Mabel Augusta Chase

Mabel Augusta Chase was born on October 11, 1865, in Lyndonville, New York.[1] Her parents were Julia Augusta Spence and Frederick Augustus Chase.[1] She was born as the eldest of five children, with only her two younger brothers surviving past childhood.[1]

Her father was a Presbyterian clergyman and minister as well as a professor of natural science.[2] He taught at Fisk University, a historically black university, in Nashville and was also president of Lyons Female College in Clinton, Iowa.[2] Both his passion for science and knack for teaching were passed onto his daughter, Mabel, who came to study physics.[1]

Chase attended Oberlin College from 1886 to 1888 and graduated with a degree in physics.[3] She then attended Cornell University, where she obtained her master's degree[1] and her PhD,[4] finishing in 1890. She wrote her dissertation on a subject that would be a common interest throughout her life: light. Specifically, the writing studied optics and the relationship between the shape of the human eye and the perception of color.[4]

After her studies, Chase became a teacher. She taught at Wellesley College,[5] Mount Holyoke College,[6] and other Massachusetts area schools[3] until she became an associate professor at Mount Holyoke in 1906.[7] She was a professor at Mount Holyoke from 1906 to 1933 and achieved the title of Professor Emeritus.[8] She was seen as the second in command of the physics department[9] during her time and mentored students and other professors.[10] Students described her as not very organized but very understanding and a good teacher.[9]

In addition to teaching, she conducted research and published her findings.[11] Her work throughout her career was varied but mostly centered around research and advancements in light and color.[11] Scientific journals published some of her work on light and iridescence.[12] Her work on advanced topics in physics[13] took her to other institutions, including the University of Chicago and the Imperial College of London.[1]

Along her own research, she also worked closely with Sarah Frances Whiting in establishing a physics laboratory at Wellesley College and investigating x-rays.[14] Their experiments were based on newly published work by German scientist Wilhelm Röntgen.[14] They used the same equipment which included a Crookes tube, an induction coil,[15] a battery, glass plates and holders, and photographic chemicals to produce "shadow photographs" or x-ray images.[14] While experimenting, they varied the objects examined, the timing of the photograph, and the materials used, in order to improve image quality and learn how x-rays would penetrate materials of different material and makeup.[14]

During her life and career, Chase was a member of various esteemed organizations related to her academic endeavors.[1] She was a member of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of University Women, and the Foreign Policy Association.[1]

Chase retired from Mount Holyoke College in 1933.[8] She died on March 31, 1939, after being injured in a car accident.[16] Like her father before her, Chase was buried in Nashville, Tennessee.[2][16] She remains regarded as one of the most active and knowledgeable woman scientists in the field of physics during the early 20th century.[17]