Frances Wick

Frances Gertrude Wick (October 2, 1875 – June 15, 1941) was an American physicist known for her studies on luminescence.

Early life and education Wick was born on October 2, 1875, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Her father, Alfred Wick, was an oil producer, an innkeeper, and a store clerk. Together he and her mother, Sarah, had seven children. Wick earned her Bachelor's from Wilson College in 1897. After graduation Wick began teaching at the high school she had attended as a student. When preparing to teach a physics class, Wick became interested in physics. In 1904, she decided to leave her job teaching to study physics at Cornell University where she earned a second bachelor's degree in 1905.

Because Wick worked at small women's colleges, her resources with which to perform research were limited. Therefore, she did research over the summer in other laboratories at General Electric, Harvard University, Cornell University, University of Cambridge, Berlin, and Vienna. Wick twice worked at the Institute for Radium Research, where she conducted research on radioluminescence in Karl Przibram's research group. During World War I, Wick worked on gun sights and radio equipment with the United States Army's Signal Corps where she was likely the first woman scientist hired. In the 1918-19 academic year Wick went on a leave of absence from Vassar College to work in the Cornell physics department as an acting assistant.

Throughout her career Wick was active in her support of Wilson College. She worked first as an alumnae trustee from 1925 to 1929, and then from 1931 to her death as an elected member of the college's board of trustees. Wilson College awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Science in 1931.

Affiliations Fellow of the American Physical Society Fellow of The Optical Society Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Member of the American Association of University Women Member of the American Association of Physics Teachers Member of the American Association of University Professors Member of the Cornell Club of New York Member of the Wilson Club of New York City Alumnae Trustee and Trustee for Wilson College Sigma Xi Sigma Delta Epsilon