Kathleen Sampson facts for kids

Kathleen Sampson (born November 23, 1892 – died February 21, 1980) was an English scientist who studied fungi and plant diseases. She was known as a mycologist (someone who studies fungi) and a plant pathologist (someone who studies plant diseases). Kathleen focused on diseases that affected important crops like grasses and cereals. She became a top expert on a type of fungus called smut fungi that grows in the British Isles.

Early Life and Education

Kathleen Sampson was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, on November 23, 1892. She was a very bright student. She went to Royal Holloway College, which is part of the University of London. In 1913, she won a special scholarship for women called the Gilchrist Scholarship. The next year, in 1914, she earned her Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. She also won another award, the Driver Scholarship for Botany, in 1914.

Kathleen continued her studies and earned her Master of Science (MSc) degree in 1917. Her master's research was about a type of plant called phylloglossum. She worked with Professor Margaret Benson, who was an expert in ancient ferns.

Her Scientific Career

Kathleen Sampson started her career at the University of Leeds. From 1915 to 1917, she taught agricultural botany there. During World War I, she worked with Professor George Stapledon on an important project. They tested seeds to help farmers grow more food for the country during the war.

After the war, Kathleen moved to the University of Wales. She worked there from 1919 to 1945 as a senior lecturer in agricultural botany. She helped create the Welsh Plant Breeding Station. This was a special place where scientists worked to improve plants and make them healthier.

Kathleen was a member of the British Mycological Society for 60 years! This society is for people who study fungi. She even became the President of the society in 1938. Her speech as president was about how smut fungi grow and live.

When Kathleen retired, she moved to Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. She loved nature and created a beautiful garden and a special place for birds. When she passed away in 1980, she gave most of her money to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. This showed how much she cared about wildlife.

Publications

Kathleen Sampson wrote an important book about plant diseases:

• Diseases of British Grasses and Herbage Legumes (1941)