Jennifer Thomson facts for kids

Jennifer Ann Thomson (born June 16, 1947) is a famous South African microbiologist. A microbiologist is a scientist who studies tiny living things like bacteria and viruses. She is also an author. Dr. Thomson is especially known for her work with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in farming. She believes GMOs can help grow better crops.

Dr. Thomson was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She is currently a professor at the University of Cape Town, which is where she also studied.

Her Journey in Science

Jennifer Ann Thomson studied at many different universities. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Cape Town. Zoology is the study of animals. She then got a Master of Arts degree in Genetics from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Genetics is the study of how traits are passed down from parents to children.

Later, she earned her PhD in Microbiology from Rhodes University in South Africa. After her studies, she worked as a researcher at important places like Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.

Teaching and Leading

Dr. Thomson started her teaching career in South Africa. She was a lecturer and then an associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand. She then helped create a special lab for studying molecular and cell biology. She was the director of this lab at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

Today, Dr. Thomson is an Emeritus Professor of Microbiology at the University of Cape Town. This means she is a retired professor who still keeps her title because of her important work. She also helps lead the science department there. She has been part of many important groups that focus on science and farming, especially in Africa. She is also the President of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World. This group helps women in science in developing countries.

Important Research Work

Dr. Thomson leads a team that is working on a very important project. They are trying to create a special type of maize (which is like corn). This maize would be able to fight off a disease called the African maize streak virus (MSV). This virus makes maize plants grow very poorly. Their special maize would also be able to survive drought, which is when there is not enough rain.

Helping Farmers with GMOs

Dr. Thomson's team uses GMOs to make these changes to the maize. GMOs are plants or animals that have had their genes changed in a lab. This is done to give them new traits, like being resistant to diseases or drought.

The maize streak virus causes a lot of problems for farmers in Africa. It makes it hard to grow enough food. Dr. Thomson believes that GMOs are a helpful tool to solve these problems. Her work has shown that the new maize can protect itself well against the virus and drought. This special maize was the first genetically modified crop ever created in Africa, by Africans, to help solve an African problem.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Thomson has received many awards for her amazing work. She won the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science. This award celebrates women scientists from around the world. She also received an honorary doctorate from the Sorbonne in France.

She was recognized in South Africa with two awards from the Women's Bureau: the Four Outstanding SA Woman Achiever of the Year award and the Four Outstanding Young SA Woman Achiever of the Year award.

Dr. Thomson was also named a Fellow by the Royal Society of South Africa. This is a special honor for top scientists in South Africa.

Most recently, in 2024, the Accademia dei Lincei of Italy gave her the International Prize for the Protection of Human Rights. This shows how her work helps people by improving food security.

See also

In Spanish: Jennifer Thomson para niños