Icie Hoobler

Icie Gertrude Macy Hoobler (July 23, 1892 – January 6, 1984) was an American biochemist who did research in human nutrition, specifically pertaining to mothers and children. Despite facing discrimination because of her gender, she became the first woman chair of a local section of the American Chemical Society and won 22 awards and honors for her laboratory's research.

Early life and education Hoobler grew up on a farm in Gallatin, Missouri, where she became interested in science from watching the maturation of animals and spending time roaming around her family's property. She became especially interested in children's wellness when on a trip during her childhood, where she observed sick children in poor living conditions in the mountains of Arkansas and became aroused with compassion.

Hoobler went on to earn her master's degree from the University of Colorado in 1918. Her first master's project was developing a more sensitive cyanide test for autopsies, which resulted in her first publication. Her second project was improving an extraction method for tungstic acid from tungsten ores. Additionally, Hoobler was a teaching assistant in the physiological chemistry course at the medical school. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1984.

Personal life At the age of 46, Hoobler married Dr. Raymond Hoobler, but he died in 1943, after five years of marriage. In 1982, Hoobler returned to her birthplace in Missouri and died two years later in 1984.