Katherine Van Winkle Palmer

Katherine Evangeline Hilton Van Winkle Palmer was an only child born to Jacob Van Winkle, a doctor, and Mary Edith Hilton Van Winkle, a Canadian-born nurse. Jacob Van Winkle was one of the "First Twelve Men" who helped form the first official representative body of New York and New Jersey in 1641. sharing a close relationship with her father who introduced her to the outdoors, and who was an important contributing factor in her pursuit of the sciences. The two of them would go outdoors and collect fossil mollusks. It was during these adventures that Palmer found her love for science and a passion for fossils. As she said later in life, "I knew fossils as a child, so by the time I went to the University of Washington I knew I wanted to study geology." In childhood, she attended various local schools and became the only female member of her graduating class to eventually go to college. Katherine was accepted into the University of Washington where she studied paleontology, the study of the history of life on Earth based on fossils. == Education ==

Katherine attended the University of Washington to study paleontology under the mentorship of Professor Charles E. Weaver. She worked as Weaver's research assistant and investigated the largely unknown paleontology of the state of Washington. Palmer completed her fieldwork during 1916–1917 for her senior thesis on Age Determinants within Faunal Provinces. For a short period, Katherine was working as a post-graduate lab assistant under Dr. Charles E. Weaver, who focused his study on Tertiary fauna. She continued her education at Cornell University, where she received her PhD in 1925. == After graduation ==

As graduation arrived, Katherine received a Hecksher Fellowship from 1925 to 1927 to proceed with her work with Professor Harris on Paleogene fossils. Several years later, Harris created the cornerstone for Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) in 1932, and Palmer was alongside him. Palmer actively worked with in the PRI and served with the board of directors. During her time with PRI, Palmer accompanied Harris on expeditions and continued to publish her work. Her work was able to be published thanks to her association with PRI. Palmer left the legacy of her student days at Cornell University in the Sigma Delta Epsilon organization, which she founded in 1921 . At the time, this was the only national organization for women in science and later Palmer would become the national president. During her long life Palmer had the opportunity to travel to many parts of the world for field study and collecting fossil Mollusca. Palmer was most notable for her work in the Gulf of Mexico but she also travelled and worked in New Zealand and the West Indies. == Career ==

In 1935, Palmer was appointed Fellow of the Geological Society of America. Palmer was also president of the Malacological Society, an organization dedicated to the research and preservation of mollusks. The same year that Palmer died (1982), she published the first history of the PRI, securing her own, as well as the PRI's, legacy in print. Palmer's research produced more than 150 publications, including Gastropoda of the Claibornian Mid-Eocene of the Southern United States (1937), The Mollusca of the Jackson Eocene of the Mississippi Embayment (Sabine River to Alabama River) (1946), and Catalogue of the Paleocene, and Eocene Mollusca of the Southern and Eastern United States (1965), to name a few. As well as conducting field studies in the United States, Palmer conducted research in the Gulf of Mexico, New Zealand, and the West Indies. Palmer took on many paleontological projects such as fossil catalogs which few other paleontologists covered, but were vital to the field of paleontology. She identified and described more than 80 new taxonomic species, most of which were classified as a form of Mollusk. Palmer's systematic classification and descriptions of these species are considered a gold standard by many who study this type of Paleontology. == Paleontological Research Institution==

Palmer and Harris established the PRI together in 1932, became president of the Board of Trustees from 1936 to 1937, and in 1952 she replaced Harris as director when he fell ill, a post she occupied until 1978. == Personal life ==

While still a graduate student at Cornell University, Katherine Van Winkle met Ephraim L. Palmer, who was a professor of rural education and nature study. Palmer died on September 12, 1982. == Awards and honors ==

Following are some of Palmer's awards and honors. • National Honorary Member of Sigma Delta Epsilon/Graduate Women in Science (SDE/GWIS) (1971) • Fellow of the Geological Society of America (1935) • Honorary Member of the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists (1966) • First female recipient of the Paleontological Society Medal in 1972 for her work on Tertiary Mollusca: widely acknowledged as paleontology's highest professional honor in the United States (1972) • Award for "outstanding contributions to the study of Mollusca" from the Western Society of Malacologists (1974) • The Alpha Chapter of SDE/GWIS named their first Award for Excellence after Palmer (1978) • The Katherine Palmer Award for amateur contributions to paleontology is presented each year by the Paleontological Research Institution (1993) • "Paleontology is Alive and Well: A Symposium in Honor of Dr. Katherine Van Winkle Palmer" was held at Tulane University in 1978, which included an Honorary Doctor of Science presentation from the university (1978) • Honorary Life Member of the American Malacological Union ==References==