"It might seem unfair to reward a person for having so much pleasure over the years, asking the maize plant to solve specific problems and then watching its responses. " - Barbara McClintock

(1902-1992) Barbara McClintock was an American geneticist who discovered transposition of genes through her work on plants, specifically corn.  Genetic transposition is the movement of genes to various positions on the chromosome. This discovery was completely opposite of the genetic understanding at that time, and it was not until her findings were confirmed as molecular techniques improved that she was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1983.  She became the first woman to win a non-shared Nobel Prize.  She graduated from Cornell University with a doctorate degree and was awarded the National Medal of Science, the highest government award for science.  

Source: NIH