Catherine Raisin

Catherine Alice Raisin (24 April 1855 – 13 July 1945) was one of the most important early female geologists in Britain.

She was the youngest child and only daughter of Daniel Francis Raisin and Sarah Catherine Woodgate.

[4] In 1893, at the age of 38, Raisin was the first woman to receive the "Lyell Fund" award from the Geological Society of London for her research on metamorphism.

Bonney needed to accept the honor for her benefit, since the Geological Society of London did not permit women to go to its gatherings at the time.

Catherine Raisin spent her entire academic career at Bedford College, where in 1886, she became a demonstrator of botany.

[3] Raisin accepted an offer of the post of Vice Principal of the college in 1898, but resigned in 1901 due to the high work load.

[2] The main focus of Raisin's research was in the study of rocks using microscope petrology and mineralogy, topics in which she published 24 papers between 1887 and 1905, counting community oriented works with Bonney.

She was seen as a leading expert on metamorphic facies; the characteristic mineral assemblages form under similar temperatures and pressures.

[2] She also worked on the microcrystalline formation of chert in Jurassic-era and published her findings in her well-known paper Proceedings of the Geologists' Association in 1903.

[2] Over her lifetime, Catherine Raisin has become a leading role as a female leader in the department of geology in England.

[11] Over the course of her career Raisin fought for equality in education, specifically for the right of female students to study at university and become researchers or lecturers.

She achieved and was awarded in: Between 1887 and 1905, Catherine Raisin published twenty-four research papers, including her collaborative work with Bonney.