12 Facts About Alma Howard

Alma Clavering Howard Rolleston Ebert was a Canadian-born English radiobiologist.

Alma Howard was joint editor for many years of the International Journal of Radiation Biology and deputy director of Paterson Laboratories in Manchester.

Alma Howard made a "fundamental contribution to cell biology" in collaboration with physicist Stephen Pelc when they "were the first to ascribe a timeframe to cellular life," creating the concept of the cell cycle.

Alma Howard married twice after the start of her career but published, and was generally known in the scientific community, under her maiden name.

Alma Clavering Howard was born in Montreal on 23 October 1913, the fourth and youngest child of barrister Eratus Edwin Howard and Evalyn Isobel Peverley.

Alma Howard then completed graduate studies at McGill in the Department of Genetics under Charles Leonard Huskins.

In 1939, Howard married Patrick William Rolleston and took up a Finney-Howell Research Fellowship at McGill.

In 1966, Alma Howard became deputy director at the Paterson Laboratories and Joint Editor of International Journal of Radiation Biology, the later position held until her death.

Alma Howard began to suffer from progressive lameness around 1969 and her condition was eventually diagnosed as Multiple sclerosis.

Alma Howard "remained mobile" and carried on both her scientific work and hosted visiting scientists, postgraduate students and family friends from many countries at her home with Ebert in Chinley, White Hall.

Alma Howard died on 1 April 1984 from cancer of the liver after a short terminal illness.

Alma Howard was author or joint author of some 94 papers in the fields of genetics and radiobiology.