Dorothy Shaw (1920–2007) was an Australian plant pathologist, best known for her work on coffee leaf rust (''

Hemileia vastatrix ''Hemileia vastatrix'' is a multicellular basidiomycete fungus of the order Pucciniales (previously also known as Uredinales) that causes coffee leaf rust (CLR), a disease affecting the coffee plant. Coffee serves as the obligate host of ...

'') and discovery of several species of fungi. In her 60-year career, Shaw studied plant pathogens in Australia, Canada and Papua New Guinea. The fungal genus '' Shawiella'' was named in her honour.

Biography

Early life and education

Dorothy Shaw was born in Sydney to Sidney Shaw, a tinsmith, and Amy Shaw, née Field. She studied at St George's Girls School and later The

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

. While completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Shaw investigated wheat diseases caused by the genus ''

Septoria ''Septoria'' is a genus of fungal plant pathogens in the phylum Ascomycota. They cause necrotic leaf spots on the leaves of their hosts, producing filiform or cylindrical conidia inside pycnidia embedded in the leaves. Economically important spe ...

.'' Shaw received the Thomas Lawrance Pawlett Scholarship and travelled to

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

where she was awarded her PhD by the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

in 1955. Her thesis examined

microconidia A conidium ( ; : conidia), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (: chlamydoconidia), is an asexual, non-motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also ca ...

formation in '' Leptosphaeria avenaria''.

Career

In almost 150 publications, Shaw documented her research on a broad range of topics such as mycology, plant pathology, fungal taxonomy,

cytology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...

and fungal spore collection by bees. As a sole author or co-author, Shaw named four new fungal genera and 14 new species. In 1955, Shaw was invited by the Papua New Guinea Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries to establish a Plant Pathology section. As a young scientist, Shaw faced a challenging task, with limited facilities, laboratory staff and equipment available. In addition, literature concerning endemic plant pathogens was almost 'non-existent' at the time. She continued to work in Papua New Guinea for over two decades, publishing an index of plant diseases in 1963 and one of her most influential publications, ''Microorganisms in Papua New Guinea'' in 1984. In recognition of her public service, Shaw was awarded an Independence Medal and MBE from the PNG Government. She was closely involved with the PNG Scout Association, receiving the Silver Acorn award in 1969 for her 'outstanding service'.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Dorothy Australian mycologists Scientists from Sydney University of Manitoba alumni University of Sydney alumni 1920 births 2007 deaths Australian women botanists