Martin Gibbs (November 11, 1922 – July 24, 2006) was an American

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

and educator who worked in the field of carbon metabolism. The Martin Gibbs Medal, an award honoring individuals in

plant sciences Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

, is named in his honor.

Career

Gibbs was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and educated at the

Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since 1 ...

. He obtained his Ph.D. from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

in 1947. Gibbs went on to work as a scientist at the Brookhaven National Laboratory that same year. In 1957, he returned to academia as professor of biochemistry at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. In 1962, in the midst of his research, he accepted the role as editor-in-chief of ''

Plant Physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...

''. As editor he focused his strong inclination toward biochemistry on journal manuscripts and was able to significantly grow the journal. He eventually moved on to

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

becoming the Abraham S. and Gertrude Berg Professor of Biology and served as chair of the Department of Biology for three years. In 1993, the Martin Gibbs Medal, awarded to those who have provided significant contributions in the field of plant sciences, was created by the American Society of Plant Biologists to honor his retirement.

Career related

*Consultant

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

, 1961–64, 1969–1972 *

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

, 1966–69 * Cosmos Club, 1984 *Marine Biological Laboratory, 1970 *RESA lecturer, 1969 *NATO consultant fellowship board, 1968–70 *Council International Exchange of Scholars, 1976–82 *Chairman of selection committee, Fulbright Scholars for Eastern Europe *Adjunct professor Botanical Institute, University Munster, Federal Republic of Germany, 1978, 1980, 1987 *Adjunct professor department botany University California, Riverside, 1979-1989.

Creative works

Author

*Structure and Function of Chloroplasts, 1970 *Crop Productivity-Research Imperatives, 1975 *Crassulacean Acid Metabolism, 1982 *Crassulacean Acid Biosynthesis and Function of Plant Lipids, 1983 *Crop Productivity-Research Imperative, Revisited, 1985 *Hungarian-USA Binational Symposium on Photosynthesis, 1986

Editor-in-chief

*Plant Physiology, 1963—92

Associate editor

*Physiologie Vegetale, 1966—1976 *Annual Review of Plant Physiology, 1966—1971

Awards

*Recipient Charles Reid Barnes award, 1984 *

Alexander von Humboldt Fellow The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (german: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung) is a foundation established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and Resear ...

, 1987 *Adolph E. Gude award, 1993 *Martin Gibbs medal, 1993 *University Illinois Achievement award, 1996 *Bulgarian Academy Sciences gold medal *Recognized as a Pioneer Member of the American Society of Plant Biologists.

References

External links

The Boston Globe - ObituaryMaarteen J. Chrispeels, "Martin Gibbs", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2016)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbs, Martin Cornell University faculty 1922 births 2006 deaths Members of the French Academy of Sciences University of the Sciences alumni University of Illinois alumni Brookhaven National Laboratory staff Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences