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A Legacy of Scientific Excellence

Born in 1883 in South Carolina, E.E. Just showed great academic promise and a love for the environment at a young age. After elementary school, he earned enough money to move north to attend Kimball Union Academy, as the only African American student at the time. While at KUA, he served as editor of the newspaper and president of the debate team. He graduated from high school after three years and attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH.

After graduating, E.E. Just moved to Washington D.C. to teach at Howard University. He quickly opened a science building and became head of the Biology--and later Zoology-- Departments. Just earned his PhD at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts and continued his career of cell biology research at Woods Hole, Howard, and eventually overseas at prestigious research institutions in Italy, France, and Germany. His research, which focused on fertilization and embryonic development, was some of the earlist work in the field of modern fertilization practices and, some would argue, ecological developmental biology or 'Eco-Devo' (Byrnes and Eckberg, 2006).

E.E. Just received the first Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1915, and several grants from such renowned organizations as National Research Council for his research. He devoted his life to the study of marine organisms in their natural environment and stressed the importance of viewing organisms as holistic systems. Systems thinking is at the core of today's environmental sustainability education.

When Just died in 1942, he left a legacy of scientific excellence at both Kimball Union Academy and Dartmouth College. Dartmouth College began its E.E. Just Program for Students in the Sciences, involving internships and regular science forums, to encourage minority students to major in the sciences.

Over the past ten years, Kimball Union has developed an excellent reputation for its E.E. Just Environmental Science department, and we are proud to name the new Environmental Leadership Institute after this successful graduate as well. Just's legacy will continue to live on in the achievements of our talented and motivated science students for years to come.

*Some of this information was taken from Oracle Thinkquest and SCIENCE DIRECT

See the following sites for more information about E.E. Just's life and work:

• The American Society For Cell Biology Minority Affairs Committee E.E. Just Lectureship

• Description of Just's research on Polyspermy

• San Jose State University Biographical Page

• The Black Apollo of Science: The Life of Ernest Everett Just A book by Kenneth Manning.

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Students to tackle Global Warming in 2007! Students applying to our 2007 Environmental Leadership programs will explore the effects of global warming on local industries - agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, fishing, and more - through field trips, work with local experts and hands-on research! More 2007 Student Institute information.

ALL EDUCATORS attending any E.E. Just Institute are eligible to receive graduate credit!

KUA is a 2006 recipient for the National Association of Independent School's “Leading Edge Award” for Environmental Sustainability! Read more!

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