James F. Crow: his life in public service

The readers of this journal may well be aware of Professor Crow's scientific achievements and his role as the editor of Perspectives. In addition, for many thousands of students at the University of Wisconsin over many generations, James F. Crow was one of the most memorable teachers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. What is less known is his major role in public service where he served as chair of many important committees for the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institutes of Justice as well as various international programs. In all of these efforts, Professor Crow has left a lasting impact.     

James F. Crow and the art of teaching and mentoring

To honor James F. Crow on the occasion of his 95th birthday, GENETICS has commissioned a series of Perspectives and Reviews. For GENETICS to publish the honorifics is fitting, as from their birth Crow and GENETICS have been paired. Crow was scheduled to be born in January 1916, the same month that the first issue of GENETICS was scheduled to appear, and in the many years that Crow has made major contributions to the conceptual foundations of modern genetics, GENETICS has chronicled his and other major advances in the field. The commissioned Perspectives and Reviews summarize and celebrate Professor Crow's contributions as a research scientist, administrator, colleague, community supporter, international leader, teacher, and mentor. In science, Professor Crow was the international leader of his generation in the application of genetics to populations of organisms and in uncovering the role of genetics in health and disease. In education, he was a superb undergraduate teacher whose inspiration changed the career paths of many students. His teaching skills are legendary, his lectures urbane and witty, rigorous and clear. He was also an extraordinary mentor to numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom went on to establish successful careers of their own. In public service, Professor Crow served in key administrative positions at the University of Wisconsin, participated as a member of numerous national and international committees, and served as president of both the Genetics Society of America and the American Society for Human Genetics. This Perspective examines Professor Crow as teacher and mentor through the eyes and experiences of one student who was enrolled in his genetics course as an undergraduate and who later studied with him as a graduate student.     

James F. Crow and the stochastic theory of population genetics

Research in population genetics theory has two main strands. The first is deterministic theory, where random changes in allelic frequencies are ignored and attention focuses on the evolutionary effects of selection and mutation. The second strand, stochastic theory, takes account of these random changes and thus is more complete than deterministic theory. This essay is one in the series of Perspectives and Reviews honoring James F. Crow on the occasion of his 95th birthday. It concerns his contributions to, and involvement with, the stochastic theory of evolutionary population genetics.     

Development of molecular biology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Dramatic changes in the foundation of academic departments in our universities are uncommon. With the demonstration that DNA was the cellular source of genetic information, and that this information could be regulated, the field of molecular biology was born. Later, when scientists found that they could tinker with this information, the field matured. In an unusually rapid manner, molecular biology was integrated into the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This present article is a chronology of how it happened. What are the factors that made this transition possible in the University of Wisconsin? What lessons have we learned from this experience?     

Daniel I.C. Wang: a tribute to an inspirational leader and colleague

Daniel I.C. Wang has been an influential leader of the biotechnology industry over the past four decades through his inspirational research activities, the legions of students and other researchers that have studied under him, his development of many research and educational initiatives, both nationally and internationally, and the advice he has given worldwide to companies, research institutions, universities, and governments. He has played an important role in the mentoring and nurturing of junior faculty members, and has been a supportive collaborator in research and teaching. This two-part article provides a brief overview of Danny Wang's many contributions to furthering the global development of biotechnology, with particular emphasis on his recent activities in Asia, and concludes with an account of his research collaborations with the author over the past two decades.     

Wah Soon Chow,a teacher,a friend and a colleague

Photosynthesis Research - To finish this special issue, some friends, colleagues and students of Prof. Chow (Emeritus Professor, the Research School of Biology, the Australian National University)...     

Development of molecular biology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Dramatic changes in the foundation of academic departments in our universities are uncommon. With the demonstration that DNA was the cellular source of genetic information, and that this information could be regulated, the field of molecular biology was born. Later, when scientists found that they could tinker with this information, the field matured. In an unusually rapid manner, molecular biology was integrated into the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This present article is a chronology of how it happened. What are the factors that made this transition possible in the University of Wisconsin? What lessons have we learned from this experience?