Alice Evelyn Wilson, MBE, FRSC, FRCGS (August 26, 1881 – April 15, 1964) was Canada's first female geologist. Her scientific studies of rocks and fossils in the Ottawa region between 1913 and 1963 remain a respected source of knowledge. Early life Wilson was born in Cobourg, Ontario in 1881 to her father Dr. John Wilson, a professor of classics at the University of Toronto. From childhood she was often exposed to nature during canoeing and camping trips with her father and two brothers. These trips sparked her interest in fossils and the study of geology. Going outdoors also assisted in improving her struggling health. During her time in college, her brothers were already critically acclaimed experts in their respective fields of geology and mathematics. So, scholarly thought and the pursuit of scientific knowledge was encouraged. Education In 1901 Wilson began studying modern language and history at the Victoria College in Toronto originally intending to be a teacher. She did not finish her last year of studies due to health problems. She eventually completed her degree many years later in 1911. Despite being eligible to undertake a doctorate in 1915, Wilson was repeatedly denied paid time off from the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), even though the GSC was granting paid absences at the time. Wilson's direct boss from 1920, Edward M. Kindle, was supportive of Alice and wanted her to take a leave and finish her doctorate though others in leadership roles at the GSC where much less so. For seven years Wilson persisted, and finally was awarded a scholarship by the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) in 1926. Even then, the GSC contended Wilson's leave. After a lobbying effort from the CFUW, Wilson was granted leave, and graduated in 1929 at the age of 48 from the University of Chicago with a doctorate in geology. Career In 1907 Wilson started her career at the University of Toronto museum in the mineralogy division, despite not having completed her degree. In 1909, she took an assistant job at the Victoria Memorial Museum, and then became eligible and took a temporary clerk position at the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), which was headquartered at the Victoria Memorial Museum in Ottawa. She was later requested to translate a portion of Karl Alfred von Zittels Text-Book of Paleontology from German to English by Percy Raymond, whom also advocated Wilson to take a leave