Evelyn Marie Carmon Nicol | |
---|---|
Born |
Little Rock, Kentucky, U.S. | June 2, 1930
Died | May 27, 2020
Weston, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 89)
Alma mater | Tuskegee University |
Known for | Isolation of the herpes zoster ( shingles) virus |
Children | 3 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Immunology, microbiology |
Institutions | Carver Research Foundation Cleveland City Hospital Rand Development Corporation University of Kansas Medical Center Michael Reese Hospital Abbott Laboratories Baxter Pharmaceuticals |
Academic advisors | Russel Brown Frederick C. Robbins John F. Enders |
Evelyn Marie Carmon Nicol (June 2, 1930 – May 27, 2020) was an American immunologist and microbiologist. [1] She was the first scientist to isolate the herpes zoster virus, [1] and is one of the few African American women to receive a patent in molecular biology, for a new production method of urokinase. [2]
Nicol was born in Little Rock, Kentucky. Her parents were Daniel Eugene Carmon, a schoolteacher, and Margarite Wilson Carmon, a homemaker. [1] She was 8th of 11 children. [2] In an interview for Lifeology, Nicol explained that despite her family having very little: "we used to have a lot of fun. You couldn't grow up any better than that." [2] As their local school was underfunded, and only went up to the eighth grade, Nicol's father took it upon himself to give the children extra homeschooling. [2]
During her high school years, Nicol worked as a domestic to earn money. [3] When she graduated from high school, Nicol was offered a scholarship at Tuskegee University to study Home Economics. [2] She moved to Alabama in 1949 to attend university, [3] but she chose to study Mathematics and Chemistry instead of Home Economics. [2] She funded her studies by working two jobs. [2] Nicol graduated at the top of her class in 1953 with a degree in Chemistry and Mathematics, and earned the Beta Kappa Chi and Alpha Kappa Mu honors. [1] [3]
From 1953 to 1955, Nicol worked as a research assistant for the Salk Polio Project of the Carver Research Foundation. [3] [2] Under the supervision of Dr. Russel W. Brown, she worked on developing the first polio vaccine using HeLa cell cultures. [2] Nicol then joined the Cleveland City Hospital, working with Frederick C. Robbins and John F. Enders. [1] There, she was the first person to successfully isolate the herpes zoster virus, which causes shingles, using amniotic cells in tissue culture. [1] [2] [3] In an interview for Lifeology, Nicol said: "Things just come to me. I don't know why. It just seems like common sense." [2]
Following these her early career successes, Nicol was recruited by Rand Development Corporation, where she worked on isolating the leukemia agent. [1] During this time, Nicol also worked for the University of Kansas Medical Centre, and the Michael Reese Hospital. [1]
Nicol then joined Abbott Laboratories as a research assistant in 1962. [2] There, she faced discrimination from her white colleagues, who would take credit for results and sabotage her work. [2] On 6 January 1976, Nicol patented a new technique to increase the production yield of urokinase (U.S. Patent No. 3,930,944), [4] an enzyme used to dissolve blood clots. [1] She was one of the few African American women to be awarded a patent in molecular biology at that time. [2] Among her many achievements while working at Abbott, Nicol successfully developed a test for toxoplasmosis in pregnant women, and an interferon assay. [2]
In 1985, Nicol was recruited by Baxter Pharmaceuticals. [1] Within their hepatitis research and development group, known as Pandex, Nicol led the retrovirology division, which produced testing kits for blood-borne diseases such as HIV and human T-cell lymphotropic virus. [5] [2] [3] Two blind studies funded by Abbott Pharmaceuticals determined that the testing kits produced under Nicol's leadership were the best available. [1] While at Baxter pharmaceuticals, Nicol used her seniority to combat workplace discrimination, and advocate for fairer hiring practices. [2] [3] For example, she hired Linda Smith, whose resume had initially been rejected, likely because she had studied at a historically Black university. [2]
While she was working there, Pandex was bought by Nicol's former employer Abbott Laboratories. Nicol retired in 1990, refusing to work for a company that had been so openly discriminatory. [2] [3]
Nicol had three children. [2] Upon retirement, she lived in Waukegan, Illinois, and later in Weston, Connecticut. [3] Retirement allowed Evelyn to partake in her many hobbies such as oil painting, bridge, and tennis to name a few. [2] At the age of 89, Nicol was hospitalized for a stroke, and was diagnosed with COVID-19. She died from complications of the virus in May 2020. [1]
Evelyn Marie Carmon Nicol | |
---|---|
Born |
Little Rock, Kentucky, U.S. | June 2, 1930
Died | May 27, 2020
Weston, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 89)
Alma mater | Tuskegee University |
Known for | Isolation of the herpes zoster ( shingles) virus |
Children | 3 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Immunology, microbiology |
Institutions | Carver Research Foundation Cleveland City Hospital Rand Development Corporation University of Kansas Medical Center Michael Reese Hospital Abbott Laboratories Baxter Pharmaceuticals |
Academic advisors | Russel Brown Frederick C. Robbins John F. Enders |
Evelyn Marie Carmon Nicol (June 2, 1930 – May 27, 2020) was an American immunologist and microbiologist. [1] She was the first scientist to isolate the herpes zoster virus, [1] and is one of the few African American women to receive a patent in molecular biology, for a new production method of urokinase. [2]
Nicol was born in Little Rock, Kentucky. Her parents were Daniel Eugene Carmon, a schoolteacher, and Margarite Wilson Carmon, a homemaker. [1] She was 8th of 11 children. [2] In an interview for Lifeology, Nicol explained that despite her family having very little: "we used to have a lot of fun. You couldn't grow up any better than that." [2] As their local school was underfunded, and only went up to the eighth grade, Nicol's father took it upon himself to give the children extra homeschooling. [2]
During her high school years, Nicol worked as a domestic to earn money. [3] When she graduated from high school, Nicol was offered a scholarship at Tuskegee University to study Home Economics. [2] She moved to Alabama in 1949 to attend university, [3] but she chose to study Mathematics and Chemistry instead of Home Economics. [2] She funded her studies by working two jobs. [2] Nicol graduated at the top of her class in 1953 with a degree in Chemistry and Mathematics, and earned the Beta Kappa Chi and Alpha Kappa Mu honors. [1] [3]
From 1953 to 1955, Nicol worked as a research assistant for the Salk Polio Project of the Carver Research Foundation. [3] [2] Under the supervision of Dr. Russel W. Brown, she worked on developing the first polio vaccine using HeLa cell cultures. [2] Nicol then joined the Cleveland City Hospital, working with Frederick C. Robbins and John F. Enders. [1] There, she was the first person to successfully isolate the herpes zoster virus, which causes shingles, using amniotic cells in tissue culture. [1] [2] [3] In an interview for Lifeology, Nicol said: "Things just come to me. I don't know why. It just seems like common sense." [2]
Following these her early career successes, Nicol was recruited by Rand Development Corporation, where she worked on isolating the leukemia agent. [1] During this time, Nicol also worked for the University of Kansas Medical Centre, and the Michael Reese Hospital. [1]
Nicol then joined Abbott Laboratories as a research assistant in 1962. [2] There, she faced discrimination from her white colleagues, who would take credit for results and sabotage her work. [2] On 6 January 1976, Nicol patented a new technique to increase the production yield of urokinase (U.S. Patent No. 3,930,944), [4] an enzyme used to dissolve blood clots. [1] She was one of the few African American women to be awarded a patent in molecular biology at that time. [2] Among her many achievements while working at Abbott, Nicol successfully developed a test for toxoplasmosis in pregnant women, and an interferon assay. [2]
In 1985, Nicol was recruited by Baxter Pharmaceuticals. [1] Within their hepatitis research and development group, known as Pandex, Nicol led the retrovirology division, which produced testing kits for blood-borne diseases such as HIV and human T-cell lymphotropic virus. [5] [2] [3] Two blind studies funded by Abbott Pharmaceuticals determined that the testing kits produced under Nicol's leadership were the best available. [1] While at Baxter pharmaceuticals, Nicol used her seniority to combat workplace discrimination, and advocate for fairer hiring practices. [2] [3] For example, she hired Linda Smith, whose resume had initially been rejected, likely because she had studied at a historically Black university. [2]
While she was working there, Pandex was bought by Nicol's former employer Abbott Laboratories. Nicol retired in 1990, refusing to work for a company that had been so openly discriminatory. [2] [3]
Nicol had three children. [2] Upon retirement, she lived in Waukegan, Illinois, and later in Weston, Connecticut. [3] Retirement allowed Evelyn to partake in her many hobbies such as oil painting, bridge, and tennis to name a few. [2] At the age of 89, Nicol was hospitalized for a stroke, and was diagnosed with COVID-19. She died from complications of the virus in May 2020. [1]