author
Katharine Blunt
1876–1954
A pioneering American chemist and nutrition researcher, she helped shape the study of food science and home economics in the early 20th century. She also became the first woman president of Connecticut College, bringing scientific rigor and strong leadership to higher education.
1 Audiobook
Food Guide for War Service at Home Prepared under the direction of the United States Food Administration in co-operation with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Education, with a preface by Herbert Hoover
by United States Food Administration, Katharine Blunt, Florence Powdermaker, Frances Lucy Swain
About the author
Born in Philadelphia in 1876, Katharine Blunt built a career at the intersection of chemistry, nutrition, and education. She studied at Vassar College and went on to earn advanced degrees in chemistry, focusing on food chemistry, home economics, and the nutritional needs of women and children.
Her research centered on nutrition, including work on calcium and phosphorus metabolism and basal metabolism. She taught for many years at the University of Chicago, where she became known as both a scientist and an educator in a field that was becoming increasingly important to public health and everyday life.
In 1930, she was appointed president of Connecticut College, becoming the first woman to lead the school. Her life is remembered as one that joined serious scientific work with a practical interest in how people live, eat, and learn.