Dr. Mary L. Good has many notable achievements not only as a physical inorganic chemist, but also as a leader in the chemical industry, in the American Chemical Society, and in national government.

Born on June 20, 1931 in Grapevine, Texas, Mary Lowe was the eldest child of four born to Winnie and John Lowe, who were both public school teachers. Later the family moved to Arkansas where Lowe finished her pre-college schooling. She began her baccalaureate studies in 1947 as a home economics major at what is now the University of Central Arkansas. After her first college chemistry course, she switched to chemistry. In 1950, Lowe graduated with a B.S. in chemistry and minors in mathematics and physics. The following year she went to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, to begin graduate studies in inorganic and radiochemistry. She earned her M.S. in 1953 and her doctorate in 1955: her thesis work involved the use of tracers to determine the distribution of low concentrations of iodine between aqueous and non-aqueous solvents. Her advisor was Dr. Raymond Edwards.

Mary Lowe married Billy J. Good in 1952 when they were graduate students. They have two children and several grandchildren.

Mary L. Good began her professional career as a chemistry instructor at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. In 1958 she was offered a position as an associate professor at Louisiana State University, New Orleans. For this fledgling campus, she helped plan a new chemistry curriculum and science building. She was then promoted to professor and in 1974 was selected for the distinguished Boyd Professorship of Chemistry. During this period her research focus shifted to Mossbauer spectroscopy and the study of ruthenium compounds and their potential in catalysis. She also secured very substantial, impressive government funding to support her research.

In 1980, Good joined the Universal Oil Products Company in Des Plaines, Illinois as vice-president and director of research. She supervised research in catalysis. After several mergers she became senior vice-president for technology at Allied-Signal, Inc. in Morristown, New Jersey.

Mary Lowe Good has received many honors, including the Agnes Fay Morgan Research Award from Iota Sigma Pi in 1969, the Garvan Medal from the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 1973, being named "Scientist of the Year" by Industrial Research & Development Magazine, and in 1997 the Priestley Medal from the ACS. In 1980 and 1986, Good was appointed to the prestigious National Science Board, which she chaired from 1988-1991. She was president of the ACS in 1987. President Bush appointed Good to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in 1991. In 1993 President Clinton appointed her as under secretary for technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 2000 Mary L. Good became president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

AAAS News & Notes Profile of Mary Lowe Good

Cavanaugh, Margaret A. Mary Lowe Good (1931-). In Women in Chemistry and Physics, A Biobibliographic Sourcebook, Grinstein, Louise S., Rose, Rose K., and Rafailovich, Miriam H., Eds.; Greenwood Press: Westport, Connecticut, 1993; pp 218-229.

Mary L. Good, 1931-, American Chemist. In Notable Twentieth-Century Scientists; McMurray, Emily J., Ed.; Gale Research Co.: Detroit, MI, 1995; pp 796-798.

Notable Women in the Physical Sciences: A Biographical Dictionary; Shearer, Benjamin F. and Shearer, Barbara S., Eds.; Greenwood Press: Westport, Connecticut, 1997; pp 148-153.