Agathe Louise van Beverwijk (18 September 1907 – 10 July 1963) was a Dutch

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

and

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

. She spent most of her career at the

Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures The ''Westerdijk Institute'', or Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. The institute was renamed on 10 February 2017, after Johanna Westerdijk, the first female professor in the N ...

, where she was director from 1958 until her death in 1963.

Biography

Agathe Louise van Beverwijk was born in Amsterdam in 1907, and grew up in the city centre. She attended the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

from 1925 until 1930 and studied biology, focusing on the fields of botany, zoology and geology. After graduating, she took up a role as a biology teacher at a secondary school, and left after a few years to perform research on

tissue culture Tissue culture is the growth of tissues or cells in an artificial medium separate from the parent organism. This technique is also called micropropagation. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth medium, su ...

at the

Netherlands Cancer Institute The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) in Amsterdam was founded in 1913 by, among others, the surgeon Jacob Rotgans. The NKI, together with the Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis, is formed into the NKI-AVL, which combines a scientific research ins ...

in Amsterdam. She was opposed to the animal experimentation that her role required, however, and so she left the position. After a year of studying English and receiving her diploma in teaching, she began teaching biology at the International Quakers' School in Ommen. In 1944, when the International Quakers' School closed, van Beverwijk moved to Baarn, where she worked for the

(Central Bureau of Fungal Cultures). Initially she assisted and collaborated with the institute's director,

Johanna Westerdijk Johanna Westerdijk (; 4 January 1883 – 15 November 1961) was a Dutch plant pathologist and the first female professor in the Netherlands. Early life Johanna Westerdijk, called "Hans" () by friends, was born on 4 January 1883 in Nieuwer-Amste ...

, but van Beverwijk remained there for the rest of her career and was herself appointed director in 1958. She worked largely in the identification of fungi in the genera ''

Fusarium ''Fusarium'' is a large genus of filamentous fungi, part of a group often referred to as hyphomycetes, widely distributed in soil and associated with plants. Most species are harmless saprobes, and are relatively abundant members of the soil mi ...

'', '' Pythium'' and '' Phytophthora''. Her main interest was in an aero-aquatic subtype of oomycetes, and she published numerous papers about these species. One species, ''Vanbeverwijkia spirospora'', was named after her in 1961 by V. V. Agnihothrudu in recognition of her contributions to the understanding of helicosporous Hyphomycetes. French mycologist Grégoire L. Hennebert named ''Spirosphaera beverwijkiana'' in her honour. Van Beverwijk was a member of the British Mycological Society and the

Mycological Society of America The Mycological Society of America (MSA) is a learned society that serves as the professional organization of mycologists in the U.S. and Canada. It was founded in 1932. The Society's constitution states that "The purpose of the Society is to promo ...

. She studied for two months in 1946 at the

International Mycological Institute The International Mycological Institute was a non-profit organisation, based in England, that undertook research and disseminated information on fungi, particularly plant pathogenic species causing crop diseases. It was established as the Imperial ...

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

, and spent time in Paris in 1948 studying under

Maurice Langeron Maurice Charles Pierre Langeron (3 January 1874, in Dijon – 27 June 1950, in Bourg-la-Reine) was a French mycologist, bryologist and paleobotanist. He studied natural sciences at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. In 1930 he ...

and Emile Rivalier. She toured mycological institutions in the United States in 1957. Van Beverwijk died in 1963 while holidaying in the

Austrian Alps The Central Eastern Alps (german: Zentralalpen or Zentrale Ostalpen), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps (german: Österreichische Zentralalpen) or just Central Alps, comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beverwijk, Agathe L. van 1907 births 1963 deaths Dutch mycologists 20th-century Dutch botanists Dutch women botanists 20th-century women scientists Dutch women scientists Scientists from Amsterdam University of Amsterdam alumni Women mycologists 20th-century Dutch women 20th-century Dutch people

Biography

See also

Further reading

References