Contents
Ernest Everett Just
Showing the importance of the cell surface in fertilisation and development.
Spingarn Medal · The Biology of the Cell Surface
- Born
- 14 August 1883
- Birthplace
- Charleston, United States
- Died
- 27 October 1941
More people
Ernest Everett Just
Ernest Everett Just was an American biologist whose studies of marine eggs challenged approaches that ignored the living cell’s environment.
Early life
South Carolina
Raised by his mother, a teacher, after his father died.
Education
Graduated from Dartmouth in 1907 and earned a Chicago doctorate in 1916.
Career
- 1907
Howard University
Began teaching English before moving into biology.
- 1909 onward
Woods Hole
Conducted summer research at the Marine Biological Laboratory.
- 1929 onward
European laboratories
Expanded his research abroad while facing racial barriers in American science.
Contributions
Spingarn Medal
Became the first recipient of the NAACP award.
The Biology of the Cell Surface
Set out his account of the cell boundary’s role in development.
Basic Methods for Experiments on Eggs of Marine Animals
Published laboratory methods drawn from his research.
Beyond the lab
Student life
Helped found Omega Psi Phi at Howard in 1911.
War
Returned to the United States in 1940 after the German invasion of France disrupted his research.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Photo: Unknown, but a different U Chicago post of the photo shows a caption dating the photo to 1925 https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/biological-sciences-articles/pioneering-biologist-ernest-everett-just. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
