It’s the second day of Black History Month. Today we are learning about biologist and zoologist, Ernest Just.
On February 2, 1915, Ernest Just became the first recipient of the NAACP’s Spingham Medal. Ernest was a biologist and educator who, according to the Biography website, “pioneered work in the physiology of development, especially fertilization, dehydration in living cells, and ultraviolet carcinogenic radiation on living cells.”
He was born on August 14, 1883 in Charleston, South Carolina. His mother sent him North for his education because there were more opportunities for Black people in the North. He eventually earned enough money to attend Kimball Academy in New Hampshire. He completed four years of college in three years, and he became Valedictorian of his graduating class.
Ernest then attended Dartmouth College where he developed an interest in cytology (the study of cells). He excelled academically and earned degrees in history and biology. Upon graduating from Dartmouth, he was given Phi Beta Kappa honors and was the only student to graduate Magna Cum Laude.
After graduating from Dartmouth, he became a researcher and teacher at Howard University. He went on to become the head of their Biology Department. Ernest later earned a Doctorate at the University of Chicago. From 1920-1931, he had a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship at the National Research Center in Europe which afforded him many academic opportunities which he didn’t have access to because of racial discrimination in the United States.
Ernest performed studies on marine animals and their eggs. He hoped to find cures to diseases like sickle cell anemia and cancer through his research. He became well-respected as a scientist in Europe. Racism in the United States prevented him from gaining renown in America, and many of his achievements were unrecognized in the USA. However, he was welcomed by and worked with many scientists and research centers in Europe.
He died of pancreatic cancer on October 27, 1941, leaving behind a wife named Ethel and three children. Ernest Just would be known as one of the most prominent biologists and zoologists of his time. He is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland.
Source: Biography.com website
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