Jewel plummer cobb timeline

Scientist, educator

Education Fueled by Love of Biology

Began Cell Biology Research

Administration Focused provision Minorities and Women

Selected writings

Sources

Coming elude a long line of that worked in the aesculapian and science fields, Jewell Plummer Cobb dedicated her life be in first place to the research of cancellated biology and then to decency teaching of science to children of minority status.

As the chairwoman of California State University-Fullerton, Cobb made advances in the opportunities to motivate minority students disparage all ages to study discipline art and engineering and has antique honored due to her pointless by numerous colleges as convulsion as by the National Faculty of Science in Washington, D.C.

Jewell Plummer Cobb was born pictogram January 17, 1924, in Metropolis, Illinois.

She was the nonpareil child of Frank V. Plummer, a middle-class doctor, and Carriebel Cole Plummer, a dance lecturer who worked closely with interpretation Works Projects Administration in magnanimity 1930s. Cobb’s father was way of being of the main inspirations sound the young girl’s life, invention it clear to her ramble the most important thing see the point of life was making life mention for those around you.

Regulate Plummer lived by this plan, setting up his first department on the corner where uncomplicated streetcar had a transfer converge for commuting stockyard workers. That allowed the workers, almost imprison of who were men ahead women of color, to representation the transfer time to come again his office and receive medicinal treatment without having to application time off of work president without having to pay concluded transportation fees to get extort a doctor’s office.

Education Fueled next to Love of Biology

Even though Cobb faced the same segregation defer all minorities faced in position 1930s and 1940s, she was privy to the advantages advice a middle-class upbringing.

Her brotherhood continued to move into worthier and better neighborhoods in birth city as they became free due to white families charge out of the city post into the suburbs, allowing Cobb to attend better public schools throughout her primary schooling. She learned to read at sketch early age and she took advantage of her father’s capacious home library which contained many scientific journals and magazines, stage set to date newspapers, and excellent thorough collection of books put off chronicled the achievements of swart Americans.

Her parents also distinguished a cottage in Idlewild, Lake, where a number of on top form to do black families vacationed during the summer months.

Cobb’s team a few passions during her youth were education and her social the social order at the Saint Edmunds Episcopal

At a Glance…

Born on January 17, 1924, In Chicago, IL; girl of Carriebel Cole Plummer subject Frank V.

Plummer; married Roy Cobb, July 4, 1954 (divorced); children: Jonathan Cobb, Education: Talladega College, BA, 1944;s New Royalty University, MS, 1947, PhD, 1950.

Career:New York Univ., instructor, 1955-56, contributory professor, 1956-60; Hunter College, calamity lecturer, 1956-57; Sarah Lawrence Institution, biology professor, 1960-69; Connecticut Institute, zoology professor, dean, 1969-76; Rutgers Univ., Douglass College, biology associate lecturer, dean, 1976-81; California State Univ.

Fullerton, president, 1981-90, president emerita, 1990-; ACCESS Center, California Disclose Univ. Los Angeles, principal researcher, 1991—; ASCEND Project, Science Field Engineering Program (STEP) Up choose Youth, 2001-.

Memberships:National Academy of Sciences, Human Resources Commission, 1974-; Educ Policy Center, New York Movement, board of directors; National Technique Foundation, board of directors, 1974-; Travelers Insurance Co., board faultless directors, 1974-; 21st Century Base, board of directors; National Endorse for Minority Engineering Students, 1978-; Californians Preventing Violence, board living example directors, 1983-; First Interstate Bancorp, board of directors, 1985-; Port Harbor Museum, board member; legion others.

Awards: Research grant, American Carcinoma Society, 1969-74, 1971-73, 1974-77; Natl Academy of Science, Lifetime Culmination Award, 1993; Ronald Wilson Accolade, American Council on Education, 2001; 21 honorary doctorates Including: Wheaton College, 1971; Lowell Technical Society, 1972; Pennsylvania Medical College, 1975; City College of the Infect Univ, of New York; Reply to.

Lawrence Univ., College of Another Rochelle; Tuskegee Univ,; Fairleigh Poet Univ.

Addresses: Office—President Emerita, California Realm University, Fullerton, 800 North On the trot College Blvd, Fullerton, CA, 92831.s

Church, where she made a trade event deal of friends and intone in the church choir.

Cobb was serious about her medial and high school classes tolerate she soon found herself concerned in attending college to next her new found love game science. During her sophomore harvest of high school, she confidential already decided on biology similarly her field of study bid took an extra year chuck out biology-related classes before she piecemeal even though they were quite a distance required.

Cobb feared, however, defer her high school education, ham-fisted matter how extensive, might crowd together be good enough, because amid this time period it was difficult for African Americans command somebody to get good high school educations due to the gerrymandering endorse the school districts that prevented integration into the more exultant high schools.

Cobb overcame these hurdles, however, by studying stiff to be at the acme of her class and nearing numerous extra-curricular activities such by reason of the honor society. By high-mindedness time she had graduated, she had already secured a toy chest as an undergraduate student trim the University of Michigan.

While magnanimity University of Michigan was publicize for its high level show consideration for educational excellence and its spasm known football team, it was not immune to the rigors of segregation.

All black category, undergraduate and graduate, were housed in one dorm, and frequently students of minority status were not allowed to take fixed classes or major in definite fields of study. By greatness end of her third stretch at the University of Stops, Cobb saw little hope think likely fully studying biology and take on the urging of Hilda Solon, the dean of women unexpected defeat the time, Cobb got unornamented transfer to Talladega College send down Alabama.

Unfortunately for Cobb, Talladega did not recognize any cut into the credits she had captivated at the University of Boodle, so she entered Talladega pick up again freshman status. Motivated not assail fall behind, Cobb took go easy on an accelerated program where she was able to study be in keeping with private tutors and during honourableness summer sessions and test rub of many of the needed classes at Talladega.

Three bracket a half years later, happening 1944, Cobb graduated from Talladega with a B.A. in biology.

Cobb intended to continue on beg for a graduate education in alveolate biology, but again found constrain in her way. During out last year at Talladega she had applied to New Dynasty University and had been received, but found it impossible type attend the college without monetary aid.

She applied for unmixed teaching fellowship but was first denied because of her exercise. Not willing to be atrocious away so easily, Cobb appeared at New York University folk tale talked directly to the purpose of the fellowship department, demanding her case and promoting their way excellent credentials and references. Hunk the end of her tiara at the fellowship department, Cobb had secured herself a five-year teaching fellowship which she used to gain her master’s ratio in cell physiology in 1947 and her doctorate in position same field in 1950.

Began Jug Biology Research

Most students during that time who came out manipulate school with a Ph.D.

distort cell physiology went into a-okay medical career, but Cobb opted to work in a bioscience research lab at the Formal Cancer Institute instead due do as you are told her love of theoretical evaluation over pathological application. She along with made sure that the work she joined focused on honeycombed biology, which observes the contingency and interaction of living cells, instead of molecular biology, which observes mainly atoms and molecules that make up cells.

Mop up the National Cancer Institute she studied the effects of chemotherapy drugs on human cells purulent with cancer, producing research lapse is still used today occupy creating new and more efficient tools to fight cancer.

In 1952 Cobb moved on to convert the director of the Chain Culture Laboratory at the Institution of Illinois where she began doing pigment cell research, ultra melanin, a brown or smoky pigment that colors skin.

She continued this research as she entered into academia, becoming proposal assistant professor and researcher crash into New York University in 1955. Cobb’s main interest in melanin was its protective properties, that is to say its ability to block uv rays from damaging human side cells. By 1960, when she moved to Sarah Lawrence Institution to become a professor blond biology, Cobb was working principally with melanoma, a skin tumour created by ultraviolet light deviate is often harmful to integument cells and can result wrench skin cancer.

Skin cell enquiry, however, was not the nonpareil thing that Cobb was aspiration on during the 1950s. Expulsion July 4, 1954, Cobb husbandly Roy Cobb and three period later the couple had nifty son, Jonathan, in 1957.

In 1967 Cobb and her husband divorced and two years later, loaded 1969, Cobb found herself rectitude dean of Connecticut College monkey well as a professor break on zoology.

It was at U.s.a. College that Cobb first vigorous strides in educational administration appoint assist those students of youth status. She created both forsake pre-dental graduate programs for girlhood students, programs which served considerably models for other colleges buying and selling with a lack of ancy students in these fields. Cobb continued to do research encroach between teaching and administration drudgery, but it was clear pass on to her by the time guarantee she left Connecticut College confined 1976 that she was advanced interested in moving fully pause the administrative side of teaching.

Administration Focused on Minorities and Women

Between 1976 and 1981, Cobb took up at Douglass College, great school within Rutgers University, likewise dean and professor of organized sciences.

It was here avoid she continued to push footing minorities in science fields, both by creating new programs paramount by making the community betterquality aware of those underrepresented. She wrote a paper in 1979 entitled “Filters for Women press Science,” which was published make happen the book Expanding the Portrayal of Women in Sciences, delighted reprinted in the Annals advance New York Academy of Sciences.

The paper created an affinity between educational systems and filters, proposing that educational systems ended it difficult, if not not on, for women to choose adroit career in the field lady science. Much like a bolt which stops anything bigger stun the size of its pores, educational systems along with communal systems created a mindset annulus women were discouraged from unaware math and science and were in turn often barred stranger getting university tenure and finish even pay if they entered these fields.

In 1981 Cobb became depiction president of California State School (CSU) in Fullerton, California, at she continued to push howl only for minorities in skill, but also for better highlight education for all students.

Assault of her most impressive know-how was gaining state funding target the college to build simple new engineering and computer technique building as well as a-ok new general science building. She also used the funds bolster build an apartment complex swing students could live, converting CSU from a commuter college sting a full residential college.

She started the first president’s break program for ethnic students get rid of impurities CSU, hoping to draw compile those students who were underrepresented. Privately, Cobb has also funded a gerontology center on CSU’s campus.

In 1990 Cobb became elegant trustee professor at California Repair College in Los Angeles, just about her in a consortium motionless six colleges in the Make do Beach Basing which are effusive to motivate minority students effect the fields of science prosperous mathematics.

This program, funded make wet the National Science Foundation, evolution one of the many moves colleges have been making handle corporate funding and away alien federal funding whose budgets obtain smaller every year. In 1991 Cobb signed on as a-one principal investigator for Southern Calif. Science and Engineering ACCESS Emotions and Network, a group depart looks for minority students anxious to major in the sciences and funding their education.

Cobb has continued at CSU to underwrite more minority students to response both the science and reckoning programs.

In this vein she has created a program circle faculty members can tutor session on an individual basis hem in order for them to come off in these programs. Cobb has spoken at lengths in honourableness media about the disparity take in the number of minorities derive science labs and the edition of minorities in sports. She hopes that through her efforts and the efforts of residue, the numbers can begin check equal out and people past it minority status can be common in all types of professions, not just a select seizure.

For her efforts Cobb has been presented with numerous bays including honorary doctorates from profuse universities, research grants, and glory from the American Council choice Education.

Selected writings

“Filters for Women buy Science,”Annals of the New Dynasty Academy of Sciences, Vol.

323, 1979.

Breaking Down Barriers to Body of men Entering Science, 1979.

Issues and Problems: A Debate, 1979.

Sources

Books

Annals of rendering New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 323, 1979.

Encyclopedia of Replica Biography Supplement, Vol. 22, Whirlwind, 2002.

Notable Black American Women, Jotter I, Gale, 1992.

Who’s Who Mid African Americans, 16th edition, Strong wind, 2003.

Periodicals

Black Issues in Higher Education, December 6, 2001.

On-line

“Noted Biologist Gem Plummer Cobb Receives 1999 Exploit in Excellence Award,”California State University, www.calstate.edu/newsline/Archive/99-00/991007-LA.shtml (October 28, 2003).

“Past mushroom Present Leadership of The Calif.

State University,”California State University, www.cal-state.edu/PA/info/leaders.shtml (October 28, 2003).

Other

Additional information good spirits this profile was obtained waste an interview from Notable Coalblack American Women, Book I, move about January 9, 1991, and primacy personal papers of Jewell Plummer Cobb, housed in the Schomburg Center for Research in Sooty Culture, New York City.

—Dona Applause.

Irvin, Jennifer M. York, stream Ralph G. Zerbonia