Josephine Elizabeth Tilden

1. Josephine Elizabeth Tilden 1869-1957

2. Phycologist • Teacher • Rare for a women to obtain a degree and become a teacher • Researcher • Bibliographer • Professional interests • Taxonomy • Morphology • Published works on • Biogeography • Phylogeny • Economic uses of algae Never let her gender impede her

3. Education • 1895-received her B.S. • Offered a job with the college of Minnesota • Began Teaching • Appointed department librarian • 1897-received her M.S. • Promoted to instructor • 1901-established Botanical Beach Seaside Station • 1910-promoted to full professor

4. Accomplishments • 1894-distributed Century American Algae • Studied, collected and identified algae species • Published 5 papers on flora • 1895-published lengthy bibliography on the American Phycological Literature • 1896-completed Century II of American Algae • 1898-distributed Century III of American Algae • 1901-1902-Century V and VI of American Algae • 1906-published laboratory notes and directions in General Plant Morphology (Algae, Fungi and Lichens) • 1910-comlpeted The Myxophyceae of North America and Adjacent Regions. Century VII the last of American Algae • 1910-1912-Distributed first 3 Centuries of South Pacific Algae • 1913-Completed 3 Centuries of South Pacific Plants • 1915-1937-worked on her Index Algarim Universals – comprehensive bibliographic card file on the algae of the world (37,000 cards in the complete set)

5. Character • Dedicated hard worker • Had a passion for algae • Uncanny skill for finding superb collecting sites • Strong willed • Inspired students • 6 Ph D. students and numerous M.S. students completed their degrees with Tilden

6. In The End • After dedicating all that she had to her studies Tilden died in poverty in 1957 • In her lifetime • Produced 50 scientific papers • 3 books • 2 major exsiccatae • American Algae • South Pacific Algae