Gladys Amelia Anslow was a physicist who spent her career at Smith College

Smith College

Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...

.

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

, Anslow attended Springfield Central High School

Springfield Central High School

Springfield Central High School is a public high school located in Springfield, Massachusetts.[1] The high school is home to grades 9–12. Central High School is the most popular high school in Springfield its has about 2000 and higher students.-History:...

 and entered Smith College

Smith College

Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...

 in 1909.She earned her A.B.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in 1914 after studying physics beginning her second year under Professor Frank Allan Waterman. Following graduation, she was hired as a demonstrator (1914-15) and then an assistant (1915-17) in physics and took advanced physics courses, including one in spectroscopy

Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...

 by Janet T. Howell. In 1916 she began her graduate studies under Howell using a new Rowland grating spectrograph

Spectrograph

A spectrograph is an instrument that separates an incoming wave into a frequency spectrum. There are several kinds of machines referred to as spectrographs, depending on the precise nature of the waves...

 acquired by Smith College to research the emission spectra of radium

Radium

Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...

, resulting in her thesis "Spectroscopic Evidence for the Electron Theory of Matter". She graduated in 1917 with her A.M

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

. Following her graduation, she was appointed instructor in physics to replace Howell.

She then obtained a Ph.D. from Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

 in 1924. She was awarded the President's Certificate of Merit

President's Certificate of Merit

The President's Certificate of Merit was created June 6, 1946 by Executive Order 9734 signed by US President Harry Truman, "for award by the President or at his direction to any civilian who on or after December 7, 1941 , has performed a meritorious act or service which has aided the United States...

for service during World War II.