Barbara McClintock was a woman ahead of her time. She was heralded as the most distinguished cytogeneticist of her time, in a time where female influence in that field, or any STEM field was nearly unheard of. McClintock overcame obstacles in her academic career, and went on to produce her research on ‘jumping genes’, which a major impact that lasted for generations to come and garnered her numerous accolades and awards.
Barbara McClintock was born on June 16th, 1902, in Hartford, Connecticut, where she lived until 1908, when her family moved to Brooklyn, where she completed high school with an interest in genetics and science. From there, she enrolled in the in an Ivy League school in 1919, the University of Cornell, which had a prestigious reputation even then.…