Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau

Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau (27 October 1910 – 12 January 2000) was an American chemical engineer who contributed to the first commercial penicillin production plant. She was instrumental in the development of high-octane aviation fuel and was a pioneer in chemical production plant design, performing an impactful role as the fledgling chemical industry expanded rapidly during World War II.

Hutchinson designed many types of chemical and petrochemical plants used across a variety of industries. Her specialization in the research and development of fractionation methods resulted in the development of groundbreaking processes and a “ripple tray” patent. Her scientific interests began in chemistry class, “where my high school chemistry teacher was very inspirational to me.” “Later, I went on to Rice Institute where I finally realized it was the engineering phase of chemistry which had its appeal for me.” Her thesis topic was The effect of solute on the liquid film resistance in gas absorption. Hutchinson started her professional career with E. B. Badger and Sons Company in Boston, a petroleum and petrochemical firm. She worked in chemical plant design, research and development related to fractionation. Her development of deep-tank fermentation of penicillium mold enabled large-scale production of penicillin. She worked on the development of high-octane gasoline for aviation fuel.

Patents Hutchinson was the sole inventor of the 1956 “Fractionating Tray” Patent No. US-2767967_A.

Awards, honors and organizations Hutchinson was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Massachusetts Society of Professional Engineers, and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

In 1983, she received the Founders Award of the AIChE recognizing her outstanding contributions and advancements to the field of chemical engineering. “The membership grade of ‘active’ was very prestigious, given only to engineers who had actually been the principal engineer in charge of the design of an important and successful installation. This grade of membership could not be attained by teaching, working in research, or by functioning as a consulting engineer. Dr. Hutchinson was the only woman elected to this grade of membership at the time.” , recipients of this award include Frances Arnold, Elsa Reichmanis, Paula T. Hammond, Carol K. Hall, Karen K. Gleason, Rena Bizios, Jennifer S. Curtis, and Ümit Özkan. a co-worker at E.B. Badger & Sons, who was later a chemical engineering lecturer at MIT. and later became an overseer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

She died 12 January 2000, aged 89, at her home in Weston, Massachusetts.