Dr. OâNeil Ray Collins.
Today I am stepping way outside of my wheelhouse to present the essential contributions of Dr. OâNeil Ray Collins to the field of mycology.Â
Dr. Collins was born in Opelousas, Louisiana in 1931. He earned his bachelor of science at Southern University in 1957, his masterâs and PhD at the University of Iowa, in 1959 and 1961. He taught at Queens College, Southern University, Wayne State University, and would go on to become chairman of the botany department and UC Berkeley. His research over the years focused on myxomycete (slime mold) reproduction and genetics. He discovered heterothalism and homothalism in Didymium and Physarum plasmodial slime molds, and researched incompatibility, cytotoxicity, mating-type diversity, and speciation in slime molds during his scientific career. He was the chairman for the microbiology section the Botanical Society of America in 1968, and a Councilor in Genetics and Cytology for the Mycological Society of America from 1980-1983.Â
He was a persistent advocate for diversity in academia, and served as the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division at UC Berkeley where he developed the Graduate Minority Program in 1970. And in 1987, he created the introductory course âBiology, Evolution, and Race.âÂ
Sadly, he passed away in 1989 sue to Hodgkinâs Disease. But his legacy continues on in the form of his crucial contributions to slime mold genetics, and as the only African-American biologist to achieve a tenured position at UC Berkeley.Â
Black lives matter. Black ideas matter. Black academics matter. Black science matters. Systematic racism in the U.S. prevents black students and scientists from being able to reach their full potential. We need to stand against racism in all its forms. We need to change the system. History would like you to forget the contributions of people labelled as âother.â It is our job to remember them. Â
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