Alberta Jones Seaton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alberta Jones Seaton
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Dr Alberta J. Seaton in Bermuda
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Alberta Jones
December 31, 1924 |
| Died | April 4, 2014 (aged 89) |
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Alberta Jones Seaton (born December 24, 1924 – died April 4, 2014) was a pioneering scientist. She was one of the first African-American women to earn a PhD in zoology. Dr. Seaton earned her PhD in Belgium in 1949. Later, she moved to East Africa with her husband, Earle Seaton. There, they supported African independence movements, and she continued her science career. Her husband became an important international lawyer and judge. Dr. Seaton also lived and worked in Bermuda and the Seychelles.
She was an expert in embryology. This field studies how living things develop from eggs. Dr. Seaton researched the early growth of different animals. She was born in Houston, Texas, and later became a long-time biology professor at Texas Southern University (TSU). At TSU, she also led the Faculty Assembly and directed freshman studies. Dr. Seaton had two children, born in Kenya and Tanganyika. She passed away in Houston in 2014.
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Early Life and Education
Alberta Jones was born in Houston, Texas on December 31, 1924. Her parents were Charles Alexander and Elizabeth (Polk) Jones. She was a bright student who loved science.
She earned her bachelor's degree in zoology and chemistry from Howard University in 1946. After graduating, she spent a summer working at the Marine Biological Laboratory. This lab is a famous place for marine science studies. She then completed her master's degree at Howard in 1947.
While at Howard, she met Earle Seaton, who was also a biology student. They both wanted to continue their studies. However, it was difficult for African-Americans to get advanced degrees in the United States in the 1940s. So, Alberta and Earle decided to go to Europe for their studies.
Doctoral Studies in Belgium
Alberta and Earle married in London in 1948. Earle studied law there. Alberta went to the University of Brussels in Belgium. She studied at the School of Embryology with a famous scientist named Albert Dalcq.
Dr. Dalcq was studying how amphibians (like frogs) develop from embryos. Alberta Seaton's project was to study mammals (like rats and rabbits). She looked at how cells develop in their eggs. Her research helped scientists understand how different cell groups form in a developing embryo. Dr. Seaton earned her PhD in 1949. Her important research focused on the early development of rat eggs.
Career and Global Impact
In 1949, the Seatons became involved in the movement for African independence. They met leaders from Tanganyika and Kenya in London. Earle Seaton moved to Tanganyika after finishing his law studies. Alberta followed him in 1949 after getting her PhD. She stayed in Nairobi, Kenya, until her first child was born. Then she joined her husband in the Kilimanjaro-Meru region.
Dr. Seaton continued her academic work while raising her family. She taught biology and embryology as a visiting professor at Makerere University in Uganda from 1952 to 1953. She also taught at Wiley College in Texas. The family returned to the United States in 1953 after her second child was born. Earle Seaton later went back to Africa to help with the independence movements.
From 1953 to 1954, Dr. Seaton was an assistant professor of biology at Spelman College in Atlanta. She also worked as a research fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). There, she studied cell division in sea-urchin eggs.
In 1954, she became an associate professor at Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston. She became a full professor there in 1960 or 1961 and taught until 1970. During the 1950s, she received several grants for her embryology studies. In 1965, she returned to Brussels for a year of study with a special fellowship.
Dr. Seaton was a leader at TSU. She chaired the committee that created the faculty manual from 1968 to 1970. She was also the first chair of the Faculty Assembly from 1969 to 1971. In 1970, she became the director of freshman studies. In 1971, she published a book called Laboratory exercises in vertebrate embryology.
In 1972, Earle Seaton became the first black judge appointed to Bermuda's Supreme Court. Dr. Alberta Seaton left TSU that year. She worked in the Ministry of Education in Bermuda and lectured in biology at Bermuda College. In 1979, Earle Seaton became the Chief Justice of the Seychelles. From 1980 to 1989, Alberta Seaton worked as a consultant in the science section of the National Institute of Pedagogy in Victoria, Seychelles. She also published work on the zoology of the Seychelles. Dr. Seaton returned to TSU as a professor from 1991 to 1995.
Dr. Seaton was a member of many important scientific groups. These included the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Society of Zoologists.
Family Life
Alberta and Earle Seaton married in London in 1948. They had a daughter, Elizabeth, born in Kenya in 1950. Their son, Dudley, was born in Tanganyika in 1953. Sadly, Dudley passed away in 1978.
Earle Seaton died in 1992 while traveling. Alberta Seaton passed away in Houston on April 4, 2014.
Images for kids
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Dr Alberta J. Seaton in Bermuda
