearby building.
Mary earned her Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in chemistry from Radcliffe in 1936. She decided not to get a Ph.D. She felt she would do better working with her husband. She said, "I could do as much chemistry as I wanted" as Mrs. Fieser.
Working Together with Her Husband
Mary Peters married her mentor, Louis Fieser, in 1932. They worked together on science projects until Louis Fieser passed away in 1977. Their early research focused on chemicals called quinones and steroids. They found ways to create Vitamin K and cortisone. They also developed lapinone, a medicine for malaria.
However, the Fiesers were most famous for their many books. Their first textbook, Organic Chemistry, came out in 1944. It became very popular and important. This was because of its fresh way of explaining chemistry. The book was printed many times.
In 1967, the Fiesers started a new book series. It was called Reagents for Organic Synthesis. They published six volumes before Louis Fieser's death. Mary continued the project with other scientists. They also wrote a Style Guide for Chemists in 1959. In the same year, they published a major book about Steroids.
Recognition and Legacy
Mary Fieser never had a paid job at Harvard University. But about 29 years after she started working there, she received a special title. She was named a Research Fellow of Chemistry.
In 1971, she received the Garvan–Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society. This was a big honor for her work. Today, the Louis and Mary Fieser Laboratory at Harvard is named after them. It is where college students learn organic chemistry.
In 2008, Harvard's Chemistry Department created a special fellowship. It is called the Mary Fieser Postdoctoral Fellowship. It helps women and minority scientists in chemistry.
Mary Fieser passed away on March 22, 1997, in Belmont, Massachusetts. She did not have children. But she always had cats around her. Pictures of her cats even appeared in the introductions of many of her books!
