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While Martha Chase's surname acknowledges her involvement in the experiment with Alfred D. Hershey (The Hershey-Chase experiment), we are led to believe that Martha did not receive recognition for her contributions during Alfred Hershey's 1969 Nobel Prize acceptance speech. The experiment's title should indicate some level of equality between the two as they both contributed to the experiment, even if Chase was Hershey's research assistant. Some even argue that Martha Chase should have also been a recipient of the 1969 Nobel Prize.
We hope that this website brings awareness to her accomplishments and also sheds light on how scientists, post-graduate research assistants, and technicians should be treated with equality regardless of their identity. Recognizing figures like Martha Chase who have been marginalized is pivotal in reshaping the narrative within our scientific communities. We believe that equality in scientific communities can benefit present and future generations.
Before we delve more into these claims, take a read through Martha Chase's background below.
Before we delve more into these claims, take a read through Martha Chase's background below.
About Martha Chase
About Martha Chase
Martha Cowles Chase was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio on November 30, 1927 (Dawson 2003; Staff 2020). She had one sibling, Ruth (Dawson 2003). She died August 8, 2003 at the age of 75 in Lorain, Ohio (Dawson 2003). She experienced long-term memory loss as she suffered from dementia for a considerable time during the last decades of her life. Ultimately, the cause of her death was pneumonia (Dawson 2003).
She briefly married in the late 1950s to Richard Epstein, a fellow scientist (Dawson 2003). However, they soon divorced, and she never re-married nor had children (Dawson 2003).
After her well-known discovery with Alfred Hershey in 1952, it is believed she endured several personal setbacks, eventual job loss, and the end of her scientific career shortly after (Dawson 2003). The end of her career prevailed in the late 1960s, which interestingly enough, was around the time Hershey received his Nobel Prize for their experiment - we will talk more about that in the pages to come.
Her Schooling
Her Schooling
Take a look at the timeline below that shows the events regarding Martha Chase's schooling and workplaces (Dawson 2003). The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is abbreviated as CSHL where she worked with Hershey.
Despite making lasting contributions to biotechnology and medical science, Martha Chase was not accredited for these contributions while her partner, Alfred Hershey, was awarded a Nobel prize in 1969. The lack of recognition Martha Chase received can likely be attributed to her gender and her role as a post-undergraduate research assistant. In the subsequent pages of this website, we will examine the evidence pointing toward a manifestation of sexism within the predominantly male-dominated realm of science during the 1950s-1960s and, even today.
Click the buttons below to learn more or follow the website menu at the top of the page for the best website navigation experience.
Click the buttons below to learn more or follow the website menu at the top of the page for the best website navigation experience.
References
References
Dawson M. 2003. Martha Chase dies. Genome Biol. [accessed 2023 Oct 26];4:1-4. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1186/gb-spotlight-20030820-01.
Staff RS. 2020. Martha Chase, geneticist. Rediscover STEAM. [accessed 2023 Nov 2]. https://medium.com/rediscover-steam/martha-chase-geneticist-d1b79589ee29.
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