Elizabeth S. Russell
| Elizabeth S. Russell | |
|---|---|
Russell in 1939
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| Born | May 1, 1913 Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Died | May 28, 2001 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Tibby |
| Alma mater |
University of Michigan Columbia University University of Chicago |
| Spouse(s) | William L. Russell |
| Children | Four |
| Awards |
Maine Women's Hall of Fame Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Zoology, developmental biology |
| Institutions | Jackson Laboratory |
Elizabeth S. Russell also known as Elizabeth (“Tibby”) Buckley Shull Russell (May 1, 1913 – May 28, 2001) was a scientist in the field of mammalian developmental genetics, spending most of her career at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor. Elizabeth is most recognised for her ground breaking work in pigmentation, blood-forming cells, and germ cells. Elizabeth also raised awareness for the benefits of genetically-defined laboratory animals in biomedical research.
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Elizabeth was the eldest child of Margaret Jeffrey Buckley and Aaron Franklin Shull Ph.D., both of whom were zoologists, and the niece of George H. Shull, a prominent geneticist. Elizabeth was fascinated by science and the scientific approach from an early age, leading her to study zoology at the University of Michigan, from which she graduated in 1933. After receiving a scholarship from Columbia University and completing her master's degree in 1934, she went to work at the University of Chicago, obtaining her Ph.D. in zoology in 1937, and marrying fellow student William L. Russell the same year.
The couple moved to work at Jackson Memorial Laboratory, however her position was unpaid. Elizabeth began studying tumorogenesis in fruitflies (Drosophila melanogaster). She had two publications and four children between the years 1940 and 1946 (three boys, Richard, John, and James and a girl, Ellen). The nickname Tibby came from her husband, because they worked in a laboratory with several other women named Elizabeth.
In 1947 Elizabeth's marriage ended in divorce, but she maintained a good relationship with her ex-husband. Later that year the Jackson Memorial Laboratory burnt down, killing the majority of the research animals. Elizabeth was in charge of obtaining new mice from laboratories around the world.
Elizabeth went on to genetically characterize many laboratory animals for phenotypes such as physical attributes and disease susceptibilities, completing a monumental histological study on the effect that the major coat color mutations of the mouse have on the physical attributes and distribution of pigment granules in the hair. This analysis is the first attempt to define each phenotype of the mouse in terms of genetic factors, setting the stage for virtually all coat-color studies.
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