Frederick C. Neidhardt (1931-2016) was an American

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

who was on the faculty at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He is known for his work on the

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

and

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

l growth and for early work in bacterial proteomics.

Early life and education

Neidhardt was born in

Philadelphia 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 ...

on May 12, 1931. He was an undergraduate at

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...

and graduated in 1952. He then received his Ph.D. from

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 higher le ...

in 1956. He spent the next several years as a researcher at the

Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines f ...

, the University Institute of Microbiology, and the University of Regensburg before returning to the United States in 1961 for a faculty position at

Academic career

Neidhardt's independent research career began when he joined the Purdue faculty in 1961. He remained there until 1970, when he moved to the

to become the chair of the microbiology department; he continued as chair for the following 13 years. During that time he served in a number of other administrative roles, including associate dean for faculty in the medical school and Vice President for Research. He became the Frederick G. Novy Distinguished University Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in 1989 and retired, assuming

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

status, in 1999. Neidhardt authored or coauthored several widely recognized textbooks and reference works, including an important treatise on bacterial growth titled ''Escherichia coli and Salmonella: Cellular and Molecular Biology''. He spent almost twenty years on the board of the Waksman Foundation for Microbiology housed at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

and served as its president. He served as the president of the American Society for Microbiology in 1982.

Awards and honors

* Eli Lilly Award in bacteriology or immunology, 1966 *

Alice C. Evans Award The ASM Alice C. Evans Award for Advancement of Women is an award given by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) to an ASM member who has made outstanding contributions to the status of women in microbiology and related sciences. The award ai ...

, 1983 * Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

, 1996

Personal life

Neidhardt was a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

and was noted by friends for his dedication to social causes, including support for women and minority scientists. Neidhardt had three children. He died on October 7, 2016, in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, of injuries stemming from a fall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neidhardt, Frederick Kenyon College alumni Harvard University alumni University of Michigan faculty 1931 births 2016 deaths