BHS Day 18: Marie Maynard Daly

Hi! For our third MTS Spotlight we're finally getting to the Science third, and another brilliant person whose achievements are often left out of important scientific conversations. When I was growing up, science wasn't something I focused on a lot. I enjoyed certain elements of science, but I was never a science nerd. I don't think I was ever smart enough to get my brain around the technicalities in scientific stuff. Today's entrant was a pioneer in two ways--she made a permanent impact on the scientific world as both a woman and an African-American. Her studies were groundbreaking but she never quite received the recognition she deserved despite her work being instrumental in saving lives. Let's learn about her!

Source

Name: Marie Maynard Daly, PhD, 1921-2003

Profession: Biochemist, professor

Why is the Spotlight on her today? For her contributions to science and breaking the barrier in the industry for both African-Americans and women

Notables:
--Graduated magna cum laude from Queens College and was later given the rare distinction of being a Queens College Scholar
--Received her PhD in chemistry from Columbia University, making her the first Black woman in the country to do so
--Received a grant from the American Cancer Society to fund her postdoctoral research at the Rockefeller Institute
--Was partially responsible for uncovering how the body's chemicals aid with food digestion
--Worked on nucleic acids and was partially responsible for helping to uncover the structure and function of DNA, which was later cited by Watson and Crick as being helpful to their work during their Nobel Prize acceptance
--Was an investigator for the American Heart Association
--Worked on figuring out how chemicals and foods play a part in creating hypertension in the body
--Was part of the work that led into the connection of clogged arteries and heart attacks, creating more understanding into what causes heart attacks
--Researched and found the different factors that contribute to aging and heart disease, and how hypertension and aging affect the circulatory system
--Was an assistant professor of biochemistry and medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University with her medical partner
--Helped pioneer research into the body's reaction to creatine and how muscle tissues absorb it
--Was a member of the New York Academy of Sciences board of governors for two years
--Was a fellow of the American Cancer Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Council on Arteriosclerosis of the American Heart Association
--Was recognized by the National Technical Association as one of the top 50 women working in science, technology and engineering
--Was a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
--Was posthumously honored by having an elementary school in her native Queens named in her honor
--Established a scholarship to benefit Black chemistry and physics majors attending Queens College in her late father's honor

Further reading links: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4


Quote of the Day: 
"Courage is like — it’s a habitus, a habit, a virtue: you get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging."
--Marie Maynard Daly