Alice Standish Allen was the first female engineering geologist in North America. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Allen was raised in the nearby village of Newtonville, Massachusetts, then in Lexington, Massachusetts. She studied geology at a number of institutions, including Mount Holyoke College, Wisconsin University, and Northwestern University. Allen worked as an engineering geologist for the entirety of her professional career for the United States government in Washington, D.C. until her retirement in 1982.