The Lab Visit That Inspired a Legacy
The place where it all began: Kirsten Guss, associate professor of biology (standing) leads a biology lab at Dickinson. Photo by Dan Loh.
Proud mom, former NIH researcher invests in hands-on science education
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
When Judy Guss-Nelson, a former NIH scientist, stepped into a Dickinson biology lab, she wasn't there to teach. She was there to observe her daughter, a Dickinson professor, at work. Seeing an undergraduate student pose thoughtful questions and use complex equipment that wasn’t yet invented when she was at the NIH, Judy saw an exceptional education in action.
Judy often spoke about that experience. Ultimately, it inspired her to make an estate gift to Dickinson that will enhance students’ science education for years to come.
Ahead of the curve
Born in Baltimore in 1938, the eldest of six siblings, Judy attended Gettysburg College on scholarship, earning a chemistry degree at a time when far fewer women did.
She went on to become a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), working alongside leaders including Maxine Singer, whose research on RNA and DNA synthesis helped lay the foundation for our understanding of the genetic code. One year after her college graduation, Judy married Earl Guss. In 1962, she published research in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Judy Guss-Nelson was one of few women to work at the NIH in the 1960s. After her retirement, she remained very active. In 2005, Judy represented Wyoming as a swimmer in the National Senior Games.
Judy and Earl had three children together: Andrea, Erik and Kirsten, the youngest. Judy retired from the NIH to raise them, but she continued to work outside the home, as a ski patroller, Avon and Tupperware rep and as a certified scuba and swimming instructor—and, eventually, as a financial consultant. She also enjoyed travel, horseback riding and swimming for fun, later swimming with dolphins in Miami, with whales in Tonga and with sea lions near the arch of Cabo San Lucas. In retirement, Judy also represented Wyoming as a swimmer in the National Senior Games.
After two decades together, Judy and Earl divorced. Judy later married Thomas E. Nelson, who shared her love of dancing and travel.
Sparking inspiration
Education was vitally important to Judy—especially the education of young women. All three of her children graduated from college. Two of them also earned advanced degrees
Judy was especially proud when her youngest child, Kirsten, established a career in science. Kirsten earned a B.S. at Gettysburg and a Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University and joined Dickinson's faculty in 2001. She's now an associate professor of biology and the John & Inge Paul Stafford Chair In Bioinformatics.
When Kirsten became a college marshal, Judy tuned in to the livestreamed Commencement ceremony, year after year, to see her daughter in the procession.
"I know she was very proud of me and my career," Kirsten says. "She often repeated the sentiment that when a man is educated, an individual learns, but when a woman is educated, a family learns."
Kirsten Guss (left) and her mom, Judy Guss, in Hawaii. In addition to instilling the importance of education, Judy, a certified scuba instructor, taught her children to swim.
So when Kirsten invited Judy into her lab during a campus visit, Judy eagerly agreed. Working side by side with a standout student, Judy was reminded of her own educational trajectory. She asked Kirsten for updates about the student’s career for years afterward.
"Mom knew that Dickinson provides a valuable experience for students, particularly for young women who are pursuing science,” says Kirsten.
Creating a legacy
Once, Judy mentioned to Kirsten that she planned to make an estate gift to Dickinson, but she didn’t make a big deal about it. After Judy’s passing last year, Kirsten was surprised and awed to discover that her mother had designated a $94,000 estate gift to the college.
“That was mom’s way,” says Kirsten. “She’d find something meaningful and support it with little fanfare.”
The Judith K. Guss-Nelson Human Anatomy Fund supports the general needs of the college's anatomy and biology programs—with the flexibility to address the areas of greatest need. The fund may help support laboratory equipment, instructional resources and other priorities that enhance students' hands-on learning experiences.
Kirsten is moved by her mother's generosity, foresight and maternal pride.
"I think Mom’s connection to Dickinson was like the connection that the parents of our students have: They see how their children have bloomed within the limestone walls, so they have cherished feelings about the institution," says Kirsten. “Mom gave to Dickinson because she wanted to acknowledge the impact of Dickinson on its students and on me.”
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Published June 18, 2026