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Harriet Creighton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harriet Creighton
Born(1909-06-27)June 27, 1909
DiedJanuary 9, 2004(2004-01-09) (aged 94)
EducationWellesley College, Cornell University (Ph.D. 1933)
Known forDescribing chromosomal crossover
Scientific career
FieldsBotany, genetics, education
InstitutionsCornell University, Connecticut College, Wellesley College
Doctoral advisorBarbara McClintock

Harriet Baldwin Creighton (27 June 1909 – January 9, 2004) was an American botanist, geneticist and educator.

Background

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Born in Delavan, Illinois, Creighton graduated from Wellesley College in 1929, and went on to complete her Ph.D. at Cornell University in 1933.

Career

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During her time at Cornell she worked in the field of maize cytogenetics with Barbara McClintock, the pair published a very influential paper in 1931 in which they described chromosomal crossover for the first time. This paper, part of her Ph.D. research, provided key evidence that chromosomes carried and exchanged genetic information and hence that genes for physical traits are carried on chromosomes. Barbara McClintock guided her Ph.D. research.[1]

After completing her Ph.D. she taught at Cornell University and Connecticut College, and then returned to Wellesley College where she taught until her retirement in 1974; taking time from her career to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II.[2]

Creighton was elected in 1940 a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[3] In 1956 she was elected president of the Botanical Society of America.[2]

Key Publication

Creighton, HB; McClintock, B (August 1931). "A Correlation of Cytological and Genetical Crossing-Over in Zea Mays". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 17 (8): 492–7. Bibcode:1931PNAS...17..492C. doi:10.1073/pnas.17.8.492. PMC 1076098. PMID 16587654..

References

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  1. ^ Kass, Lee B. 2005c. Harriet Creighton: Proud botanist. Plant Science Bulletin. 51(4): 118–125. Available online, December 2005: http://www.botany.org/PlantScienceBulletin/PSB-2005-51-4.php#HARRIET Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine; Kass, L. B. and Chomet, P. 2009. Barbara McClintock, Pgs. 17–52, in J. Bennetzen and S. Hake, Editors, Handbook of Maize: Genetics and Genomics. Springer
  2. ^ a b Kass, Lee B. 2005c. Harriet Creighton: Proud botanist. Plant Science Bulletin. 51(4): 118–125. Available online, December 2005: http://www.botany.org/PlantScienceBulletin/PSB-2005-51-4.php#HARRIET Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine; Kass, Lee B. 2007a. Harriet B. Creighton (1909–2004), on Women Pioneers in Plant Biology, American Society of Plant Biologists website, Ann Hirsch editor. Published online, February 2007: http://www.aspb.org/committees/women/pioneers.cfm#Creighton Archived 2003-12-03 at the Wayback Machine; Kass, Lee B. 2007b. Barbara McClintock (1902–1992), on Women Pioneers in Plant Biology, American Society of Plant Biologists website, Ann Hirsch editor. Published online, March 2007: http://www.aspb.org/committees/women/pioneers.cfm#McClintock Archived 2003-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Historic Fellows". American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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