Kathleen Maisey Curtis, Lady Rigg (15 August 1892 – 5 September 1994) was a New Zealand

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 was a founder of

plant pathology Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungus, fung ...

in New Zealand.

Biography

Early life and education

Curtis was born in Foxton on 15 August 1892 and was educated at Lyttelton West School from 1899 to 1902,

Auckland Girls' Grammar School "Through trials to triumph" , colours = gold, navy blue , type = State single-sex girls' secondary school (Years 9–13) , established = 1878 , address = Howe Street, Newton, Auckland , coordinates = , principal = Ngaire Ashmore ...

and

Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

. She graduated in 1914 with a BA with a Senior Scholarship in botany, and in 1915 was awarded an MA with first-class honours in botany. As a result of the high quality of her academic work she was awarded the 1851 Exhibition Scholarship. Curtis was also awarded the Orient Steam Navigation Company's travelling scholarship, which paid her fare to the

Imperial College of Science and Technology Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, London, and the National Research Scholarship, which she declined. As a result of these awards she was able to travel to London in 1915 to further her study. The Exhibition Scholarship was later extended. Curtis was the first New Zealand woman to graduate with a

DSc DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

. Her degree was gained in 1919 at Imperial College London for research on the potato wart disease (''

Synchytrium endobioticum ''Synchytrium endobioticum'' is a chytrid fungus that causes the potato wart disease, or black scab. It also infects some other plants of the genus ''Solanum'', though potato is the only cultivated host. Systematics Traditionally, ''Synchytriu ...

''). She was awarded the Huxley Medal for her thesis research, which was cited as the most outstanding result in mycological research that had been presented for ten years. Curtis' research remains one of the classic contributions to plant pathology and one of the most significant early contributions to plant science made by a New Zealand researcher. At the time of its publication the research was a contribution to the world pool of knowledge but was not a direct contribution to New Zealand plant pathology because it was not until 1970 that the potato wart disease was recorded in New Zealand.

Career

Curtis was a founding member of the

Cawthron Institute The Cawthron Institute is New Zealand's largest independent science organisation, specialising in science that supports the environment and development within primary industries. Cawthron has its main facilities in Nelson. It works with regional ...

. Although the Cawthron Institute was officially opened on 2 April 1921 Curtis had already accepted employment as mycologist in April 1920, working in the Department of Biology. Curtis would work for the Cawthron for the entirety of her career. In 1928 she was promoted to head of the newly formed Department of Mycology at Cawthron and, in 1929, attended the Imperial Mycological Conference in London. Her achievements were recognised by her election, in 1936, as the first woman fellow (later senior fellow) of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Curtis was also elected a fellow of the Linnean Society of London for her contributions to botanical research. She represented Cawthron at the 1948 Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Hobart. Between 1921 and 1952 Curtis published 27 research papers on a range of topics in mycology and plant pathology, mainly in relation to the Nelson region. She described the

puffball Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that bursts on impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores when mature. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass several genera, including ''Calvatia'', ''Ca ...

fungus '' Claustula fischeri'' in 1926. Especially notable was her research on the black spot disease of apples and pears (''

Venturia inaequalis ''Venturia inaequalis'' is an ascomycota, ascomycete fungus that causes the apple scab disease. Systematics ''Venturia inaequalis'' anamorphs have been described under the names ''Fusicladium dendriticum'' and ''Spilocaea pomi''. Whether ''V. in ...

''), and she was the first scientist in New Zealand to undertake research on the subject of resistance in plants to disease. She was also the first to draw attention to the significance of virus diseases in New Zealand. Curtis retired in 1952.

Later life and death

In 1966 Curtis married Sir

Theodore Rigg Sir Theodore Rigg (6 April 1888 – 22 October 1972) was a New Zealand agricultural chemist and scientific administrator. He was born in Settle, Yorkshire, England in 1888. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Emp ...

, an agricultural chemist and scientific administrator, who was a widower following the death of his first wife, Esther Mary White, seven years earlier. He died in 1972. In 1994 Curtis had her portrait painted, as a young DSc graduate, by Colin Allen. This painting was hung in the New Zealand Royal Society's headquarters in Wellington. The Bishop of Nelson, Peter Sutton, paid tribute to her service to science at the Thomas Cawthron Memorial Lecture in 1994 and, following her death at Nelson on 5 September that year, conducted her funeral service at St Barnabas' Church, Stoke. Curtis' ashes were buried in Marsden Valley Cemetery. In 2017, Curtis was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "

150 women in 150 words Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

", celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand.

References

External links