Karle, Isabella (1921–)
Karle, Isabella (1921–)
American chemist and crystallographer. Born Isabella Helen Lugoski, Dec 2, 1921, in Detroit, Michigan, to Polish immigrant parents; University of Michigan, BS, 1940, MS, PhD in physical chemistry, 1944; m. Jerome Karle (co-winner of Nobel Prize for chemistry, 1985), 1942; children: 3 daughters.
With husband, began work at Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, developing techniques to study electron diffraction; became head of NRL X-ray Diffraction Section for Structure of Matter (1959); with husband, published landmark paper on Symbolic Addition Procedure for determining molecular structures directly from X-ray diffraction experiments (1966); successfully applied same method to living materials, many of which are important in biochemical and medical research; discovered structures of numerous substances, including naturally occurring analgesic enkephalin, found in human brain; elected president of American Crystallographic Association (1976). Received Garvan Medal (1976) from American Chemical Society and American Institute of Chemists' Chemical Pioneer Award (1985).