Miss Mitchell’s Students: Ellen Swallow Richards

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • January 6, 2020

Standing under the canopy of the stars, you can scarcely do a petty deed or think a wicked thought.


Maria Mitchell’s influence reached far and wide and remained strong through many generations of not just her own students but the students of her students.  Her immediate galaxy was of course the women who took her astronomy and mathematics classes at Vassar College.  She instilled in her students a lifelong love of learning and the knowledge that as women, they had the power, strength, and knowledge to be the future of women scientists and educators in the world.  Some would go on to great accomplishments and some would go on to quietly influence other young learners of the world – spreading Maria’s legacy farther afield.


Over the next few blogs, I would like to share with you some of Maria Mitchell’s students.


The fourth is:


Ellen Swallow Richards, 1842-1911

Swallow Richards entered Vassar at the age of twenty-six – not uncommon for women attending the first women’s colleges – as a third year.  She graduated in 1870 having only had formal schooling starting at age sixteen.  A student of Maria’s – who recognized her ability and promise for science innovation – Ellen found her calling in chemistry which led her to MIT.  All other schools had denied her entry based on her sex but MIT reluctantly accepted her as a test – to “ascertain women’s ability in the sciences.”  In 1873, she received a Bachelor of Science from MIT and Vassar bestowed a Master of Arts on her at the same time.  Together with her husband, Robert Hallowell Richards, a MIT professor of mining, they used their home as a laboratory for devising home efficiencies.  She would head a lab for women at MIT which focused on studying “sanitary chemistry.”  Her work made her the founder of the home economics movement and during her life she published seventeen books on home economics and sanitation; including the first health food cookbook published in the U.S.  She also organized the first school lunch programs, created exhibits on home economics for several world fairs, and introduced healthy and inexpensive cooking to Boston’s immigrant communities.


JNLF

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Ice Whale

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • March 2, 2026
It’s sort of funny what Mother Nature does. Granted, in this case, she had a little help by shovel or plow. But as I made my way up Vestal Street a week ago or so, after the first round of eight inches of snow or so, I noticed this ice shape on the front stoop of the Mitchell House. To me, it looks like a whale with its tail up in the air! I think it’s sort of appropriate for this front stoop so I decided to share! JNLF

Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association in Collaboration with Nantucket Dreamland Announce "Doktor Kaboom" Under Pressure!" Coming to Nantucket in March

February 18, 2026
NANTUCKET, MA— The Maria Mitchell Association, in collaboration with the Nantucket Dreamland, invites the community to two unforgettable and entertaining performances featuring Doktor Kaboom: Under Pressure! on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. Doktor Kaboom’s interactive Science Comedy shows engage audiences of all ages. In Under Pressure!, Kaboom illustrates physical science concepts that are also metaphors for real-life mental and emotional pressures, validating what students may feel, while sharing tools for dealing with life’s challenges. Blending big ideas, explosive demonstrations, and humor, Kaboom keeps audiences riveted with interest and rolling with laughter. Hailed as, “part Mister Wizard, part Mr. Rogers,” Kaboom delights patrons with curiosity, creativity, and charm. Both performances are FREE to the public. This event is possible due to a grant from the Remain Nantucket Fund at the Community Foundation for Nantucket. Reflecting on both the impact of the performance and the partnerships that made it possible, MMA Executive Director, Joanna Roche, shared, “A heartfelt thank you to the Community Foundation for the generous grant that made it possible to bring Doktor Kaboom to Nantucket, and to the Nantucket Dreamland for hosting this extraordinary performance. I’ve known the good Doktor for nearly twenty years, and I have no doubt that his unique blend of humor, magic, and science will not only make you laugh, but also leave you with a renewed sense of wonder and a deeper connection to the world around you.” The Friday performance will be followed by an Ice Cream Bar, generously sponsored by Island Kitchen, and a photo opportunity with Doktor Kaboom in the Harborview Room. Event Details: • Dates and Times: Friday, March 13 at 7pm and Saturday, March 14 at 3pm • Location: Dreamland Theatre, 17 South Water Street • Special Offering: Friday, March 13 – Post-performance Ice Cream Bar in the Dreamland Theatre Harborview Room, generously sponsored by Island Kitchen, plus a photo opportunity with Doktor Kaboom • Tickets: Available at https://www.nantucketdreamland.org/events/doktor-kaboom-under-pressure • Cost: Free This community event kicks off another free collaborative event, the annual Nantucket STEAM Festival, taking place Saturday, March 14, 2026 at the Nantucket High School Gymnasium from 10am – 2pm. This event features hands-on activities celebrating science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics from over twenty community organizations. A sensory-friendly half house begins at 9:30am. Doktor Kaboom! was created, and is performed, by actor and comedian David Epley, who has discovered two passions in his life: science and mathematics. Epley first explored his love of hands-on learning, chemistry, and physics at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and later studied at the university level, exploring a degree in Chemical Engineering. Epley, a performer for over twenty years, has reached over 2,000,000 students and families, and has performed over 2,000 live shows worldwide. Epley lives in Seattle, Washington. About the Nantucket Dreamland: The Nantucket Dreamland is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural and intellectual life of Nantucket by providing year-round films, educational programs, and a venue for community activities that engage Nantucket in the evolving world of entertainment and education. The Dreamland’s mission is to build community on Nantucket year-round by bringing people together to share experiences through film, art, culture, and learning. About the Maria Mitchell Association: The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages. ######

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • February 17, 2026
1881, Feb. 26. Miss Whitney read Frances Power Cobbe’s “Lectures to Women” aloud to me. In the main they are excellent. I agree at almost every point. What she says about the duty of women in veracity, in cultivating both physical and moral courage, etc., in demanding not “favor but justice” . . . Mary Whitney would become the first president of the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association. She was one of Maria’s first students and ultimately her replacement at Vassar College. She also took over for Maria when she left the College for a brief illness in 1880. On her second trip to Europe in 1873, Maria would seek Frances Power Cobbe out at her home. A suffragette, Power Cobbe was a philosopher and writer among other things, including an animal rights activist when it came to experimentation on animals. Born into a wealthy family in Ireland, Power Cobbe would travel in Europe about the same time as Maria did in 1857, meeting some of the same people Maria would meet such as Mary Somerville (Maria’s hero and an astronomer, mathematician, scientist, and polymath) and Harriet Hosmer (sculptor). I should not note this but Maria wrote about Power Cobbe’s large head –further stating that being a large woman, she would have a large head. Reviewing images of Power Cobbe, I hate to say it but I cannot disagree – with my apologies to Ms. Powers Cobbe. JNLF
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