Patricia Bergquist
Encyclopedia
Dame
Patricia Rose Bergquist, DBE, MSc (Hons), PhD, DSc, FRSNZ (10 March 1933 — 9 September 2009) was a New Zealand
scientist who specialized in anatomy
and taxonomy
. She was Professor Emerita of Zoology
and Honorary Professor of Anatomy
at the University of Auckland
.
Following her doctorate she studied overseas, initially at Yale University
where she broadened her systematic expertise, she became an educator and researcher at the University of Auckland
on matters related to anatomy, taxonomy and zoology, with particular interest in the marine sponge
. She felt a stable framework of higher level classification which would permit recognition of generic relationships and facilitate descriptions of new species was missing and has played an enormous role in helping this facilitation.
She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993 for her contributions to science. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (FRSNZ).
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
Patricia Rose Bergquist, DBE, MSc (Hons), PhD, DSc, FRSNZ (10 March 1933 — 9 September 2009) was a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
scientist who specialized in anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
. She was Professor Emerita of Zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
and Honorary Professor of Anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
at the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
.
Following her doctorate she studied overseas, initially at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where she broadened her systematic expertise, she became an educator and researcher at the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
on matters related to anatomy, taxonomy and zoology, with particular interest in the marine sponge
Sea sponge
Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera . Their bodies consist of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. While all animals have unspecialized cells that can transform into specialized cells, sponges are unique in having some specialized cells, but can also have...
. She felt a stable framework of higher level classification which would permit recognition of generic relationships and facilitate descriptions of new species was missing and has played an enormous role in helping this facilitation.
She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993 for her contributions to science. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (FRSNZ).