One of the first five women to be elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Born the elder of two sisters in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire in 1899, Christina contracted measles and rubella as a child, which left her hearing badly damaged and initially prevented her from pursuing the career in teaching that matched her wide ranging academic skills. Instead, inspired by a magazine article that suggested industrial analytical chemistry as a career for girls, she successfully undertook a three year course at the University of Edinburgh, combined with a four-year diploma in industrial chemistry at the then Heriot-Watt College. Christina Cruikshank Miller Despite her hearing difficulties and the additional pressures of studying during wartime, she graduated BSc in 1920 with special distinction, won her class medal, and was awarded the Vans Dunlop Scholarship, which allowed her to undertake research for her PhD. In October 2014 a ceremony took place at the University’s School of Chemistry to celebrate the life and work of Christina Cruikshank Miller and to acknowledge her impact by renaming a building after her. Located behind the original Joseph Black Building, the Christina Miller Building that houses both research laboratories and the School's teaching laboratories is a fitting tribute to a pioneering chemist who studied and worked at the University until 1961. Related Articles: http://www.ed.ac.uk/alumni/services/notable-alumni/alumni-in-history/christina-miller https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Miller This article was published on 2024-03-06
