Maria Ragland Davis

Maria Ragland Davis (June 1, 1959 – February 12, 2010) was an American biologist and educator. She was associate professor of Biology at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where she studied molecular biology and plant genetics.
Life and career.
A native of Detroit, she received her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in the same discipline from North Carolina State University. Following the receipt of her master's degree, Davis completed her doctorate in biochemistry and plant biology. Davis studied strawberries, looking at the genetic makeup of strains that were susceptible to fungal pathogens under cold stress and those that were not.
Death.
She was one of three faculty members killed in the University of Alabama in Huntsville shooting on February 12, 2010. She was 50 years old.