Elizabeth McCoy (microbiologist)


Elizabeth McCoy was an American microbiologist and a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Biography

McCoy was born in Madison, Wisconsin, February 1, 1903. Her parents, Esther Williamson and Cassis James McCoy, were both college educated. Her mother was a professor and then an active practicing nurse for six years. McCoy's mother taught her basic microbiology and about respiratory diseases. Her father was a professor at the college but for health reasons had to retire. While growing up, McCoy was already interested in microbiology.
McCoy received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1929. She joined the school's faculty after earning her degree and was one of the first women to become a full professor there. Her research included significant contributions in multiple areas within microbiology, and she became one of the first prominent women within the field. While working on a government project at the University of Wisconsin during World War II, McCoy discovered a Penicillium strain producing 900 times as much penicillin as Alexander Fleming's strain; this discovery enabled to the drug's widespread commercial production.
McCoy had many other research accomplishments. She developed the antibiotic oligomycin; while the drug never became a useful treatment for disease, it is still used in research. She also was part of the team that first discovered Moorella thermoacetica, a model organism important to developing our uderstanding of the Acetyl Co-A metoabolic pathway. McCoy's other research included work in soil microbiology, the microbiology of water bodies, and botulism.
McCoy's house in Fitchburg, where she lived from 1949 until her death, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Select publications