Evelyn Marie Carmon Nicol was an American immunologist and microbiologist.
15 Facts About Evelyn Nicol
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Evelyn Nicol was the first scientist to isolate the herpes zoster virus, and is one of the few African American women to receive a patent in molecular biology, for a new production method of urokinase.
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Evelyn Nicol's parents were Daniel Eugene Carmon, a schoolteacher, and Margarite Wilson Carmon, a homemaker.
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When she graduated from high school, Evelyn Nicol was offered a scholarship at Tuskegee University to study Home Economics.
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Evelyn Nicol moved to Alabama in 1949 to attend university, but she chose to study Mathematics and Chemistry instead of Home Economics.
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Evelyn Nicol graduated at the top of her class in 1953 with a degree in Chemistry and Mathematics, and earned the Beta Kappa Chi and Alpha Kappa Mu honors.
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From 1953 to 1955, Evelyn Nicol worked as a research assistant for the Salk Polio Project of the Carver Research Foundation.
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Evelyn Nicol then joined Abbott Laboratories as a research assistant in 1962.
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On 6 January 1976, Evelyn Nicol patented a new technique to increase the production yield of urokinase, an enzyme used to dissolve blood clots.
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Evelyn Nicol was one of the few African American women to be awarded a patent in molecular biology at that time.
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Two blind studies funded by Abbott Pharmaceuticals determined that the testing kits produced under Evelyn Nicol's leadership were the best available.
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Evelyn Nicol retired in 1990, refusing to work for a company that had been so openly discriminatory.
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Retirement allowed Evelyn Nicol to partake in her many hobbies such as oil painting, bridge, and tennis to name a few.
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At the age of 89, Evelyn Nicol was hospitalized for a stroke, and was diagnosed with COVID-19.
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Evelyn Nicol died from complications of the virus in May 2020.