Freda Detmers
Freda Detmers | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 16, 1867 |
| Died | September 5, 1934 (aged 67) |
| Alma mater | Ohio State University |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | Descriptive Catalogue of the Uredinae of Ohio |
Frederica "Freda" Detmers (January 16, 1867 – September 5, 1934) was an American botanist.[1][2]
Life and education
Detmers was born in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois, on January 16, 1867, to Henry Detmers and Heimke. Her father was the founder of the Ohio State University Veterinary College. She studied at the University, graduating in 1887 with a B.S. She returned to graduate with an M.S. in 1891.[3]
She suffered from a head injury after a fall in the mountains collecting plants in 1930.[4]
She committed suicide on September 5, 1934, in Los Angeles by consuming poison.[3][4]
Career
Detmers was the first woman to hold a research position in Ohio for the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, holding it from 1880 to 1892. From 1893 to 1906, she taught science and German in Columbus schools, returning to OSU in 1906.[3] Her 1912 dissertation was a study of Buckeye Lake's ecology.[5] In 1914, she became assistant professor. In 1918, she rejoined the experiment station as assistant botanist, moving on to taxonomist and systematist.[3][6]
Her research focused on plant pathology problems and weed naturalization and control.
She was a charter member of the Ohio Academy of Science, where in 1918, she served as vice president.
Detmers moved to Los Angeles in 1927, becoming a curator of the University of Southern California herbarium.[3]
Throughout her career she published at least 28 technical paper and articles. One of these being her Ph.D dissertation, An Ecological Study of Buckeye Lake: A Contribution to the phytogeography of Ohio. Her dissertation includes a compilation of historical records that provides great insight into the plant community that formerly existed in that area. This comprehensive study combined data from floristic, ecological, and other view points. This study was the first to combine these topics into one presentation. Thanks to her work, we are left with a better understanding of Ohios ecology, particularly of Buckeye Lake region.[7]
Partial bibliography
- Detmers, Frederica. An Ecological Study of Buckeye Lake. Columbus, Ohio: 1912.[5]
References
- ^ Ogilvie, Marilyn; Harvey, Joy (July 27, 2000). Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science. Routledge. pp. 712–713. ISBN 9781135963439.
- ^ Creese, Mary R.S. (January 1, 2000). Ladies in the Laboratory? American and British Women in Science, 1800–1900: A Survey of Their Contributions to Research. Scarecrow Press. p. 19. ISBN 9780585276847.
- ^ a b c d e Creese, Mary R. S. (2000-01-01). Ladies in the Laboratory? American and British Women in Science, 1800–1900: A Survey of Their Contributions to Research. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780585276847.
- ^ a b "Former Professor at O.S.U. Suicides". The Circleville Herald. 5 September 1934. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ a b Detmers, Frederica (1912-01-01). An Ecological Study of Buckeye Lake: A Contribution to the Phytogeography of Ohio. Ohio State University.
- ^ Maroske, Sara; May, Tom W. (March 2018). "Naming names: the first women taxonomists in mycology". Studies in Mycology. 89: 63–84. doi:10.1016/j.simyco.2017.12.001. PMC 6002341. PMID 29910514.
- ^ Numbers, Amy (2021-03-24). "Honoring Frederica Marie "Freda" Detmers during Women's History Month". Stream + Wetlands. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
- ^ International Plant Names Index. Detmers.