Caroline Ella Heminway Kierstead

Caroline Ella Heminway Kierstead (July 12, 1904 – June 17, 1985) was an American geologist and micropaleontologist who was a professor of geology at Smith College in Massachusetts, a Shell Oil Company paleontologist, and a scientist whose micropaleontology specialty was research on foraminifera.

Early life and education Caroline Ella Heminway Kierstead was born in Corning, New York, to parents Herbert A. and Ella May (Daley) Heminway, on July 12, 1904.

Kierstead attended many institutions throughout her life. In 1925, she graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a major in Philosophy and Psychology, and a minor in Geology. She then took her master's degree at Cornell University, and graduated in 1928. From there, she went on to earn a PhD in 1941 at Indiana University. Aside from her major degrees, she also studied at the University of Colorado, Syracuse University, and the University of Wyoming.

Career In 1928, Kierstead joined the faculty of Smith College in Massachusetts,

While a member of the Smith College geology department, Kierstead guided a group from the Geology Department of the Carnegie Institute in Washington, D.C., to study magnetic materials in the lavas and the glacial lake sediments in the Connecticut valley region. The expedition was run by Dr. Ellis A. Johnson and aided by use of a mobile laboratory.

In 1943, during World War II, Kierstead took a leave of absence from her job, and, bringing along two Smith College graduates, took a job at the Shell Oil Company, where she would work as a paleontologist until 1945.

Personal life Heminway married electrical engineer Friend Hans Kierstead in 1947.

Outside of work, Kierstead was known to be a breeder and exhibitor of Pembroke Welsh Corgi dogs. Her dogs won numerous American Kennel Club championships. Additionally, she also participated in many dog clubs. hosting the club's first breeding match in October of 1977, and having an annual trophy named in her honor following her death.

Kierstead died on June 17, 1985, in Goshen, Hampshire, Massachusetts, US. There is a collection of her papers from 1923 to 1985 at Smith College Libraries, including scientific journals, as well as research notes, correspondence, diaries and lectures.