Alice Middleton Boring facts for kids

Alice Middleton Boring (Chinese name: 博爱理, February 22, 1883 – September 18, 1955) was an American scientist. She was a biologist, a zoologist, and a herpetologist. This means she studied living things, animals, and especially reptiles and amphibians. Alice taught biology and did important research in both the United States and China.

Early Life and Education

Alice Middleton Boring was born in 1883 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her family had lived in America since the 1600s. They were part of the Moravian Church, which was a big influence on her growing up. Alice went to the Friends' Central School. This was a school for both boys and girls, where she was very good at science.

After high school, Alice went to Bryn Mawr College in 1900. Her older sister had also gone there. Bryn Mawr was a college founded by Quakers. It was also one of the Seven Sisters (colleges), which were famous women's colleges.

Studying Science at College

At Bryn Mawr, Alice studied with two important scientists. One was Nettie Stevens, who studied genetics. The other was Thomas Hunt Morgan, an evolutionary biologist. Alice and Morgan even wrote a paper together about frog embryos.

In 1904, Alice published her first scientific paper. It was called "Closure of Longitudinally Split Tubularian Stems." She continued her studies at Bryn Mawr. She earned both her Master's degree and her PhD there. Alice kept working with Nettie Stevens, and they both focused on studying flatworms.

Alice also spent a short time at the University of Pennsylvania. She studied with Edwin Conklin there. However, she decided to go back to Bryn Mawr when Conklin left. Before finishing her PhD, Alice taught biology for a year at Vassar College.

Studying in Europe

In 1907, Alice traveled to Europe to study. She visited the University of Würzburg in Germany. She also went to the Naples Zoological Station in Italy. While in Europe, she learned from famous scientists like Theodor Boveri and Anton Dohrn.

Alice graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1910. After that, she taught at the University of Maine. She started as an instructor in 1911 and became an associate professor by 1913. At the University of Maine, she worked with Raymond Pearl. They wrote many papers together, including one about Ascaris worms. They also wrote papers about chickens. Alice was also a strong supporter of Women's suffrage, which was the movement for women to have the right to vote.

Work in China

In 1918, Alice was offered a job in China. The Rockefeller Foundation appointed her as an assistant professor of biology. She taught at Peking Union Medical College. She stayed there for two years.

Returning to China

After two years, Alice returned to the United States. She taught zoology at Wellesley College. But she really wanted to go back to China. Wellesley helped her get a two-year teaching job at Peking University. This university later became known as Yenching University. Alice loved her work there and stayed even after her two years were up.

From 1928 to 1929, Alice took a break and returned home. This was because of rising tensions in China. During this time, she continued her research at the University of Pennsylvania. She worked with experts like Clifford H. Pope and G.K. Noble. In 1930, she became the acting dean of the College of Natural Sciences at Yenching. Between 1930 and 1950, Alice published 21 papers in the Peking Natural History Bulletin. She taught many students who later became successful scientists, including Wu Jieping and Frederick F. Kao.

World War II and Internment

Alice's work was interrupted by the Second Sino-Japanese War. Even though the Japanese army occupied Beijing, Alice kept teaching. She also continued her research with Clifford H. Pope. They worked on identifying different types of Chinese amphibians. She specifically studied toads like Bufo bufo and frogs like Rana nigromaculata. This led to many scientific articles.

Things changed a lot after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Alice and other foreign teachers were forced to move to a special compound. In March 1942, she and other foreign faculty members had to leave the university. On March 25, Alice boarded Japanese trucks. These trucks took her and other foreigners to the Weihsien Civilian Assembly Center. This was a camp where foreigners were held. On August 24, Alice was sent back to the United States.

Later Life and Legacy

After returning to the US, Alice taught histology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons until June 1945. Then, she was a visiting professor of Zoology at Mount Holyoke College.

In 1946, it was safe for foreigners to return to China. Alice went back to Yenching University. However, she found herself in the middle of the Chinese Civil War. In 1950, Alice left China for the last time.

She returned to the United States and took care of her sick sister. From 1951 to 1953, Alice taught at Smith College. In her later years, she worked with many charities. These included the League of Women Voters, the American Friends Service Committee, and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Alice was diagnosed with a brain condition called cerebral arteriovenous malformation. She passed away on September 18, 1955, likely from a blood clot in her brain.

See Also

In Spanish: Alice Middleton Boring para niños