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The Arthur K. Parpart Lectureship
7/16/07 - 4:00 PM - Lillie Auditorium
"Being a Scientist: Some Lessons Learned"
Bruce Alberts, University of California, San Francisco
Bruce Alberts is a respected biochemist with a strong commitment to the improvement of science and mathematics education. In 2005 he returned to the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, after serving two six-year terms as the president of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
During his tenure at the NAS, Dr. Alberts was instrumental in developing the landmark National Science Education standards that have been implemented in school systems nationwide. The type of “science as inquiry” teaching we need, says Alberts, emphasizes “logical, hands-on problem solving, and it insists on having evidence for claims that can be confirmed by others. It requires work in cooperative groups, where those with different types of talents can discover them – developing self confidence and an ability to communicate effectively with others.”
Dr. Alberts is one of the original authors of The Molecular Biology of the Cell, a preeminent textbook in the field now in its fourth edition. For the period 2000 to 2009, he serves as the co-chair of the InterAcademy Council, a new organization in Amsterdam governed by the presidents of 15 national academies of sciences and established to provide scientific advice to the world.
Widely recognized for his work in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology, Dr. Alberts has earned many honors and awards, including 14 honorary degrees. He currently serves on the advisory boards of more than 15 non-profit institutions. He is a Trustee of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a Trustee of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the president of the American Society of Cell Biology.
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About the Arthur K. Parpart Lectureship
The Arthur K. Parpart Lectureship was established by Dr. Joseph F. Hoffman in memory of Dr. Parpart’s distinguished career as a devoted teacher and able investigator. Dr. Parpart’s interest in the natural sciences began during his early years as an undergraduate student at Amherst College. Although his research over the years encompassed a wide range of subjects, his main concern was the physiology of the red blood cell, in particular the physiological and biochemical architecture of its cell membrane.
In 1931, Dr. Parpart accepted a faculty position at Princeton University shortly after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1948, he was elevated to chairman of Princeton’s Department of Biology, a position he occupied until his sudden death in 1965. Each June, Dr. Parpart transported his laboratory to Woods Hole where he spent summers doing research at the Marine Biological Laboratory. For more than ten years, he was a faculty member of the MBL’s Physiology Course; in 1963, was elected President of the Laboratory.
Widely known for his work in physiology and biochemistry, Dr. Parpart made a vital contribution to medical science during WWII, by directing a top-priority research project, which succeeded in lengthening the time human blood can be stored from three days to a maximum of forty days.
The career of Arthur K. Parpart was a notable one in all respects. He was a productive scientist, a vigorous and preserving leader, and a man who engendered the respect and friendship of scores of students and colleagues.
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