Helen Thompson Gaige

Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige (November 24, 1890 – October 24, 1976) was an American herpetologist, curator of Reptiles and Amphibians for the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan, and a specialist in neotropical frogs.

In 1937 she became editor in chief of the ichthyological and herpetological periodical Copeia, and wrote extensively on Central American amphibians and reptiles.

[1] Her research chiefly concerned the geographical distribution, habitats, and life histories of amphibians.

She also assisted in organizing the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, of which she was named honorary president in 1946.

In honor of the couple, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists presents its annual Gaige Fund Award, a monetary grant to help a graduate student in the field of herpetology.