Katherine Burr Blodgett

Biography

Katherine Burr Blodgett was born in 1898, and was a physicist known for the invention of a non-reflective coating for glass in 1935.

Blodgett was born in New York and developed an interest in mathematics at the Rayson School, she finished high school at 15 and earned a scholarship to Bryn Mawr College, receiving a B.A. in 1917. She then pursued a master's degree in science and was the first woman to receive a doctorate in physics from Cambridge University. She was then the first woman scientist at General Electric, and focused on surface chemistry.

She developed a method of measuring an oily substance to about one millionth of an inch, while previous methods were only accurate to a few thousandths of an inch. This discovery led to her important invention of non-reflecting glass in 1938. This was tremendously useful in a variety of applications.

During WWII, she made developed smoke screens, which saved many lives by covering troops, protecting them from exposure of toxic smoke. She was awarded the Garvan Medal in 1951, honorary degrees from Elmira College, Brown University, Western College, and Russel Sage College, and was nominated to be part of the American Physical Society, along with being a member of the Optical Society of America. Katherine Blodgett died in 1979.

Further Reading

https://www.famousscientists.org/katharine-burr-blodgett/