Mary C. Baltz
Mary C. Baltz (1923 – September 2011) was an American soil scientist.
Mary C. Baltz | |
|---|---|
 Mary C. Baltz as a Survey Party Chief in Canastota, New York | |
| Born | 1923[1] |
| Died | September 2011[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Mary Baltz Tyler[2] |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Known for | first woman soil scientist officially assigned in the field for the American Soil Conservation Service |
Biography
Mary Baltz was the first woman soil scientist officially assigned in the field for the Soil Conservation Service.[2][3][4][5][6]
After graduating from Cornell University, Baltz joined the soil survey as a Junior Soil Surveyor in 1946[2][4][5] and later became a Survey Party Chief.[7]
Labor shortages during World War II gave her the opportunity to work in a job that, up to that time, had been reserved for men.[2][4][5] By 1951, Baltz was responsible for soil mapping on farms in Madison, Oneida and Lewis counties[7] in New York State, and was later assigned the task of map measurement for the entire state.[2][4] The work was done by cutting out the soil map delineations on copies of the field sheets and then weighing the areas with the same label. The weight was later converted to acres.[4]
Baltz hired the team of women to work with her in the winter months.[2][4]
Trivia
Mary Baltz was mentioned in a Forgotten Superheroes of Science section of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast, episode #633.[3]
References
- "Mary Baltz Tyler – Sedona, Arizona". FamilyTreeNow.com. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
- "My grandmother, Mary Tyler, first female soil scientist, touring upstate farms to save America from the Dust Bowl, 1935; r/OldSchoolCool". reddit. 2017-07-09. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- "The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe". The Skeptics Guide to the Universe. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- Helms, D.; Effland, A.B.W.; Durana, P.J. (2008). Profiles in the History of the U.S. Soil Survey. Special Paper / Geological Society of America, 1. Wiley. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-470-37673-7. OCLC 609847312. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- Levin, Maxine J.; Scientist, Soil. "Women in Soil Science – 1895 to Present". Association of Women Soil Scientists. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- Eric C. Brevik. "Abstract: Foundational Works – "the Living Soil" By Lady Eve Balfour. (ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Annual Meetings)". Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- "Photo Gallery – Historical – NRCS Soils". NRCS. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-09-03.