Joyce Watson FNZIC (5 July 1918 – 28 September 2004) was a New Zealand chemist specialising in fruit disorders and trace elements.

Academic career

Watson was born in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

in 1918, the daughter of Helen "Nellie" Knaggs Watson (1883–1956; ) and Francis George Watson (1887–1957). She received her education at

Christchurch Girls' High School Christchurch Girls' High School in Christchurch, New Zealand, was established in 1877 and is the second oldest girls-only secondary school in the country, after Otago Girls' High School. History Christchurch Girls' High School was established i ...

. After a

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1939, Watson completed an MSc titled ''A phase rule investigation of the three component system BaO–(CH₃CO)₂O–H₂O at 25°C and 35°C'' in 1940 at

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, Engl ...

, then part of the

University of New Zealand The University of New Zealand was New Zealand's sole degree-granting university from 1874 to 1961. It was a collegiate university embracing several constituent institutions at various locations around New Zealand. After it was dissolved in 196 ...

. She then moved to the

Cawthron Institute The Cawthron Institute is New Zealand's largest independent science organisation, specialising in science that supports the environment and development within primary industries. Cawthron has its main facilities in Nelson. It works with regional ...

in 1941, where she was employed as an assistant pasture chemist. Watson's research began with investigating the disorders of fruit caused by trace element deficiencies, and progressed into tomatoes, pasture, hops, flax and tobacco. Watson's work on the fruit disorder

bitter pit Bitter pit is a disorder in apple fruits, now believed to be induced by calcium deficiency. It occurs less commonly in pears. The disease was probably first reported in Germany where it was known as ''Stippen''.J ...

led to the discovery that the cause is calcium deficiency. Calcium sprays are still used to prevent the disorder. When

takahē The South Island takahē (''Porphyrio hochstetteri'') is a flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the rail family. It is often known by the abbreviated name takahē, which it shares with the recently e ...

were rediscovered in 1948, Watson was tasked by the Wildlife Service with analysing the tussock to assist with captive rearing and to discover whether the application of fertiliser might improve bird health. The work may have led to the application of nitrogen and phosphorus to the tussock. Watson died on 28 September 2004 at the Omaio Village Rest Home in

Recognition

In 1971 Watson was made a Fellow of the

New Zealand Institute of Chemistry The New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (NZIC) was founded in 1931 and is the professional membership organisation for professionals working in the field of chemistry across the education and industry sectors in New Zealand. It is organised into si ...

, an honour bestowed on only three other women by that point. In 2017, Watson was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's

150 women in 150 words Fifteen or 15 may refer to: * 15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

Selected works

* * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Joyce New Zealand women chemists People associated with the Cawthron Institute 1918 births 2004 deaths University of Canterbury alumni Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry Scientists from Nelson, New Zealand People educated at Christchurch Girls' High School