Carmel Humphries facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carmel Humphries
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Photograph of reception and presentation on Michael Tierney's retirement as President of UCD : Presentation of a bouquet of flowers to Eibhlín Tierney (centre) by Carmel Humphries (on the right).
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| Born | 3 June 1909 |
| Died | 7 March 1986 (aged 76) |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Known for | work on Irish Chironomidae |
| Scientific career | |
| Influences | Winifred Frost, T. T. Macan |
| Influenced | John Hearn, Dr Tom Hayden, Dr Jim Ryan, Dr Martin O'Grady |
Carmel Humphries (born June 3, 1909 – died March 7, 1986) was an Irish zoologist. She was an expert in freshwater Chironomidae, which are non-biting midges.
Carmel Humphries was the first woman to become a professor of zoology and lead a department in Ireland. She also created a special way to identify chironomid flies. Scientists still use her method today!
Contents
Early Life and Education
Carmel Frances Humphries was born in Waterford, Ireland, on June 3, 1909. Her father, William Francis, was an engineer, and her mother was Annie Humphries. Carmel had four brothers and sisters.
She first went to school at the Ursuline convent in Waterford. Later, she studied at Loreto College in Dublin. In 1929, Carmel started studying science at University College Dublin (UCD).
Becoming a Scientist
Carmel was a very bright student. She won many scholarships during her studies. In 1932, she earned her B.Sc. degree with honors in botany and zoology.
The next year, in 1933, she got her M.Sc. in zoology. She also earned a diploma in education. Carmel then won a special scholarship to study zoology abroad. She became very interested in limnology, which is the study of lakes. She decided to follow this path instead of teaching.
Carmel Humphries' Career
From 1934 to 1936, Carmel Humphries worked in England. She was at the Freshwater biological station in Windermere. There, she studied the creatures living at the bottom of lakes in Cumbria. Her research focused on identifying different types of Chironomidae larvae and pupae.
Her work was so important that it was published in a science journal in 1936.
Studying Midges in Germany
Carmel continued her research on chironomids in Germany from 1936 to 1938. She worked with a famous scientist named August Thienemann. He was a co-founder of a big international group that studies lakes.
With Thienemann, Carmel did the first detailed study of chironomids in a large lake called Großer Plöner See. These tiny midges are very hard to identify. Carmel found a clever way to do it. She looked at the microscopic skin that adult flies shed when they come out of their pupa stage.
Returning to Ireland
Because of her amazing work, Carmel Humphries earned her PhD degree in 1938. She then returned to Ireland. She worked as an assistant in zoology at NUI Galway for a year.
After that, she held a few temporary jobs. She was a demonstrator at UCD and an assistant at Queen's University Belfast. In 1942, she got a permanent job in the zoology department at UCD. She stayed there for the rest of her career.
Leading the Department
In 1947, Carmel became a lecturer in zoology. Then, in 1957, she made history. She became the head of the zoology department at UCD. This made her the first female professor of zoology and department head in Ireland!
Carmel Humphries retired from UCD in 1979.
Contributions and Recognition
Carmel Humphries was a leading expert on freshwater Chironomidae in Ireland. She published many articles in important science journals.
During her time at UCD, she oversaw big changes. The zoology department moved to the new Belfield campus in the 1960s. She also helped build a marine field station.
Awards and Memberships
Carmel was very active in the UCD Women's Graduates’ Association. It's interesting to note that during her time, many women worked in the science faculty at UCD. For a while, the zoology department was even entirely staffed by women!
In 1952, UCD awarded her a D.Sc. degree. In 1950, she became a member of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA). This is a very respected group of scientists and scholars in Ireland. She also served on the RIA's science committee.
Carmel Humphries was also a member of other important groups. These included the Royal Dublin Society and the Institute of Biology of Ireland. She represented Ireland in international groups that study lakes.
Legacy
People remember Carmel Humphries as a fun and engaging lecturer. She even personally helped fund further education for some of her department's technical staff.
Carmel Humphries passed away on March 7, 1986. She is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.
Her work continues to be recognized. A type of midge, Zalutschia humphriesiae, was named in her honor. Also, UCD gives out the Carmel Humphries prize every year. It goes to the best zoology postgraduate research seminar. In 1999, a science journal dedicated an issue to her memory.
