Joan Murrell Owens
Personal Information
Born: 1933
Died: 2011
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: Black
Education
Fisk University BA Fine Art 1954; University of Michigan MS Guidance Counseling 1956; George Washington University BS 1973, MS 1976, PhD 1984, all in Geology with a minor in Zoology
Professional Life
Field of Study: Marine Biology; Corals
Institution/Corporation: Howard University; Smithsonian Institute; George Washington University
Degrees & Memberships: none
Awards & Achievements
Awards: none
Achievements: expert on button corals; studied specimens collected 100 years earlier & in the S,ithsonian collection because her cycle cell traits precluded diving to study them; her wok at the Institute for Services in Education in Newton, MA served as the model for the Upward Bound Program at the US Dept of Education
Marine biologist specializing in corals; described a new genus & 3 new species
1st African-american female awarded a PhD in Geology
Her work as a teacher served as a model for the Upward Bound Program of the US Dept of Education
Was unable to dive to study coral in the field because she had sickle cell traits; instead studied 100 year old samples