Elva Lawton facts for kids

Elva Lawton (born April 3, 1896 – died February 3, 1993) was an American scientist who studied plants. She was a botanist and a bryologist. This means she was an expert in plants, especially mosses and their relatives. Early in her career, she studied ferns. Later, she became famous for her detailed work on mosses found in the Western United States.

Early Life and Education

Elva Lawton was born in West Middletown, Pennsylvania on April 3, 1896. Before going to college, she worked as an elementary school teacher. She taught in Pennsylvania from 1915 to 1919.

She attended the University of Pittsburgh. There, she earned her bachelor's degree in 1923 and her master's degree in 1925. While studying, from 1923 to 1925, she also taught high school biology and Latin in Crafton, Pennsylvania.

After Pittsburgh, she went to the University of Michigan for her Ph.D. studies. She earned her Ph.D. in 1932. Her research focused on how ferns grow and regenerate. During her time at Michigan, she received a special scholarship. She also worked as a laboratory assistant in the botany department. At the same time, she was a biology instructor at Hunter College. From 1928 to 1932, she also did research at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Career and Research

After finishing her Ph.D., Elva Lawton became an assistant professor at Hunter College. She worked there until 1959, ending her time as an associate professor. In 1959, she moved to the University of Washington.

At the University of Washington, she took care of the herbarium's bryophytes. A herbarium is like a plant library, and bryophytes are mosses and their relatives. She also worked as a research associate and gave lectures about bryophytes.

While she was at Hunter College, she did research at other places. She worked at the Michigan Biological Station in 1949. From 1950 to 1953, she was at the University of Iowa's Lakeside Laboratory.

Her most famous work happened at the University of Washington. She collected mosses from all over the American West. She worked hard to identify new types of mosses that no one had seen before. The National Science Foundation gave her several grants to help her continue this important work. She kept working almost until the end of her life. Elva Lawton passed away on February 3, 1993.

Honors and Legacy

Elva Lawton was an important member of the Torrey Botanical Club. She served as an officer from 1947 to 1954. In 1955, she became the president of the club.

To honor her contributions to science, two plant groups were named after her. The moss species Racomitrium lawtoniae and the genus Bryolawtonia carry her name. This shows how much her work was valued in the world of botany.

See also

In Spanish: Elva Lawton para niños