Evelyn J. Weber

Evelyn Joyce Weber (1928 - 2008) was an American biochemist, and agronomist. She was a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists and the first woman to be a faculty member of the Agronomy Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Early life and education Evelyn Joyce Weber was born on Nov. 9, 1928, in Tower Hill, IL. She was the daughter of John Weber and Emma Schoch Weber.

Weber graduated from Pana High School and then attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she received her BS in Chemistry in 1952. She continued at Illinois as a research assistant in plant lipid research before going on to complete her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Iowa State University. She then returned to Illinois as a research associate in biochemistry. In 1965, she became the University of Illinois' first woman in the Agronomy Department. Evelyn was a Professor of Plant Biochemistry from 1965 to 1987, and throughout most of her career she was the only woman in the faculty of that department. She retired in 1987 as a biochemist under a joint appointment from the U of I and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as well as a professor emerita in the agronomy department and a freelance editor and biochemical consultant.

Some of her papers are held at the University of Illinois Archives, and others at the Iowa State University archives. She also has a paver in her honor in the Plaza of Heroines at Iowa State University (paver:22 and D:6 on the map).

Research Weber was a plant biochemist. During her research career she had a focus on plant metabolism, and on the development of high-oil corn.

Honors Fellowships:

American Institute of Chemists

Memberships:

American Chemical Society American Oil Chemists Society Farm Bureau in Christian County National Committee of Women Chemists Honorary Member: Alpha Lambda Delta Iota Sigma Pi Sigma Delta Epsilon Phi Kappa Phi Sigma Xi Gamma Sigma Delta

Works