Andrew Benson
Encyclopedia
Andrew Alm Benson is an American biologist
and a professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego
until his retirement in 1989. He is known for his work in understanding the carbon cycle
in plants.
, the son of a rural physician of Swedish immigrant stock.
He studied as an undergraduate and masters student at the University of California, Berkeley
, where he learned optics from Luis Alvarez
and worked in the chemistry lab of Glenn T. Seaborg
.
In 1942, he received his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology
; at Caltech, he worked under the supervision of Carl Niemann
, conducting experiments on the fluorination of thyroxine
; his later thesis work concerned “periodate and lead tetraacetate degradation of its vicinal amino glycol”. At that time he also became a conscientious objector
to the war in Europe
, a political position that caused difficulties for him when he moved back to Berkeley following his graduation.
In May 1946 he was invited to join the group of Melvin Calvin
, who was then starting a photosynthesis
group in Berkeley's Old Radiation Laboratory, a building that had previously housed a 37-inch cyclotron
built in 1937 by Ernest Lawrence
. He visited Norway
from 1951 to 1952 on a Fulbright fellowship
to the Norwegian College of Agriculture, and took a faculty position at Pennsylvania State University
in 1954. He moved to UCSD from a previous position at the University of California, Los Angeles
in 1962.
and James Bassham
, Benson elucidated the path of carbon assimilation (the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle) in plants. The carbon reduction cycle is known as the Calvin cycle
, which inappropriately ignores the contribution of Bassham and Benson. Many scientists refer to the cycle as the Calvin–Benson Cycle, Benson-Calvin, and some even call it the Calvin–Benson–Bassham (or CBB) Cycle.
In a 2002 paper, Benson provides an in-depth retrospective on his life and works.
in 1972, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1981, and the Norwegian Society of Arts and Letters in 1984. In 1962, the United States Department of Energy
gave him the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award
for his work using radioactive isotopes to understand the carbon cycle. He also received the Sugar Research Foundation Award in 1950 and the Stephen Hales Prize of the American Society of Plant Biologists
in 1972 for his discovery of ribulose
as a product of the carbon cycle. In 2007, a special issue of Photosynthesis Research was dedicated to him in honor of his 90th birthday.
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
and a professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
until his retirement in 1989. He is known for his work in understanding the carbon cycle
Carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth...
in plants.
Early life and education
Benson was born on September 24, 1917, in Modesto, CaliforniaModesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
, the son of a rural physician of Swedish immigrant stock.
He studied as an undergraduate and masters student at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he learned optics from Luis Alvarez
Luis Alvarez
Luis W. Alvarez was an American experimental physicist and inventor, who spent nearly all of his long professional career on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley...
and worked in the chemistry lab of Glenn T. Seaborg
Glenn T. Seaborg
Glenn Theodore Seaborg was an American scientist who won the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "discoveries in the chemistry of the transuranium elements", contributed to the discovery and isolation of ten elements, and developed the actinide concept, which led to the current arrangement of the...
.
In 1942, he received his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
; at Caltech, he worked under the supervision of Carl Niemann
Carl Niemann
Carl George Niemann was an American biochemist who worked extensively on the chemistry and structure of proteins, publishing over 260 research papers...
, conducting experiments on the fluorination of thyroxine
Thyroxine
Thyroxine, or 3,5,3',5'-tetraiodothyronine , a form of thyroid hormones, is the major hormone secreted by the follicular cells of the thyroid gland.-Synthesis and regulation:...
; his later thesis work concerned “periodate and lead tetraacetate degradation of its vicinal amino glycol”. At that time he also became a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
to the war in Europe
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a political position that caused difficulties for him when he moved back to Berkeley following his graduation.
Post-graduate career
Benson returned to Berkeley as an instructor in July 1942.In May 1946 he was invited to join the group of Melvin Calvin
Melvin Calvin
Melvin Ellis Calvin was an American chemist most famed for discovering the Calvin cycle along with Andrew Benson and James Bassham, for which he was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He spent most of his five-decade career at the University of California, Berkeley.- Life :Calvin was born...
, who was then starting a photosynthesis
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
group in Berkeley's Old Radiation Laboratory, a building that had previously housed a 37-inch cyclotron
Cyclotron
In technology, a cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator. In physics, the cyclotron frequency or gyrofrequency is the frequency of a charged particle moving perpendicularly to the direction of a uniform magnetic field, i.e. a magnetic field of constant magnitude and direction...
built in 1937 by Ernest Lawrence
Ernest Lawrence
Ernest Orlando Lawrence was an American physicist and Nobel Laureate, known for his invention, utilization, and improvement of the cyclotron atom-smasher beginning in 1929, based on his studies of the works of Rolf Widerøe, and his later work in uranium-isotope separation for the Manhattan Project...
. He visited Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
from 1951 to 1952 on a Fulbright fellowship
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
to the Norwegian College of Agriculture, and took a faculty position at Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in 1954. He moved to UCSD from a previous position at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
in 1962.
Research
In work done from 1946 through 1953, along with Melvin CalvinMelvin Calvin
Melvin Ellis Calvin was an American chemist most famed for discovering the Calvin cycle along with Andrew Benson and James Bassham, for which he was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He spent most of his five-decade career at the University of California, Berkeley.- Life :Calvin was born...
and James Bassham
James Bassham
James Alan Bassham James Alan Bassham James Alan Bassham (born November 26, 1922 in Sacramento, California is an American scientist known for his work on photosynthesis.He received a B.S. degree in chemistry in 1945 from the University of California and his Ph.D. degree in 1949...
, Benson elucidated the path of carbon assimilation (the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle) in plants. The carbon reduction cycle is known as the Calvin cycle
Calvin cycle
The Calvin cycle or Calvin–Benson-Bassham cycle or reductive pentose phosphate cycle or C3 cycle or CBB cycle is a series of biochemical redox reactions that take place in the stroma of chloroplasts in photosynthetic organisms...
, which inappropriately ignores the contribution of Bassham and Benson. Many scientists refer to the cycle as the Calvin–Benson Cycle, Benson-Calvin, and some even call it the Calvin–Benson–Bassham (or CBB) Cycle.
In a 2002 paper, Benson provides an in-depth retrospective on his life and works.
Awards and honors
Benson was elected to the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
in 1972, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1981, and the Norwegian Society of Arts and Letters in 1984. In 1962, the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
gave him the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award
The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award was established in 1959 in honor of a scientist who helped elevate American physics to the status of world leader in the field....
for his work using radioactive isotopes to understand the carbon cycle. He also received the Sugar Research Foundation Award in 1950 and the Stephen Hales Prize of the American Society of Plant Biologists
American Society of Plant Biologists
The American Society of Plant Biologists is a professional society devoted to the advancement of the plant sciences. It was founded in 1924 as the American Society of Plant Physiologists and renamed in 2001...
in 1972 for his discovery of ribulose
Ribulose
Ribulose is a ketopentose — a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms, and including a ketone functional group. It has chemical formula 5105. Two enantiomers are possible, D-ribulose and L-ribulose . D-Ribulose is the diastereomer of D-xylulose.Ribulose sugars are composed in the...
as a product of the carbon cycle. In 2007, a special issue of Photosynthesis Research was dedicated to him in honor of his 90th birthday.