Kathleen Drew Baker

1
Kathleen Drew Baker

• By
• Veronica Rodriguez
• Ecol 475

2
Background

• Born on November 6, 1901 in Leigh, Lanchester.
• British scientist attended the University of
  California
• Obtained her B.S. and M.S in Botany
• She was awarded an Ashburn Hall Research
  Scholarship in 1922

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Achievements

• She issued 27 papers in botany 24 of them were
  published.
• In 1928, her work was published in the University
  of California Publications in Botany
• In 1953, she became the first president of
  British Phycological Society.
• During her 33 years of research in
• botany she collected over 2,700 species.
• After her death, the collection was
• donated to the British Museum.

4
Discovery

• The purple seaweed Poryphyra was considered a
  single life history stage.
• In 1949, Kathleen Drew Baker discovered the
  lifecycle of the seaweed Poryphyra.
• She realized the Conchocelis rosea was part of
  the life cycle of the Poryphyra.
• Porphyra has a trimorphic life history, with a
  thallus stage, carposporophyte stage and a
  filamentous Conchocelis phase (sporophyte stage).

5
Contribution

• Her discovery lead to the establishment of an
  artificial nori-farming technology in Japan.
• She helped the economy of Japan and provided
  reliable cultivation of Nori seeding.
• Nori- (commonly known in Japan) name given to the
  processed Poryphyra into traditional food.
• Before her discovery, the annual production of
  nori from 1925 to 1957 was 3-5,000 tons.
• After her discovery, the annual production of
  nori from 1958-1980 was 5,000-35,000 tons.

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Nori

• Preparation
• 1) Washed in freshwater to get rid of
  sediments.
• 2) Chopped into fine pieces.
• 3) Spread on frames to dry.
• Food
• High amount of fiber, protein, vitamins, and
  minerals.
• Contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B, and zinc.
• Abundant amount of taurine effective for liver
  activity
• Helps prevent gallstone disease
• Controls blood cholesterol levels
• Lowers risk of catacts

7
In Her Memory

• Monument in Japan
• Monument build inside the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Uto
  City in Kumamoto in 1963 (six years after her
  death).
• Monument has the resemblance of Dr. Drews image
  inscribed on a monument.
• In 2001, her 100th aniversary was celebrated and
  her two children Kathleen Fances Biggs and John
  Rendle Baker.
• Museum of Science and Industry
• The Manchesters New Science gallery have a
  microscope of Dr. Drew donated by his son.