Carrie Derick was born in Clarenceville, Quebec, in 1862. She received her BA from McGill University in 1890, earning the highest marks and winning several prizes. The following year, Carrie became the first female instructor at McGill. In 1896, she earned her MA and, after a long struggle, was made a lecturer. Five years later, she was appointed acting chairperson of the botany department, a position she held for nearly three years. But when the university finally filled the position permanently, it passed over Carrie, and hired a man. Carrie eventually became the first woman ever appointed to a full professorship at a Canadian university. Her research on heredity was read by scientists around the world and paved the way for the future study of genetics. She was one of the few women listed in American Men of Science (1910). McGill awarded her the honorary title of 'Professor Emerita'. She died in 1941.
Sources: Despite the Odds pg. 74-87 from Canadian Women: Risktakers & Changemakers Women Inventors Project
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