Ernest Just, the son of a dock builder and a teacher was born in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1907, Just graduated from Dartmouth at the top of his class with a degree in zoology and later became the head of the Department of Zoology at Howard University. He was a zoologist, biologist, and research scientist in the field of physical chemistry. His research made advancements in the following areas: •egg fertilization, experimental parthenogenesis. •hydration •cell division•dehydration in living cells•the effects of ultraviolet rays in increasing chromosome numbers in animals
•the effects of ultraviolet rays in altering the organization of the egg with reference to polarity.                                                                                               Ernest Just produced ground-breaking research in cell biology at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, Just worked at the Institution only during the summers. Despite his part-time appointment, Ernest Just published over 70 scientific papers. Just left an everlasting impression within the African American community for his ability to pursue a high level of education in spite of the racial obstacles that he faced toward the path to success.                 At the age of 16, Just enrolled at a Meriden, New Hampshire college-preparatory high school, Kimball Union Academy. During Just's second year at Kimball, he decided to return home for a visit only to hear that his mother had been buried an hour before he arrived. Despite this hardship, Just completed the four-year program in only three years and graduated in 1903 with the highest grades in his class. Just went on to graduate magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Just won special honors in zoology, and distinguished himself in botany, history, and sociology as well. He was also honored as a Rufus Choate scholar for two years and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  Jackie Taylor