Nationality Canadian Died 17 June 1994 | Fields Marine biology Field Marine biology | |
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Born August 31, 1903London, Ontario ( 1903 -08-31 ) Institutions University of Western Ontario Institution University of Western Ontario Similar Louis Fortier, Michael Bigg, Edith Berkeley | ||
Helen Irene Battle (August 31, 1903 – June 17, 1994) was a Canadian ichthyologist and marine biologist. In 1928 she became the first woman in Canada to earn a PhD in Marine Biology, and in a teaching career of over fifty years studied such topics as embryology and teaching methodology. Born in London, Ontario, she received B.A. (1923) and M.A. (1924) from University of Western Ontario (Western University). She completed her PhD at the University of Toronto in 1928 under the supervision of Achibald G. Huntsman, and from 1929 to 1967 served on the faculty of Western University. She was a founding member and first vice-president of the Canadian Society of Zoologists (1961) and served as its president in 1962–1963.
She was awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal in 1967, and in 1971 was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Western as well as a Doctor of Science from Carleton University. She received the F. E. J. Fry medal from the Canadian Society of Zoologists in 1977, becoming the first woman recipient. She was an honorary member of the National Association of Biology Teachers, and in 1991 the Canadian Society of Zoologists established the Helen I. Battle award in her honor.