Gladys Athena Sperling
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Gladys Athena Sperling | |
|---|---|
 Gladys Athena Sperling, from the 1928 yearbook of Oberlin College | |
| Born | July 25, 1904 Pulaski, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 17, 2003 (age 98) New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Bacteriologist, nutrition researcher |
Gladys Athena Sperling (July 25, 1904 – January 17, 2003) was an American bacteriologist and nutrition researcher at Cornell University from the 1930s into the 1970s.
Sperling was born in Pulaski, New York, the daughter of Andrew J. Sperling and Stella J. Pratt Sperling. She earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Oberlin College in 1928,[1] and completed a master's degree in bacteriology at Cornell University in 1936, with a thesis titled "The Rate of Growth and Gas Production by Escherichia-aerobacter Organisms in Media of Different Compositions".[2]
Career
Sperling worked at Cornell with Clive McCay in nutrition research, from the 1930s into the 1960s. Much of their work involved experimental studies of nutritional interventions on the growth and aging of rats.[3][4][5] She spoke to community groups about nutrition,[6] and was active in the American Association of University Women.[7][8] She retired from the Animal Sciences department at Cornell in 1970.[9] In retirement, she participated in local theatre and other community programs in Ithaca.[10]