Avraham Fahn (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
:אברהם פאהן born 8 August 1916, died 19 February 2012) was an Israeli professor of
botany
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 w ...
at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Biography
Avraham Fahn was born in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. He emigrated to
Mandate Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...
and studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, receiving a
PhD in 1948.
Academic career
In 1952, he joined the Hebrew University faculty, lecturing in botany. From 1952 to 1953, he was a research fellow at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
and in 1956 at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
. He became an associate professor at the Hebrew University in 1960 and a full professor in 1965, serving as
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
of the faculty from 1964 to 1966 and pro-rector from 1969 to 1970.
Following the
Six Days War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...
in 1967, Fahn assisted in the restoration of the botanical gardens at the University's
Mount Scopus
Mount Scopus ( he, הַר הַצּוֹפִים ', "Mount of the Watchmen/ Sentinels"; ar, جبل المشارف ', lit. "Mount Lookout", or ' "Mount of the Scene/Burial Site", or ) is a mountain (elevation: above sea level) in northeast Je ...
campus. He also served for many years as head of the Forestry Department of the
Volcani Institute of Agricultural Research.
Fahn retired in 1985. His books on the anatomy of plants have become basic texts in the field of botany.
Awards and recognition
* In 1963, Fahn was awarded the Israel Prize, in life sciences.
* From 1995 to 1999, he served as
Vice-President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
of the International Association of Botanists.
See also
*
List of Israel Prize recipients
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fahn, Avraham
Israeli botanists
Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to Mandatory Palestine
Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni
Academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Israel Prize in life sciences recipients
1916 births
2012 deaths
Burials at Har HaMenuchot