Mary Elvira Weeks

Mary Elvira Weeks
Born(1892-04-10)April 10, 1892[1]
Lyons, Wisconsin
DiedJune 20, 1975(1975-06-20) (aged 83)[1]
Detroit, Michigan
NationalityAmerican
Alma materRipon College, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Kansas
AwardsDexter Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry, History
InstitutionsUniversity of Kansas

Mary Elvira Weeks (April 10, 1892 – June 20, 1975) was an American chemist and historian of science. Weeks was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Kansas and the first woman to be a faculty member there.

Her book Discovery of the Elements is considered the "first connected narrative of how scientists unraveled the mysteries of matter" and a "classic of chemistry".[2] It went through seven editions and was published in multiple languages.[2] Weeks also published A History of the American Chemical Society (1952) with Charles Albert Browne, completing it after his death in 1947.[3]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Ihde was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Bray was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Browne, C. A.; Weeks, M. E. (1952). A History of the American Chemical Society: Seventy-five Eventful Years. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society.