Peter H. Raven
Peter H. Raven FMLS[1] | |
---|---|
Peter Raven, after receiving the Addison Emery Verrill Award | |
Born |
June 13, 1936 Shanghai, China |
Nationality | American |
Fields | Botany, Evolutionary biology, Biodiversity |
Institutions |
Stanford University, Missouri Botanical Garden Washington University in St. Louis |
Alma mater |
University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles |
Notable awards |
International Prize for Biology (1986) Volvo Environment Prize (1992) Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (1994) International Cosmos Prize (2003) |
Peter Hamilton Raven FMLS (born June 13, 1936) is a botanist and environmentalist, notable as the longtime director, now President Emeritus, of the Missouri Botanical Garden.[2]
Early life
On June 13, 1936, Raven was born in Shanghai, China to American parents. An uncle of his father's was, for a time, one of the wealthiest Americans in China, but was later jailed in a banking scandal. That incident and Japanese aggression in China led the Raven family to return to San Francisco, CA in the late 1930s.
After becoming a member of the California Academy of Sciences while still a youth, Raven went on to graduate with a BSc in Biology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1957 and a Ph.D. in botany from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1960.
Career
After teaching at Stanford University, Raven went on to become Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden in 1971. In 2006, his position was renamed President and Director. Raven announced his plans to retire in 2011, to coincide with his 75th birthday and his 40th year at the Garden. Peter Wyse Jackson was appointed as Raven's successor at the Missouri Botanical Garden in September 2010.
Raven is possibly best known for his important work Butterflies and Plants: A Study in Coevolution published in the journal Evolution in 1964 which he coauthored with Paul R. Ehrlich. Since then he has authored numerous scientific and popular papers, many on the evening primrose family, Onagraceae. Raven is also an author of the widely used textbook Biology of Plants, now in its seventh edition, coauthored with Ray F. Evert and Susan E. Eichhorn (both of University of Wisconsin, Madison).
He is a frequent speaker on the need for biodiversity and species conservation.
The American Society of Plant Taxonomists established in 2000 the Peter Raven Award in his honor to be conferred to authors with outstanding contributions to plant taxonomy and "for exceptional efforts at outreach to non-scientists".
He serves on the advisory council of CRDF Global. He also served on the board of trustees for Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public, from 1993-1996.
Awards and honors
- Arthur Hoyt Scott Medal 2009, awarded by the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College[3]
- U.S. National Medal of Science recipient, 2000[3]
- Honorary Member of the American Society of Landscape Architects
- Elected as a Corresponding Fellow to the Australian Academy of Science
- Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
- Catharine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, 1985
- Member of President Bill Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology
- Former Home Secretary of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
- International Prize for Biology winner
- Former President of Sigma Xi
- Engler Medal winner
- Volvo Prize winner
- American Society of Plant Biologists Leadership in Science Public Service Award, 2012
- Induction into the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 1995[4]
- Former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- International Cosmos Prize, 2003
- Named a Hero for the Planet by TIME magazine
- Member of National Geographic Society board of trustees
- The Delmer S. Fahrney Medal in 1989
- William L. Brown Award for Excellence in Genetic Resource Conservation (2010)[5]
- Honorary Doctor of Science Harvard University May 29, 2014
References
- Raven page at MOBOT
- Raven page at Washington University
- Bio at National Geographic
- 1999 story at time.com
- ↑ "Royal Patrons and Honorary Fellows". The Linnean Society of London. Retrieved 2014-07-25.
- ↑ http://www.mobot.org/press/Media_Room_Images/Dr_Raven/Dr_Raven_Images.asp
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Peter H. Raven -- Curriculum Vita, retrieved 09-08-2010 Check date values in:
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(help) - ↑ St. Louis Walk of Fame. "St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees". stlouiswalkoffame.org. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ↑ "The 2010 William L. Brown Award". William L. Brown Center for Plant Genetic Resources. Missouri Botanical Garden. 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ↑ "Author Query for 'P.H.Raven'". International Plant Names Index.
Works
Paul R. Ehrlich and Peter H. Raven (1964), "Butterflies and Plants: A Study in Coevolution", Evolution, 18: 586-608.
Peter H. Raven and Helena Curtis (1970), Biology of Plants, New York: Worth Publishing. [Early presentation of five-kingdom system.]
External links
- Sullivan, R. & J. Eaton. Peter Raven's botanical roots come from S.F. San Francisco Chronicle August 20, 2008.
- Profile on the International Cosmos Prize website
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peter H. Raven. |
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