biology

Marie Jakus

Marie Jakus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Marie Jakus rather than just read about it. In short: Marie Agnes Jakus (born c. 1915) was an American biologist and microscopist specialized in electron microscopic studies of the fine structure of eye tissues. She was a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Retina Foundation, and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness before becoming a science administrator at the Center for Scientific Review.

Key takeaways

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Reproduce the core statement of Marie Jakus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Marie Agnes Jakus (born c. 1915) was an American biologist and microscopist specialized in electron microscopic studies of the fine structure of eye tissues. She was a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Retina Foundation, and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness before becoming a science administrator at the Center for Scientific Review.

Early life and education Jakus was born c. 1915 in Ohio to Hungarian immigrants, Anna H. Vintila (née Hovancsik) and Anton Jakus. She had a sister, Florence A. Frash. Jakus completed a B.A. from Oberlin College where she was a student assistant for 5 years. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. Jakus received a fellowship from Oberlin College in 1938 to study marine invertebrate zoology at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She later worked as a graduate assistant at Washington University in St. Louis between 1938 and 1941, during which she received a fellowship in 1941 to return to Woods Hole to study physiology. Jakus joined the staff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a research assistant. At MIT, she began working toward her Ph.D. in biology, receiving it in 1945. Her dissertation was titled The Structure and Properties of the Trichocysts of Paramecium. Jakus' doctoral advisor was Francis O. Schmitt.

Career Jakus remained at MIT as a research associate. During her 10 years there, she was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship and took a year's sabbatical leave to study at the Institute for Cell Research at the Karolinska Institute. In 1951, Jakus joined the Retina Foundation where she developed a national reputation for electron microscopic studies of the fine structure of eye tissues. She has authored and coauthored publications dealing with electron microscopic and ocular studies, among them, a volume of electron micrographs of ocular tissues and papers describing the fine structure of collagen, paramyosin, trichocysts, and Descemet's membrane in the cornea. Jakus joined the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness (NINDB) in 1961 as a program coordinator in vision in the extramural programs. ln this capacity, she was responsible for the administration of research grants and programming activities along disease-oriented lines for all disorders of the eye. She became a science administrator and joined the Center for Scientific Review as executive secretary in the visual sciences study section to review, analyze, evaluate, and process research grant applications. Jakus retired in 1977. Jakus was a member of the Electron Microscopy Society of America, the American Association of Anatomists, and an honorary member of the Association for Research in Ophthalmology.

Personal life Jakus was interested in photography, music, and reading. She was also a "Royal River Rat," a title she earned in 1968 when she shot the complete course of the Colorado River rapids between Lees Ferry and Temple Bar Marina in a rubber raft.

Selected works Schmitt, Francis O.; Hall, Cecil E.; Jakus, Marie A. (August 1942). "Electron microscope investigations of the structure of collagen". Journal of Cellular and Comparative Physiology. 20 (1): 11–33. doi:10.1002/jcp.1030200103. ISSN 0095-9898. Jakus, Marie A. (July 1954). "Studies on the Cornea I". American Journal of Ophthalmology. 38 (1): 40–53. doi:10.1016/0002-9394(54)90008-2. Jakus, Marie A. (July 1956). "Studies on the Cornea II. The Fine Structure of Descemet's Membrane". The Journal of Biophysical and Biochemical Cytology. 2 (4): 243–252. doi:10.1083/jcb.2.4.243. ISSN 1540-8140. PMC 2229738. PMID 13357549. Jakus, Marie A. (April 1962). "Further Observations on the Fine Structure of the Cornea". Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 1 (2): 202–225. ISSN 1552-5783.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marie Jakus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marie Jakus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Marie Jakus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Marie Jakus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Marie Jakus

In research: Marie Jakus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Marie Jakus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Marie Jakus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1910s births, 20th-century American biologists, 20th-century American women academics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marie Jakus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Marie Jakus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marie Jakus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Marie Jakus in simple terms?

Why does Marie Jakus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Marie Jakus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Marie Jakus.