Description: British botanist Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker (1901-1957), born in Leigh, Lancashire, is best known for her research on the edible seaweed Porphyra laciniata (nori). Her analysis of the nori lifecycle provided assistance to Japanese farmers suffering from unpredictable harvests, saving the Japanese seaweed industry. Building on her work, Japanese scientists developed artificial seeding techniques which increased production. Drew-Baker spent most of her academic life at the University of Manchester’s cryptogamic botany department, serving as a Lecturer in Botany, then Researcher from 1922 to 1957. She also spent two years working at the University of California. She was one of the founders of the British Phycological Society and served as its first president.
Creator/Photographer: Unidentified photographer
Medium: Black and white photographic print
Persistent URL: http://photography.si.edu/SearchImage.aspx?id=5859
Repository: Smithsonian Institution Archives
Collection: Accession 90-105: Science Service Records, 1920s – 1970s - Science Service, now the Society for Science & the Public, was a news organization founded in 1921 to promote the dissemination of scientific and technical information. Although initially intended as a news service, Science Service produced an extensive array of news features, radio programs, motion pictures, phonograph records, and demonstration kits and it also engaged in various educational, translation, and research activities.
Accession number: SIA2008-1427
alabasteralabaster, yeye_joijoi, wopey, tinylights, and 7 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Smithsonian Institution 51 months ago | reply
This photo is part of an ongoing digitization and research project at the Smithsonian Institution Archives. Please help us research this photo. View a related blog post here - blog.photography.si.edu/2009/03/30/who-are-you/
pennylrichardsca 51 months ago | reply
Could be Kathleen Mary Drew (1901-1957), listed in Ogilvie and Harvey, The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science as "British botanist....Drew was a distinguished worker in the field of red algae. She spent most of her academic life in the department of cryptogamic botany at the University of Manchester....she spent two years in the United States, working at the University of California. During this time, she produced systematic studies and her first substantial monograph....She was one of the founders of the British Phycological Society and was its first president."
Miegiku 50 months ago | reply
I agree with pennylrichardsca.
I found an article about her --> link
Smithsonian Institution 50 months ago | reply
We think pennylrichardsca identified her correctly. Images of Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker on other websites look like a match. Thanks for your input and all your great comments to our “Women in Science” set!
Smithsonian Photography Initiative [deleted] 49 months ago | reply
Please see our follow-up blog post about our successful call to research this image here:
blog.photography.si.edu/2009/05/07/reflections-on-womens-...
Smithsonian Photography Initiative [deleted] 49 months ago | reply
See a blog post that references this photo here:
blog.photography.si.edu/2009/05/29/flickr-visitor-profile...
rosewithoutathorn84 45 months ago | reply
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Historic Heroines, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
opensourceway 32 months ago | reply
Thanks for sharing this photo with the commons!
We've used it in an illustration for opensource.com
opensource.com/business/10/8/barriers-open-science-big-bu...
Smithsonian Institution 2 months ago | reply
Learn more about Drew-Baker here - siarchives.si.edu/blog/tasty-bite-whet-appetite