[1][2][3] Born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, she conducted research in the fields of histology and marine biology, utilizing organisms such as silkworms, limpets, earthworms, and frogs.
[2] In the year 1926, Hibbard was honored with the Sarah Berliner Fellowship, a one-year educational opportunity provided by the AAUW which allowed her to study and work as a laboratory preparateur at the University of Paris.
[1] Upon her return to the United States in 1928, Hibbard accepted the position of assistant professor in the zoology department at Oberlin College in Ohio.
This series of advancements in her professorship was almost unheard of for women during Hibbard's time; the standard progression of women professors was a drawn-out process, and female professors were commonly made to either wait for an interval of time determined by international guidelines before rising in rank or remain at their current rank.
[2] Hibbard's research conducted while at Oberlin concentrated on a variety of fields, including cytology, histology, and marine biology.
Her histological studies pinpointed research concerning organs and tissues of several marine invertebrates, including limpets, earthworms, silkworms, and squid.
She held strong opinions about the untapped abilities of women due to both perpetuated stereotypes initialized by men and additional self-deprecating tendencies, and she utilized her membership in several academic assemblies to express her viewpoints.
She worked to encourage women to forge their paths independent of discouraging social views and to mold their own journey as both intellectuals and spouses, as opposed to exclusively one of the two.