This biography highlights the achievements of America's firstprofessional degreed female scientist, Ellen Swallow Richards(1842--1911). The book takes the reader from Richards's childhoodon a Massachusetts farm where she was schooled at home, to herinternationally renowned successes in multiple branches ofscience.

- Schools, colleges, and libraries are searching formore books about remarkable, successful women. Richards paved theway for women to enter numerous fields of science previouslybelieved to be the domain of men.
- Currently there is much emphasis on nutrition;Richards pioneered in this field, teaching the American publicabout fats, carbohydrates, proteins and calories at a time whenscarcely anyone knew of their importance.
- Ellen Swallow Richards pioneered multiple fields ofscience and technology, opening doors for women to become chemists, biologists, geologists, ecologists, nutritionists, dietitians, science teachers, professors, and home economists.
- Richards began the ecology movement, particularlyrelevant in today's world as more and more attention is being paidto the health of our planet.