Wick, Emily L., 1921-2013

Emily Wick (1921-2013) was a professor of food technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and was the first woman to earn tenure at the Institute. She received her BA (chemistry, 1943) and MA (organic chemistry, 1945) from Mount Holyoke College and her PhD in chemistry from MIT in 1951. She returned to MIT as a researcher in the Department of Food Technology in 1957, becoming an assistant professor in the same department soon after in 1959. During her time at MIT she developed food systems for the newly formed astronaut corps. Other positions she held at MIT were associate dean of student affairs and vice president of the alumni association. As associate dean, she worked to improve the educational experience at MIT for minority and women students, and was instrumental in eliminating gender considerations from the Institute’s admissions policy. She left MIT in 1973 to become dean of faculty of Mount Holyoke College. She continued her association with MIT by serving on the Corporation of MIT for a five-year term starting in 1978.