Dr. Effa Funk Muhse (19 June 1877 - 7 February 1968) was an American biologist. She was the first woman to obtain a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

. While at Indiana, she studied

gland A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...

s in

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

s. After earning her degree, she went on to promote the

National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NWP ...

in Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Chicago. Later she became a biology teacher at Chevy Chase Junior College which later named a science building after her.

Early life and education

She was born to Eliza Bair and Laban Funk in

Blachleyville, Ohio Blachleyville is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in Wayne County, Ohio, Wayne County, in the U.S. state of Ohio. History Blachleyville was laid out on December 16, 1833, by Drs. William Boyd Blachley Sr and Jr, and ...

in June 1877. They moved to

Hebron, Indiana Hebron is a town in Boone Township, Porter County, Indiana, Boone Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 3,755 as of the 2020 census. History The first settler to Hebron was Judge Jesse Johnson (1st Judge of the Porte ...

. While there, she attended Hebron High School (Indiana) in 1894. She briefly attended

Northern Indiana Normal School Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luther ...

until she quit to teach. She started college at

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

in 1900. While at Indiana University, she was a member of the Graduate Club and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. In 1903 she completed her A.B. She continued her studies at Indiana University Bloomington by completing her

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in 1906. Initially she pursued her

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. However, she transferred back to

and completed her

Zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

in 1908 under the instruction of Carl Eigenmann and Charles Zeleny. This resulted in her becoming the first women to get a PhD from the Indiana University.

Career

After Muhse finished her dissertation, she spent time lecturing on a range of topics including rural sanitation. Later she became a member of the

where she became a

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

to increase women's voices in politics. She worked in Pennsylvania in 1915 and in Idaho in 1916. From 1921 to 1927 Muhse taught at a variety of institutions. One of those institutions was

National Park Seminary National Park Seminary — later called National Park College — was a private girls' school open from 1894 to 1942. Located in Forest Glen Park, Maryland, its name alludes to nearby Rock Creek Park. The historic campus is to be preserved as ...

where she taught home economics and domestic arts. From 1927 until her retirement in 1948, Muhse taught biology at

Chevy Chase College and Seminary Chevy Chase Junior College, also known as Chevy Chase College and Seminary, operated from 1903 to 1950 in Chevy Chase, Maryland. A residential and day school for girls and young ladies, it provided classes for the last three years of high schoo ...

later called Chevy Chase Junior College. She was successful in increasing female attendance in her biology classes.

Works

*The Eyes of the Blind Vertebrates of North America. VI. The Eyes of Typhlops Lumbricalis (Linnæus), a Blind Snake from Cuba (1903) *The Cutaneous Glands of the Common Toad (1909) *Heredity and the Problems in Eugenics: A Report of the Subcommittee on Eugenics

Personal life

Muhse was the oldest of five siblings. She had three sisters and two brothers. She married Albert Charles Muhse in 1899. They co-authored a piece called "Unpolished Rice".

Later life and legacy

Her funeral took place at Central Christian Church (Indianapolis, Indiana). After she retired from Chevy Chase School and Junior College, a building was named after her.

Awards and achievements

*Member of the American Association for Advancement of Science *Member of

*Member of

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is an international non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a faculty member and graduate students in 1886 and is one of the oldest ...

*Member of the Eugenic Education Services Society of London *Member of Biological Society of Washington * Emeritus faculty of Chevy Chase School and Junior College (1948)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhse, Effa 1877 births 1968 deaths American biologists Scientists from Ohio American women zoologists American women biologists Suffragettes Indiana University Bloomington alumni