Class
| • | 2. Biological Sciences | [X] |
| | 21 | Name: | Dr. Carl R. Woese | | | Institution: | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | | | Year Elected: | 2004 | | | Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | | | Subdivision: | 205. Microbiology | | | Residency: | Resident | | | Living? : |
Deceased
| | | Birth Date: | 1928 | | | Death Date: | December 30, 2012 | | | | | | |
By combining the methods of evolutionary biology and microbiology, Carl Woese used ribosomal RNA sequence data as an evolutionary measure to develop a phylogenetically based classification system, initially for prokaryotic bacteria and ultimately for all living organisms. In doing so he effectively discovered a new domain of life, the Archaea, comprised of unique microbes including methanogens and thermophiles; he also published the first complete genome structure of this newly recognized life form. This work is of profound significance in understanding the origins of life on earth and the process of adaptation to extreme environments. In overturning the long-held traditional dichotomization of life into eukaryotes and prokaryotes, he revolutionized biology, profoundly and fundamentally changed the world's view of living organisms. Dr. Woese was Stanley O. Ikenberry Professor of Microbiology at the University of Illinois, where he had taught since 1964. A graduate of Yale University (Ph.D., 1953), he had been honored with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Award (1984); the Leeuwenhoek Medal (1990); the National Academy of Sciences' Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology (1997); the National Medal of Science (2000); the Crafoord Award of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2003); the 2009 Abbott-ASM Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society for Microbiology; and membership in the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. Carl Woese died December 30, 2012, at the age of 84 in Urbana, Illinois. | |
| 22 | Name: | Dr. Patricia Chapple Wright | | | Institution: | Stony Brook University; Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments; Centre ValBio Research, Madagascar | | | Year Elected: | 2013 | | | Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | | | Subdivision: | 205. Microbiology | | | Residency: | Resident | | | Living? : |
Living
| | | Birth Date: | 1944 | | | | | | |
Dr. Patricia Chapple Wright has made major contributions in the biology, ecology, conservation and behavior of living primates. She discovered a new species of lemur, Hapalemur aureus in 1987 and helped establish the Ranomafana National Park to protect it. Her research concerns focus on behavior, scenescence, parasitology, predation, rainforest ecology, climate change and conservation studies of Malagasy lemurs. Patricia Wright earned a BA from Hood College in 1966 and a PhD in Anthropology from City University of New York in 1985. Dr. Wright has led over 40 field expeditions to Peru, Paraguay, East Malaysia, the Philippines and Madagascar. She has held professional appointments at Duke (1983-91) and Stony Brook Universities (1991-2013) and is the Executive Director of the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments at Stony Brook (1992-2013) and the Founder and International Director of the Centre ValBio research station in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. In 2019 she was installed as Herrnstein Family Endowed Chair in Conservation Biology. She has authored over 150 scientific publications and is the holder of many high honors. She is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2004) as well as other professional associations. She was awarded a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (1989-1994), a "Knight of the National Order" in 1995, the Officier Medal in 2003 and the Commandeur Medal in 2012 by the government of Madagascar. Dr. Wright has been the recipient of awards including the Hauptman Woodward Pioneer in Science Medal (2008), Distinguished Primatologist Award from American Society of Primatology (2008), honorary degrees from Hood College and the University of Antananarivo and a Distinguished Alumnae Award from Hood College (2008). In 2012 she was a finalist for the Indianapolis Prize for Conservation and in 2014 she won that same award. Her books include Madagascar: Forests of our Ancestors, Tarsiers: Past, Present and Future, and High Moon over the Amazon: My Quest to Understand the Monkeys of the Night. Dr. Wright was a member of the National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration, and is a member of the Board of NGS Conservation Trust, Duke Lemur Center, Madagascar Fauna Group and IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group. Her work has been featured in the film "Me and Isaac Newton" directed by Michael Apted (1999) and "IMAX 3D Madagascar: Lemurs" directed by David Douglas (2014). Dr. Wright was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2013. | |
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