Chicita Frances Culberson (born Chicita Frances Forman, November 1, 1931 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

) is an American lichenologist.

Education

She graduated with a B.S. from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

in 1953, where she also met her future husband,

Bill Culberson William Louis "Bill" Culberson (April 5, 1929 in Indianapolis, Indiana – February 8, 2003 in Durham, North Carolina) was an American lichenologist. Professional history Culberson earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Cincinnati, w ...

. In 1954, Received an M.S. from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

in 1954 and in 1959 received a Ph.D. from Duke University.

Career

A botanical researcher at Duke University, Culberson pioneered the use of

thin-layer chromatography Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is a chromatography technique used to separate non-volatile mixtures. Thin-layer chromatography is performed on a sheet of an inert substrate such as glass, plastic, or aluminium foil, which is coated with a t ...

in the identification of secondary lichen products. In 1992, she became one of the first modern recipients of the

Acharius Medal __NOTOC__ The Acharius Medal is awarded by the International Association for Lichenology (IAL) for lifetime achievement in lichenology. The organization resolved at its 1990 meeting that it would simultaneously honor professional achievement and ...

. In 2000, botanist Theodore Esslinger

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every po ...

Culbersonia ''Culbersonia'' is a fungal genus in the family Caliciaceae. This is a monotypic genus, containing the single foliose lichen ''Culbersonia nubila'' (formerly called ''Culbersonia americana''). This species, which grows on trees and rocks, is foun ...

'', which is a fungal

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

in the family

Caliciaceae The Caliciaceae are a family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. Although the family has had its classification changed several times throughout its taxonomic history, the use of m ...

and named in Bill Culberson and Chicita F. Culberson's honour, his "longtime friends and mentors". At the 9th

International Association for Lichenology The International Association for Lichenology (IAL) is an organisation that encourages the understanding of lichens and lichenology, and promotes their study and conservation worldwide. It unites lichenologists across the globe, as well as nation ...

conference held virtually in Brazil on 4 August 2021, the lichen chemistry symposium was dedicated to Culberson for her 90th birthday.

Personal life

Culberson was married to fellow lichenologist

from 1953Acharius Medallists: William Louis Culberson
at Lichenology.org; retrieved November 28, 2017 until his death in 2003.

Sources

Biography of Dr Culberson
at Lichenology.org

External links

Dr Culberson's faculty page
at Duke University
Partial bibliography of Dr Culberson's research
at

Scientific Commons ScientificCommons was a project of the University of St. Gallen ''Institute for Media and Communications Management''. The major aim of the project was to develop the world’s largest archive of scientific knowledge with fulltexts freely accessi ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Culberson, Chicita F. Living people 1931 births Scientists from Philadelphia University of Cincinnati alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Duke University faculty American women botanists American lichenologists Acharius Medal recipients 21st-century American botanists American women academics 21st-century American women scientists Women lichenologists

Education

Career

Personal life

See also

Sources

External links