Yvonne Aitken

Yvonne Aitken (17 October 1911 – 29 November 2004) was an Australian agricultural scientist whose contributions to the field included studies of plant flowering as it depends on climate, season, and genetic factors. She was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989.

Aitken's primary goal was to produce a greater range of consumable crops.

Background and personal life Aitken was born on 17 October 1911 in Horsham, Victoria to David Aitken and Arabella Miller. Aitken later received a scholarship called a Government Free Place that would enable her to attend the University of Melbourne to study agricultural sciences, despite financial pressures of the Great Depression at the time. while studying her Bachelors of Agricultural Science (BAgSc) degree, which she received in 1936. During these years, she was introduced to physics, zoology, chemistry, and botany for the first time. At the end of her second year of undergraduate studies, she was interrupted by an illness that forced her to return home. Her mother cared for her for two years before she returned to finish her degree.

After retiring, Aitken continued to work in the plant sciences for 19 years, aiming to breed new varieties of maize for different climate ranges. There are multiple levels of membership of the Order of Australia. Aitken was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia due to her 'service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group' as a general citizen.

Legacy — Yvonne Aitken Scholarship Aitken joined the Victorian Graduate Women Association in 1937 after she received her undergraduate degree, she was a member for 74 years. The association was founded in 1920 with the goal to empower women through education. The association changed its name to Graduate Women Victoria in the 60s.

When Aitken died on 29 November 2004, she left a substantial gift to the association for their scholarship program. The Graduate Women Victoria association established the Yvonne Aitken Scholarship in 2008. The Scholarship is gifted to a female student enrolled in a graduate program at a college of the student's choice in Victoria, Australia.