Helen Blair Barlett

Helen Barlett attended Ohio Wesleyan University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in geology in 1927, at the age of 27.[1] In 1931 she earned a PhD at Ohio State University.[2]

Barlett was a geologist who was interested in spark plugs, and contributed greatly to the motor vehicle world, being the first to invent insulating materials for spark plugs using alumina ceramics.[3] When spark plug insulators were first invented, they were made of porcelain and molded on a potter's wheel, and thus, were prone to break easily.[4] She has been credited to have discovered that high alumina metals, containing approximately 0.35 percent lithium oxide precipitated zeta alumina, and over the course of her career, gained seven patents in connection with her work. She left her position at General Motors Corporation to work on The Manhattan Project but later returned.[2] Her essential work on spark plugs improved the overall capabilities of motor vehicles. Alumina insulator material allows plugs to handle high heat and voltage within the spark plug, enabling vehicles to operate in a more clean and, in turn, more efficient manner.[5] By encasing the spark plugs, she had made possible for them to become quite durable. Prior to the design changes, spark plugs would get covered in byproducts spewed by the engine and had to be manually cleaned every 70 to 150 kilometers for the vehicle to function effectively.