What type of person was Dr Percy Julian?

What type of person was Dr Percy Julian?

steroid chemist
A steroid chemist and an entrepreneur, Percy Julian ingeniously figured out how to synthesize important medicinal compounds from abundant plant sources, making them more affordable to mass-produce. In the 1930s chemists recognized the structural similarity of a large group of natural substances—the steroids.

What are some fun facts about Percy Julian?

Percy Lavon Julian (April 11, 1899 to April 19, 1975) was an American research chemist. He was a pioneer in the industrial scale chemical synthesis of progesterone and testosterone from plant sterols. He was the first African-American chemist to become a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Why is Percy Julian the forgotten genius?

As one of the first Black chemists, he fought to make a place for himself in a profession and country divided by bigotry. Julian had reached unparalleled levels of scientific and personal achievement, overcoming countless obstacles to become a world-class scientist, a self-made millionaire, and a civil rights pioneer.

What was Percy Julians education like?

He attended school through the eighth grade but there were no high schools open to Black students. He applied to DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he had to take high school-level classes in the evening to get him up to the academic level of his peers.

What was Percy Julian childhood like?

Percy Lavon Julian, born on 11 April 1899, hailed from Montgomery, Alabama and he was the eldest of six children. His mother was Elizabeth Lena Julian Adams, a teacher and his father was James Sumner Julian, a postal clerk. Both his parents were graduates of a school that was to become Alabama State University.

What was Percy Julians childhood like?

What did Percy L Julian do?

In 1935, in Minshall Laboratory, DePauw alumnus Percy L. Julian (1899-1975) first synthesized the drug physostigmine, previously only available from its natural source, the Calabar bean. His pioneering research led to the process that made physostigmine readily available for the treatment of glaucoma.

Where did Percy Julian live as a child?

He was born in Montgomery, Alabama on April 11, 1899 to James Sumner and Elizabeth Lena Julian. His grandparents had been slaves in the Civil War era and Julian grew up facing immense racial segregation.

Why was Percy Julian such a great scientist?

Percy Julian worked through situations that were never ideal, and made the best of them because of his desire to make difference and contribute to the benefit of the larger society, even if it was the one that, ironically, held him back from being a truly great chemist, which in his eyes, he never was.

What was life like for Percy Lavon Julian?

During the time when Percy Julian was born racial segregation was a law in Alabama and lynching was not yet a federal crime. Percy started his education at a segregated elementary school and studied up to eighth grade. One day while walking in the woods he came across the body of a lynched man hanging from a tree.

What was the theme of Percy Julian’s life?

The theme of Percy Julian’s life could be one about outstanding achievements in the face of great obstacles; it could also be one about oppression and missing opportunities; and, still, it could be one offering an example of community service and bravery.