# Pi Delta Nu

Pi Delta Nu (ΠΔΝ) was a small national professional fraternity for women in chemistry, founded in 1921 at the University of Missouri. It chartered at least five chapters and survived into the 1950s.

## History

Pi Delta Nu was created as the Women's Chemistry Club, established at the University of Missouri in 1919. In 1920, the name of the group was changed to the Retort, and on April 12, 1921, the club was reorganized as Pi Delta Nu, a professional fraternity for women in chemistry. The sorority had three purposes: "To bring together women interested in science, to help fit women for scientific careers, and to inculcate scholarly ideals in its members".
Charter members were Margaret Baxter, Majory Austry, Ada Brainard, Mary V. Dover, Eastern M. Griffith, Agnes Hays, Dorothy V. Nightingale, Grave Petty, Ruth Rusk, Esther W. Stearn, Helen Wamsley, Mollie G. White, Ruth Woodworth, and Kathryn Wyant.
Annual editions of the Missouri Savitar yearbook show that the fraternity continued until at least 1956 at the school. Beta chapter formed at the University of Minnesota and likewise remained active until at least 1956. Gamma chapter was established at Syracuse University, with active members at least until 1940. Delta chapter formed at the University of Buffalo in 1929, and Epsilon chapter at Montana State College in 1930.
The society was originally organized for women in chemistry but changed its scope to include girls interested in the fields of bacteriology, zoology, pre-medicine, and physical therapy. The first two editions of the Missouri Savitar yearbook that include the group list the society as "Pi Delta Nu and the Retort" may have evolved from a publication committee.

## Insignia and traditions

Pi Delta Nu's badge was originally an oblong square in gold, with a band in the center supporting its letters. By 1935, this was replaced by a stylized pin in gold, consisting of two equilateral triangles pointing up and down and overlapping, with the raised Greek letters ΠΔΝ on a center band. Above the letters was a retort and below an emerald. The pin was surrounded by 22 pearls, eleven above and eleven below. The pledge pin is a small silver retort with the letters ΠΔΝ on the bowl.
The crest consists of a knight bearing upon his shoulder the balanced scale of justice and on his arm a shield upon which is a retort, a helix, a crucible, a scalpel, and an open book. Underneath is a scroll bearing the words "Pi Delta Nu" in Greek script. Its motto, as cited soon after World War II, was "Victory Through Foresight".
The fraternity's colors were gentian violet and gold. Gentian violet was noteworthy as the name of a dye used in antibacterial and classification procedures. The sorority's flower was the violet, and its magazine was The Retort.

## Membership

Undergraduate and graduate women taking chemistry as a principal or secondary subject of specialization were eligible for membership.

## Chapters

Chapters of Pi Delta Nu, as of 1935:
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | April 12, 1921 – after 1956 | University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | Inactive |
| Beta | 1925–after 1956 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Inactive |
| Gamma | 1927–after 1940 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, New York | Inactive |
| Delta | 1929 | University of Buffalo | Buffalo, New York | Inactive |
| Epsilon | 1930 | Montana State College | Bozeman, Montana | Inactive |
* ↑ This chapter formed from Alpha Kappa Epsilon.