JOSEPHINE ELIZABETH TILDEN(1869-1957) born in Davenport,Iowa in 1869 and she was the youngest of five children and only girl in her family She lived in an era when it was rare for woman to obtain degrees and become university professors as she did at the university of Minnesota. In her first course in botany with Professor Conway Macmillan,she became interested in algae she began collecting and identifying the local species and as undergraduate,published five papers on the flora 1895 she received her B.S.degree then she asked to join the faculty at the Minnesota ,she was working on the algae of the pacific (became the first woman faculty member at the university of Minnesota

Primary Contributions of J.E.Tilden JOSEPHINE ELIZABETH TILDEN(1869-1957) Primary Contributions of J.E.Tilden 1-wrote the first American textbook on phycology: The algae and their Life Relations(1935 2-Established The Minnesota Seaside Station on Vacouver Island with C. MacMillan(1901) 3-Produced 2 algal exsiccate: American Algae and South pacific Algae 4-Prepared and distributed a comprehensive bibliographic card index on algae :Index Alagrum Universalis 5-Wrote the first American taxonomic guide to blugreen algae: The Myxophyceae of North American and Adjacent Regions(1901)

JOSEPHINE ELIZABETH TILDEN(1869-1957) In 1934-35 Tilden made her last trip to south pacific.With 10 graduate students for collecting and studying both algae and vascular plants each students $1000 and she paid $2000. They went east around the world: to Europe,across the Mediterranean Sea,and through the Suez Canal,Red Sea,and Indian Ocean to Australia then their money began to run short,she wired the university and borrowed the several thousand dollars required to complete the trip (hoped that the sales of the new exsiccate would be more than reimburse the university for their loan). University were offended by Tilden’s wire for money ,on return she was asked to retire in years and told that after that time she would no longer have space at the university!!

JOSEPHINE ELIZABETH TILDEN(1869-1957) Shocked by the decision quickly completed: The algae and their Life Relations(1935),a text book she had begun before she retired in 1937,and in 1938 she moved to,Lake Wales, Florida where she founded the Golden Bough Community,a colony of retired professors that grew citrus communally.

JOSEPHINE ELIZABETH TILDEN(1869-1957) Financial difficulties had been her downfall twice before ,and they afflicted her during retirement,desperately poor .Tilden died in 1957. She was an amazing energetic and productive phycologist and well-loved teacher, she produced over 50 scientific articles,3 books,2major exsiccates,and a bibliographic card index on the world literature in her field.6 ph.D. and numerous M.S.Students completed their degrees with her.