Mary Stuart MacDougall (7 November 1885—1972) was an American

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

who studied

protozoology Protozoology is the study of protozoa, the "animal-like" (i.e., motile and heterotrophic) protists. The Protozoa are considered to be a subkingdom of Protista. They are free-living organisms that are found in almost every habitat. All humans have pr ...

. She wrote ''Biology: The Science of Life''.

Education and career

MacDougall received her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Randolph–Macon College Randolph–Macon College is a private liberal arts college in Ashland, Virginia. Founded in 1830, the college has an enrollment of more than 1,500 students. It is the second-oldest Methodist-run college in the country, and the oldest in continu ...

in 1912 before proceeding to get her

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and finally, her Ph.D. from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, in 1925. In 1920, MacDougall would become the head of the

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

department at

Agnes Scott College Agnes Scott College is a private women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the ...

. She worked at Agnes Scott until 1952, when she retired. Every summer, for fourteen years, MacDougall was an instructor and researcher at the

Marine Biological Laboratory The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biological and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution that was independent ...

. While at Agnes Scott, MacDougall studied

and

cytology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

. She studied the

polyploid Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei ( eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contain ...

and

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

of '' Chilodonella uncinata'', as well as mutation inheritances found in them. MacDougall also researched the

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

s of ''plasmodium'',

avian malaria Avian malaria is a parasitic disease of birds, caused by parasite species belonging to the genera ''Plasmodium'' and '' Hemoproteus'' (phylum Apicomplexa, class Haemosporidia, family Plasmoiidae). The disease is transmitted by a dipteran vector i ...

and neuromotors of ''chlamydodon''.

Notable awards

Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

, 1931

Publications

*MacDougall, Mary Stuart. "Another mutation of Chilodon uncinatus produced by ultraviolet radiation, with a description of its maturation processes." ''Journal of Experimental Biology.''. 1931: 58.1 (p. 229-236) *MacDougall, Mary Stuart. ''Biology: The Science of Life.'' New York: McGraw-Hill (1943). *MacDougall, Mary Stuart. "Cytological Observations on Gymnostomatous Ciliates, with a Description of the Maturation Phenomena in Diploid and Tetraploid Forms of Chilodon uncinatus." ''Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science.'' 1925: 69.3. *MacDougall, Mary Stuart
"The neuromotor apparatus of ''chlamydodon'' sp."
''Biological Bulletin''. 1928: 54.6 (p. 471-484). *MacDougall, Mary Stuart. ''Study of a Georgia hillside.'' Chicago: University of Chicago (1916).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacDougall, Mary Stuart 1885 births Agnes Scott College faculty American microbiologists Columbia University alumni Randolph–Macon College alumni University of Chicago alumni Women zoologists Women microbiologists Year of death missing