In 1909, Grace Bareis (1875-1962) became the first person to earn a PhD in Mathematics from The Ohio State University. She remained at Ohio State as a faculty member and eventually retired as assistant professor emeritus in mathematics. Following her retirement in 1946, she continued to teach for an additional two years because of the shortage of instructors following World War II.
She directed master theses in mathematics, mainly geometry, for at least 15 graduate students, eight of which were women. Her achievements were noted in the book Pioneering Women in American Mathematics: The Pre-1940 PhD’s by Judy Green and Jeanne LaDuke (American Mathematical Society, 2009).
Bareis was a member of the American Mathematical Society, Mathematical Association of America, Sigma Xi scientific fraternity, Pi Mu Epsilon mathematics fraternity, and the Association for the Advancement of Science.