Mignon Talbot | |
|---|---|
 Photograph at time of the discovery of Podokesaurus holyokensis in 1910 | |
| Born | August 16, 1869 Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | July 18, 1950 (aged 80) Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Relatives | Ellen Bliss Talbot (sister) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Paleontology, geology, geography |
| Institutions | Mount Holyoke College |
Mignon Talbot (August 16, 1869 – July 18, 1950) was an American paleontologist. Talbot recovered and named the only known fossils of the dinosaur Podokesaurus holyokensis, which were found near Mount Holyoke College in 1910, and published a scientific description of the specimen in 1911.[1] In 1909 she became the first woman elected to be a member of the Paleontological Society.[2] In the state of New York, she contributed to the Helderbergian crinoids and studied the faunas of Stafford limestone.[2]
Born in Iowa City, Talbot received a Ph.D. in geology from Yale University in 1904, the first woman to do so. There she was a student of Charles Schuchert. She was named a professor of geology and geography at Mount Holyoke College in 1904.[3] In 1908, Talbot became professor and chairman of the Geology department. In 1929, she became the chairman of both the Geology and Geography departments.[2] During her thirty-one years at Mount Holyoke College, she amassed a large collection of invertebrate fossils and Triassic footprints and minerals. The museum burned down in 1917[4] and almost all the specimens were destroyed, including the one extant partial skeleton of Podokesaurus.[5] Talbot retired in 1935 and is said to have remained passionate about her profession.[2]
- ^ Talbot, Mignon (1911). "Podokesaurus holyokensis, a new dinosaur from the Triassic of the Connecticut Valley". American Journal of Science. 4th Series, Volume 31 (186): 469–479. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Elder, Eleanor S. (August 25, 2016). "Women in Early Geology". Journal of Geological Education. 30 (5): 287–293. doi:10.5408/0022-1368-30.5.287.
- ^ Mount Holyoke College. Mignon Talbot Biography Verified January 6, 2011.
- ^ Doezema, Marianne (2002). Changing Prospects: The View from Mount Holyoke. United States of America: Cornell University Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780801441196.
- ^ Ogilvie, Marilyn; Harvey, Joy, eds. (2000). "Talbot, Mignon". The biographical dictionary of women in science : pioneering lives from ancient times to the mid-20th century. New York: Routledge. pp. 1263–1264. ISBN 9780415920407.