Education
She earned her Bachelor of Surgery and master"s at Howard University, and in 1941, her Doctor of Philosophy at Fordham University, being the first woman of any race to earn a science doctorate at Fordham.
She earned her Bachelor of Surgery and master"s at Howard University, and in 1941, her Doctor of Philosophy at Fordham University, being the first woman of any race to earn a science doctorate at Fordham.
She briefly taught high school, and later started up summer science institutes for high school science teachers, bringing new methods of how to teach science, such as using light-microscopes to study cells. After serving in the Army Red Cross during World World War II, in 1945, she joined the botany department at Howard University. She chaired the botany department starting in 1947 at Howard University until her retirement in 1976.
She also taught a summer science series for the National Science Foundation designed for biology teachers to make use of botanical materials for their courses to illustrate cell life.
These summer classes also developed her teaching methods, where she also emphasized microscopes to study living cells. During the mid-1960s, she was requested President Lyndon B. Johnson to bring her work overseas, bringing her teaching style to an international level
After her death, an auditorium in the Ernest. East. Just Hall at Howard University was named in her honor.