Mary-Dell Chilton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary-Dell Chilton
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| Born | February 2, 1939 |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign |
| Known for | First genetically modified plants |
| Awards | World Food Prize, National Inventors Hall of Fame |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Syngenta Biotechnology Inc |
| Thesis | Transforming Activity in Single-Stranded DNA from Bacillus subtilis (1967) |
| Doctoral advisor | Benjamin D. Hall |
| Notable students | Michael W. Bevan, Elizabeth E. Hood |
Mary-Dell Chilton was born on February 2, 1939, in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is a very important scientist who helped create modern plant biotechnology. This field uses science to improve plants.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mary-Dell Chilton went to a private school when she was young. She studied chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. There, she earned both her first degree (B.S.) and her advanced degree (Ph.D.). After that, she continued her research at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Career and Groundbreaking Research
Chilton later taught and did research at Washington University in St. Louis. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she led a team that made the first plants that were changed using genetic engineering. These are called transgenic plants.
Understanding Agrobacterium
In 1977, Mary-Dell Chilton was the first to show something amazing. She found that a small piece of DNA from a special bacterium called Agrobacterium could move into a plant's own DNA. This bacterium usually causes plant tumors called crown galls.
Her research also showed that the parts of the Agrobacterium DNA that cause disease could be removed. Even without these parts, the bacterium could still put its own DNA into plant cells. This meant scientists could use the bacterium to add helpful genes to plants without making them sick. Chilton called this process disarming the bacterium.
Creating Genetically Modified Plants
In 1983, Mary-Dell Chilton and her team successfully created the first genetically modified plants. They used the "disarmed" Agrobacterium to add new genes to plants. This was a huge step forward in science! Because of her important work, she is sometimes called the "queen of Agrobacterium."
Mary-Dell Chilton has written over 100 scientific papers. She is now a top scientist at Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. She started working in the company world in 1983 at CIBA-Geigy Corporation, which later became part of Syngenta.
Awards and Special Honors
Mary-Dell Chilton has received many awards for her work with Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
- She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Louvaine.
- She was given the John Scott Medal from the City of Philadelphia.
- She became a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences.
- She received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences.
In 2011, the Crop Science Society of America gave her their Presidential Award.
To honor her many achievements, Syngenta created the Mary-Dell Chilton Center in 2002. This new building is an office and conference center at the company's location in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
In June 2013, she was given the important 2013 World Food Prize. This award recognizes people who have improved the world's food supply.
In 2015, Chilton was chosen for the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In 2020, she was one of eight women featured in a special display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The display was called "The Only One in the Room."
She is also recognized as a Pioneer Member of the American Society of Plant Biologists.
In 2023, President Biden awarded Mary-Dell Chilton the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. This is one of the highest honors for scientists and inventors in the United States.
See also
In Spanish: Mary-Dell Chilton para niños
