Mary Virginia Orna

Mary Virginia Orna (born 1934, in New Jersey) is an American color chemist, historian of science, and professor emerita of the College of New Rochelle.

Education Orna received a B.S. in chemistry at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1955. and is now a Professor of Chemistry Emerita.

Orna has been a member of the Division of the History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society since 1976. She served as Chair of the Division, as Chair of the executive committee in 1984 and as Treasurer from 1989 to 1990.

Publications Among her publications are the following books and symposia: History and Preservation of Chemical Instrumentation (1985) Electrochemistry, Past and Present (1989) The Chemical History of Color (2013) Science History: A Traveler’s Guide (2014) The Lost Elements: The Periodic Table’s Shadow Side (2015) Carl Auer von Welsbach: Chemist, Inventor, Entrepreneur (2017) Dame Kathleen Lonsdale: Scientist, Pacifist, Prison Reformer (2018) Chemistry’s Role in Food Production and Sustainability: Past and Present (with Gillian Eggleston and Alvin Bopp, 2019) Archeological Chemistry: A Multidisciplinary Analysis of the Past (with Seth Rasmussen, 2019) Periodic System and its Consequences (Substantia special issue, with Marco Fontani, 2019) March of the Pigments: Color History, Science and Impact (May 23, 2022)

Awards Awards that she has received include: 2009, Volunteer Service Award, American Chemical Society 1999, George C. Pimentel National Award in Chemical Education. American Chemical Society 1994–95, Fulbright Research/Lectureship in Israel 1989, CASE New York State Professor of the Year and National Gold Medal 1989, Merck Innovation Award in Undergraduate Science Education 1984, Chemical Manufacturers Association National Catalyst Award for Excellence in College Chemistry Teaching