Vida Mary Stout (20 February 1930 – 21 July 2012) was a New Zealand limnographer and academic administrator. She was the first woman to be

Dean of Science Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

at a New Zealand university.

Biography

Stout was the daughter of

Thomas Duncan MacGregor Stout Sir Thomas Duncan MacGregor Stout (25 July 1885 – 27 February 1979) was a New Zealand medic, soldier and author. Biography Born in Wellington in 1885, he was the son of Anna Stout, a suffragist, and Robert Stout, who was the Premier of New Zea ...

and granddaughter of Robert Stout. Born and raised in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, Stout was educated at

Woodford House Havelock North ( mi, Te Hemo-a-Te Atonga) is a town in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, situated less than 2 km south-east of the city of Hastings. It was a borough for many years until the 1989 reorganisation of loca ...

in Hawke's Bay, where she was Dux. She then studied at

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

, where she completed a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in zoology. Her Masters thesis was on " Hydracarina from the Wellington province". Stout then completed a PhD at

Bedford College, University of London Bedford College was in York Place after 1874 Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a lead ...

, where she studied Daphnia. She returned to New Zealand after post-doctoral work in Sweden and in 1968 she and

Ann Chapman Margaret Ann Chapman (14 January 1937 – 23 May 2009) was a limnologist, one of the first New Zealand women scientists to visit Antarctica, and the first woman to lead a scientific expedition to Antarctica. Lake Chapman, in Antarctica's R ...

founded the New Zealand Limnological Society (now the

New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

). Stout was the first president of the society and later was made an honorary life member. She was also a long-term member of the Canterbury branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and was the branch president in 1983. Stout was appointed to the Zoology Department at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

in 1958, where she remained until her retirement in 1996. During her tenure she held the positions of dean of science from 1984 to 1998, deputy chair of the university's Academic Administration Committee from 1992 to 1995 and played a role in establishing the Masters in Environmental Science Course. Her research focused on the biology and chemistry of South Island lakes, including the nature and changes in

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

communities over time. She undertook long-term studies on lakes Pearson and Grassmere, near the university's Cass field station. The University of Canterbury also holds her archives. After retiring in 1996, Stout continued to go to her office almost every day until the university forbid her access, citing fears for her safety due to her progressive

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

, which caused her death in 2012. In 2017, Stout 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stout, Vida 1930 births 2012 deaths Deaths from Parkinson's disease in New Zealand People from Wellington City Victoria University of Wellington alumni Academic staff of the University of Canterbury New Zealand women academics 20th-century New Zealand women scientists Women biologists Deans (academic) Women deans (academic) New Zealand limnologists Women limnologists People educated at Woodford House