Julianne Heller Prager ’46

Julianne Heller Prager ’46, of Saint Paul, Minn.; Feb. 9. She earned her doctorate in organic chemistry from Cornell Univ. and began her career at 3M, where she worked for more than 27 years as a polymer and fluoroxy chemist, ending her career as executive director of 3M’s Corporate Technical Planning and Coordination. At the time of her retirement she was the senior ranking woman at 3M. She was an advocate for women in the sciences, a mentor and guide for women at 3M, and an active participant of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Chemical Society. In 1971 she was the first female elected to chair 3M’s Technical Forum, which engaged in a variety of outreach, including starting the Visiting Technical Women Program in St. Paul, developing a Teachers Working Science and Technology summer internship, and mentoring high school students through its Science Training Encouragement Program. In addition to outreach, she helped foster a program at 3M called the Genesis Project, which rewarded innovation. She also developed several patents and wrote numerous published articles. She was honored in 1986 as the recipient of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Chemical Society Award for her outstanding contributions to chemical research. She was a trustee emeriti and a member of Sigma XI and is survived by a sister, Janet Heller Gourley ’53, and several cousins.