Carol Ann Darlene Litchfield (néeRoss; October 10, 1936 – April 3, 2012) was an American microbiologist whose research focused on halophile organisms. Litchfield joined George Mason University's biology department in 1993, serving as a research professor between 2005 and 2010 in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy.[1]
After a few years of working as a research scientist at Texas A&M University, Litchfield enrolled in the university's organic chemistryPhD program. At that time, women were only allowed to attend Texas A&M if they were the wife of a student or employee, so she relied on her husband's employment in the biology department. Litchfield completed her postdoctoral studies in marine science at Bangor University.[2]
Academic career
After completing her postdoctoral research, Litchfield and her husband began teaching at Rutgers University. While Charles specialized in the soluble oils of marine mammals, Carol worked on oceanographic microbiology. During this period, Litchfield served on the New Jersey Governor's Panel on Coastal Waters. Litchfield and her post-doctoral student Russel Vreeland discovered the halophilic bacterial genus Halomonas in 1980 during a sampling trip in Bonaire. Among their isolates, they characterized the species Halomonas elongata, which has become the model organism for researching moderate halophiles.[2]
In 1993, Litchfield joined the Department of Biology of George Mason University, later transitioning into its Department of Environmental Science and Policy.[2]
Honors and awards
From 2017 to 2018, Litchfield served as President of the Society of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB), which awarded her its Charles Porter Prize in 2012. At its annual conference, SIMB organizes the Carol D. Litchfield Best Student Oral and Poster Presentation Awards in her memory.[2] Her longtime collaborator, Mike Dyall-Smith, named a newly discovered halophilic bacterial species Halohasta litchfieldiae in her honor, as this bacteria was discovered in the salty waters of the Deep Lake in Vestfold Hills of Antarctica[2][3]
Personal life
Upon her official retirement from George Mason University in 2008, Litchfield donated her collection of microbiology texts to the university. In her free time, Litchfield studied the history of salt, which she frequently presented at Society of Industrial Archaeology conferences.[2]
Litchfield married biologist Charles Carter Litchfield in 1960, who died in 2007. In February 2012, Litchfield was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and on April 3, 2012, Litchfield died in her home in Arlington County, Virginia.[1] In accordance with her wishes, her ashes, Cincinnati Reds visor, and "SALT BUG" vanity license plate were used to construct two pods that would support coral reef recovery. One pod was deployed off the southeastern coast of Florida, while the other was deposited in the Great Salt Lake of Utah.[2]
