Early life

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]

Education

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]

Career

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]

Later life and legacy

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]