Mary Helen Goldsmith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mary Helen Goldsmith | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 2, 1933 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 2, 2024 (aged 91) Hamden, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Radcliffe College |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | Characteristics of the translocation of indoleacetic acid in the coleoptile of Avena (1960) |
Mary Helen Goldsmith (née Martin; May 2, 1933 – October 2, 2024) was an American plant physiologist known for her work on how hormones impact plant growth. She was a fellow and past president of the American Society of Plant Physiologists.
Goldsmith had a B.A. from Cornell University.[1] She earned her Ph.D. in 1960 from Radcliffe College where she researched the importance of indole acetic acid in the grass, Avena.[2] In 1963 she joined the faculty at Yale University where she worked until her retirement in 2006.[1]
Goldsmith was the director of the Marsh Botanical Garden for sixteen years and included visits to the garden in some of her classes.[1][3] She also served as the president of the American Society of Plant Physiologists.[1]
Goldsmith died in Hamden, Connecticut, on October 2, 2024, at the age of 91.[4]
Research
Goldsmith's early work was on impact of oxygen on insects.[5] During her Ph.D., she began to examine the movement of auxins, such as indole acetic acid, into corn.[6][7][8] She particularly focused on the polar diffusion of auxins.[9][10] Her research extends to studies on changes in plant cells during transport of polar chemicals,[11][12] intracellular measurements of membrane potential,[13] and activation of potassium channels.[14]