Scientist of the Day
Maria Sibylla Merian
1647-1717
German/Swiss botanist and entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian was a classically-trained artist whose devotion to the study of plants and insects contributed tremendously to the increase of scientific knowledge. Merian's close study and reporting of the metamorphosis of butterflies makes her one of the most important contributors to entomolgy.
Merian's skills as a botanist and artist helped the city of Amsterdam decide to send her and her daughter (after Maria had divorced her husband) to Suriname in South America to study the plants and insects of the new continent. Her return after only 2 years (caused by malaria) resulted in her most important book on the insects of Suriname.
Her work was important and accurate enough to be re-validated and re-printed in the late 20th century.
An Upcoming Radio Documentary Examining the History of Women in the Sciences, the current State of Women in the Sciences and Efforts to Promote the Increase of Women in the Sciences
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your contribution! All comments and contributions are moderated before publication. Please be nice.