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Second Dutch Milestone in Microbiology: Johanna Westerdijk
π§ In 2024, the KNVM started marking locations in the Netherlands that are of significance for microbiology. On Friday 11 April 2025, the second Dutch Milestone in Microbiology was unveiled. This milestone can be found in the Cantonspark in Baarn, where Johanna Westerdijk's experimental garden was located.
π©π¬ 𧫠She was the founder of research into fungi and plant diseases and was appointed the first female professor in the Netherlands by Utrecht University in 1917. Johanna laid the foundation for one of the largest fungi collections in the world and was an example for women in science.
π The festive opening, organized by the KNVM and the Friends of the Cantonspark Foundation, took place in the Wintertuin, a former botanical greenhouse in the Cantonspark. Afterwards, the plaque was unveiled by Mark Röell - the mayor of Baarn - in the sun-drenched park by the old wall at the Rose Garden. The plaque was designed by illustrator Malou Zuidema, as was the first one for Antoni van Leeuwenhoek.
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