Class
| • | 2. Biological Sciences | [X] |
| | 1 | Name: | Dr. Purnell W. Choppin | | | Institution: | Howard Hughes Medical Institute | | | Year Elected: | 1988 | | | Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | | | Subdivision: | 209. Neurobiology | | | Residency: | Resident | | | Living? : |
Deceased
| | | Birth Date: | 1929 | | | Death Date: | July 3, 2021 | | | | | | |
Purnell W. Choppin was President Emeritus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), serving from 1987-99. HHMI, one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations, supports research at medical schools, universities, and research institutes across the country and operates grants programs for science education at every level from elementary school through postdoctoral training, and for international biomedical research. He is also a principal of The Washington Advisory Group, LLC, which provides strategic counsel and management consulting services to universities, governments, and not-for-profit organizations. Before joining HHMI, Dr. Choppin was at the Rockefeller University, where he was Leon Hess Professor of Virology, vice president for academic programs, and dean of graduate studies. Dr. Choppin was a member of many scientific and professional societies, including the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and the Association of American Physicians. In 1985-86 he was President of the American Society for Virology. His honors and awards include the Howard Taylor Ricketts Award from the University of Chicago (1978); the Selman A. Waksman Award for excellence in microbiology from the NAS (1984); the University of California, San Francisco Medal (2000); and many honorary degrees. Dr. Choppin was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1988. He died on July 3, 2021. | |
| 2 | Name: | Dr. Jared Mason Diamond | | | Institution: | University of California, Los Angeles | | | Year Elected: | 1988 | | | Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | | | Subdivision: | 203. Evolution & Ecology, Systematics, Population Genetics, Paleontology, and Physical Anthropology | | | Residency: | Resident | | | Living? : |
Living
| | | Birth Date: | 1937 | | | | | | |
Jared Diamond, professor of geography and physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical School, researches integrative and evolutionary physiology and regulation of nutrient transport, among other interests. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1961 and spent five years at Harvard University as a junior fellow and associate in biophysics before joining the faculty at UCLA in 1966. Dr. Diamond is known for his outstanding achievements in a number of fields, as a membrane physiologist, population biologist (particularly island ecology) and intrepid explorer (reaching several previously unvisited and almost inaccessible mountain ranges in the interior of New Guinea). His brilliant analysis of the factors controlling species diversity completely revolutionized that branch of population biology, and his delightful essays in Nature dealing with little known aspects of biology document the breadth of his scholarship. His popular science works often combine anthropology, biology, linguistics, genetics and history. Dr. Diamond's book Guns, Germs and Steel (1997) was recognized with the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction, and his recent book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (2004), examines some of the great civilizations of the past and what contemporary society can learn from their fates. He is also the author of The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? (2012). The recipient of numerous prizes, including the 1998 Japanese Cosmos Award, Dr. Diamond is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. | |
| 3 | Name: | Dr. Jane Goodall | | | Institution: | Jane Goodall Institute | | | Year Elected: | 1988 | | | Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | | | Subdivision: | 205. Microbiology | | | Residency: | International | | | Living? : |
Living
| | | Birth Date: | 1934 | | | | | | |
Jane Goodall began her landmark study of chimpanzees in Tanzania in June 1960, under the mentorship of anthropologist and paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey. Her work at the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve would become the foundation of future primatological research and redefine the relationship between humans and animals. One of Jane's most significant discoveries came in her first year at Gombe, when she saw chimps stripping leaves off stems to make the stems useful for fishing termites out of nearby mounds. This and subsequent observations of Gombe chimps making and using tools would force science to rethink the definition that separated man from other animals: "man the toolmaker." Jane also observed chimps hunting and eating bushpigs and other animals, disproving the widely held belief that chimpanzees were primarily vegetarians. Dr. Goodall defied scientific convention by giving the chimpanzees names instead of numbers, and insisted on the validity of her observations that the chimps had distinct personalities, minds and emotions. She wrote of lasting chimpanzee family bonds. Through the years her work yielded surprising insights such as the discovery that chimpanzees engage in warfare. Dr. Goodall established the Gombe Stream Research Center in 1964. Under the stewardship of Tanzanian field staff and other researchers, it continues Dr. Goodall's work today, making it one of the longest uninterrupted wildlife studies in existence. In 1977, Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), which supports the Gombe work and other research, education and conservation and development programs. These include community-centered conservation efforts in Africa that empower villagers to build sustainable livelihoods while promoting regional conservation goals such as reforestation and an end to the illegal commercial bushmeat trade. JGI's Roots & Shoots program, which supports students from preschool through university in projects that benefit people, animals and the environment, today hosts about 6,000 worldwide groups in more than 87 countries. Dr. Goodall travels an average of 300 days per year, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees, other environmental crisis, and her reason for hope that human kind will solve the problems it has imposed on the earth. She continually urges her audiences to recognize their personal responsibility and ability to effect change through consumer action, lifestyle change and activism. Her most recent book is Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder From the World of Plants (2013). In 2016 she was awarded the Krogman Award from the Penn Museum and in 2021 she won the Templeton Prize. | |
| 4 | Name: | Dr. Daniel E. Koshland | | | Institution: | University of California, Berkeley | | | Year Elected: | 1988 | | | Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | | | Subdivision: | 201. Molecular Biology and Biochemistry | | | Residency: | Resident | | | Living? : |
Deceased
| | | Birth Date: | 1920 | | | Death Date: | July 23, 2007 | | | | |
| 5 | Name: | Dr. Peter Hamilton Raven | | | Institution: | Missouri Botanical Garden & Washington University | | | Year Elected: | 1988 | | | Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | | | Subdivision: | 203. Evolution & Ecology, Systematics, Population Genetics, Paleontology, and Physical Anthropology | | | Residency: | Resident | | | Living? : |
Living
| | | Birth Date: | 1936 | | | | | | |
Peter H. Raven is one of the world's leading botanists and advocates of conservation and biodiversity. For four decades, he headed the Missouri Botanical Garden, an institution he nurtured into a world-class center for botanical research and education, and horticultural display. He retired as president in 2010 and assumed the role of president emeritus and consultant through 2014. Described by Time magazine as a "Hero for the Planet," Raven champions research around the world to preserve endangered plants and is a leading advocate for conservation and a sustainable environment.
In recognition of his work in science and conservation, Raven is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the 2003 Japanese Cosmos Award, the prestigious International Prize for Biology from the government of Japan and the U.S. National Medal of Science, the country's highest award for scientific accomplishment. He has held Guggenheim and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowships.
Raven was a member of President Bill Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. He also served for 12 years as home secretary of the National Academy of Sciences and is a member of the academies of science in Argentina, Brazil, China, Denmark, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, the U.K., and several other countries. The author of numerous books and reports, both popular and scientific, Raven co-wrote Biology of Plants, an internationally best-selling textbook, now in its sixth edition. He also co-authored Environment, a leading textbook on the environment. | |
| 6 | Name: | Dr. Werner E. Reichardt | | | Institution: | Max Planck Institute | | | Year Elected: | 1988 | | | Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | | | Subdivision: | 210. Behavioral Biology, Psychology, Ethology, and Animal Behavior | | | Residency: | International | | | Living? : |
Deceased
| | | Birth Date: | 1924 | | | Death Date: | 9/18/92 | | | | |
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