Ruth Myrtle Patrick was one of the earliest women to earn a PhD at UVA in 1934 studying the biology of diatoms, a group of algae that make elaborate silica casings. During her graduate study, she took classes at MLBS. After her graduation from UVA, she applied for a position at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and was told she would not be paid (and that she should not wear lipstick to work). She was appointed curator in 1937. In 1945 she was first paid for her work. For the first 11 years of her career, she was expected to work for free because of her gender.
Her impact on limnology, botany, and the environmental movement was immense. She established the Department of Limnology at the Academy, building collections of aquatic specimens and surveying waterways through the mid-Atlantic region. This work led her to propose and demonstrate a concept that all biologists and environmental scientists now take for granted and that forms the foundation of all environmental assessment to this day. The so-called “Patrick Principle” was the first recognition that biodiversity is an indicator of water quality and pollution. Over her career, she became known as the leading authority on diatoms in the world. She advised multiple presidents on the impacts of water pollution, acid rain, and aquatic conservation, and was a leader in formulating the 1972 Clean Water Act.
Her role as a scientist, teacher, mentor, and role model as a leading woman in science earned her countless awards and honorary degrees. Most significant among these are election to the National Academy of Sciences (1970) and the American Philosophical Society (1975), along with the Presidential Medal of Science in 1996.