Clara Eaton Cummings facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clara Eaton Cummings
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| Born | 13 July 1855 |
| Died | 28 December 1906 (aged 51) |
| Nationality | American |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | Wellesley College |
Clara Eaton Cummings (born July 13, 1855 – died December 28, 1906) was an American scientist. She was a botanist who studied plants that reproduce using spores. She was a professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Clara Eaton Cummings was born in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Her birthday was July 13, 1855. Her parents were Noah Conner and Elmira George Cummings.
In 1876, Clara started studying at Wellesley College. This college for women had opened just one year before she enrolled.
Her Work as a Botanist
Clara Cummings mostly studied plants called cryptogams. These are plants that reproduce with spores, not seeds. Examples include mosses and lichens.
She looked at hundreds of lichen samples. She was very careful about naming new species. Much of her research was used in books by other botanists. In 1885, she published her own list of liverworts and mosses found in North America.
Working at Wellesley College
From 1878 to 1879, Clara worked as a curator at the botanical museum at Wellesley. A curator helps to organize and care for collections. In 1879, she became an associate professor of botany at the college.
In 1886 and 1887, she traveled to Europe. She studied with Dr. Arnold Dodel at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. While there, she created charts for a book about cryptogamic botany. She also visited many botanical gardens to learn from other great botanists.
After returning from Zurich, Clara became an associate professor of cryptogamic botany at Wellesley.
Discoveries and Publications
In 1904, Clara published an important list of lichens. These 217 species were collected in Alaska during the Harriman Expedition. Her list included 76 species that had not been found in Alaska before. At least two of these species were completely new to science!
In early 1905, Clara went on a trip to Jamaica. There, she collected more lichens for her studies. After she passed away, her collection was sent to the New York Botanical Garden.
Memberships and Recognition
Clara Cummings was an associate editor for a magazine called Plant World. She was also named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This is a group that supports scientific research.
She was a member of several other scientific groups. These included the Society of Plant Morphology and Physiology, where she was Vice President in 1904. She also joined the Mycological Society, the Torrey Botanical Club, the Boston Mycological Club, and the Boston Society of Natural History.
See also
In Spanish: Clara Eaton Cummings para niños
