Newton, Margaret National Historic Person
Winnipeg, Manitoba
HSMBC plaque
(© Parks Canada / Parcs Canada)
Address :
194 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1997-09-22
Life Date:
1887 to 1971
Other Name(s):
-
Newton, Margaret
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
1996-015
Importance:
Contributed to scientific information on rust-resistant grains, rust diseases and wheat stem rust
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 194 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba
While still a doctoral student in plant pathology, Margaret Newton discovered that there was more than one strain of wheat rust. Her experiments advanced scientific knowledge of stem rust in wheat, which represented a major threat to the Canadian economy. Throughout her long career, much of it spent at Winnipeg’s Dominion Rust Research Laboratory, her meticulous research led to the development of rust-resistant grains. Margaret Newton became an internationally acclaimed scientist and a striking role model for Canadian women in science.