Wanda Kirkbride Farr
Encyclopedia
Wanda K. Farr is an American botanist known for her discovery of the mechanism by which cellulose
is formed in the walls of plant cells.
at Athens
and a master's degree studying Botany
at Columbia university
around 1919.
Around 1928, after marrying botanist Clifford Farr, Wanda Farr postponed enrolling in a Ph.D. program in order to move with her husband to Washington University in St. Louis
, Missouri
. There, Wanda Farr began working as a researcher under Dr. Montrose Burrows at the Barnard
Skin and Cancer Clinic, and her husband began working as an assistant professor in botany at the same university. Wanda performed microscopy on live animal and plant cell cultures.
In February 1928, Clifford Farr died and Wanda Farr was asked by Washington University to teach his classes. Wanda began research related to her late husband's work studying the growth of root hairs in plants.
Within a few years, Wanda Farr was hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a cotton
technologist on the strength of her previous root hair research. She moved to the Boyce Thompson Institute laboratory in Yonkers, New York
. After approximately ten years of research, she was appointed as Director of the Cellulose Laboratory of the Chemical Foundation at the same institute, until she was called to the laboratories of the American Cyanimide Company to do World War II
war-related research.
, a primary component of cell
walls, was known to be constructed from cellulose granules. These granules had appeared to microscopists prior to this time to emerge fully formed in the cell's protoplasm
. By contrast, the formation of starch
, which is composed of the same elements carbon
, hydrogen
, and oxygen
, could be seen to occur in stages, in structures called plasmids inside the cell protoplasm.
Farr discovered that cellulose-manufacturing plastids do exist in the protoplasm of the cell, but that such plastids had been invisible because they have a light refractive index
similar to that of the protoplasm in which they are located. She made the plastids visible in cotton
cells by mounting the cells in a new bath derived from the juices of the cotton plant rather than in water, which had been used previously.
Cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
is formed in the walls of plant cells.
Early life
Wanda Farr (née Kirkbride) was born near New Matamoras, Ohio in 1895. When she was four years old, her father died and she and her mother went to live with Wanda's grandparents in New Matamoras. Wanda's great grandfather, Dr. Samuel Richardson, was a physician who lived in the same town. He helped cultivate Wanda's interest in science, in particular in plants and growing things.Education and Research
Wanda received a bachelor's degree in biology from Ohio UniversityOhio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
at Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and a master's degree studying Botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
at Columbia university
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
around 1919.
Around 1928, after marrying botanist Clifford Farr, Wanda Farr postponed enrolling in a Ph.D. program in order to move with her husband to Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. There, Wanda Farr began working as a researcher under Dr. Montrose Burrows at the Barnard
Barnard
- People :Some of the Barnard family are believed to have been Huguenots who fled from the Atlantic coast region of France to England, Ireland, Holland and the New World circa 1685 or earlier than that date. See,...
Skin and Cancer Clinic, and her husband began working as an assistant professor in botany at the same university. Wanda performed microscopy on live animal and plant cell cultures.
In February 1928, Clifford Farr died and Wanda Farr was asked by Washington University to teach his classes. Wanda began research related to her late husband's work studying the growth of root hairs in plants.
Within a few years, Wanda Farr was hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
technologist on the strength of her previous root hair research. She moved to the Boyce Thompson Institute laboratory in Yonkers, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. After approximately ten years of research, she was appointed as Director of the Cellulose Laboratory of the Chemical Foundation at the same institute, until she was called to the laboratories of the American Cyanimide Company to do World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
war-related research.
Notable Scientific Discovery
Wanda K. Farr answered a question that had puzzled researchers for a hundred years. CelluloseCellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
, a primary component of cell
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
walls, was known to be constructed from cellulose granules. These granules had appeared to microscopists prior to this time to emerge fully formed in the cell's protoplasm
Protoplasm
Protoplasm is the living contents of a cell that is surrounded by a plasma membrane. It is a general term of the Cytoplasm . Protoplasm is composed of a mixture of small molecules such as ions, amino acids, monosaccharides and water, and macromolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and...
. By contrast, the formation of starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
, which is composed of the same elements carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
, hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
, and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
, could be seen to occur in stages, in structures called plasmids inside the cell protoplasm.
Farr discovered that cellulose-manufacturing plastids do exist in the protoplasm of the cell, but that such plastids had been invisible because they have a light refractive index
Refractive index
In optics the refractive index or index of refraction of a substance or medium is a measure of the speed of light in that medium. It is expressed as a ratio of the speed of light in vacuum relative to that in the considered medium....
similar to that of the protoplasm in which they are located. She made the plastids visible in cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
cells by mounting the cells in a new bath derived from the juices of the cotton plant rather than in water, which had been used previously.