Alan M. Roberts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Professor Alan M. Roberts FRS
Roberts in 2015
Born	Alan Madoc Roberts (1941-08-24) 24 August 1941 (age 83) Rugby, Warwickshire
Alma mater	University of Cambridge University of California, Los Angeles
Awards	FRS (2015)
Scientific career
Fields	Zoology Xenopus Neuroanatomy Electrophysiology
Institutions	University of Bristol Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California, San Diego
Thesis	Recurrent Inhibition in the Giant Fibre System of the Crayfish and its Effect on the Excitability of the Escape Response (1967)
Doctoral advisor	Ted Bullock

Alan Madoc Roberts (born in 1941) is an English scientist. He is a retired professor of Zoology at the University of Bristol. Professor Roberts is known for his important work on how the nervous system controls movement. He has studied how animals like tadpoles move and react to their surroundings.

Becoming a Scientist

Alan Roberts went to Rugby School and then the University of Cambridge. There, he studied Natural Sciences, focusing on Zoology. He later studied at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1967, he earned his PhD. His research was about how Crayfish react to danger, like trying to escape quickly. His teacher was Theodore Holmes Bullock.

Awards and Special Honours

In 2015, Alan Roberts became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very special honor for top scientists in the UK. It means he is recognized for his excellent contributions to science.

His election certificate explained why he received this award. It said that Alan Roberts is a great scientist who studies how electricity works in nerves (electrophysiologist). He also studies the structure of the nervous system (neuroanatomist) and how animals behave.

Understanding Tadpole Movement

Professor Roberts spent a lot of time studying how amphibian tadpoles move. He looked closely at the tiny circuits in their spinal cord. These circuits help tadpoles make rhythmic movements, like swimming.

His work helped us understand how these movements are controlled. He showed how sensory information (what the tadpole feels) and signals from the brain affect these movements. He was inspired by another scientist, George E. Coghill, to study simple networks in young vertebrates (animals with backbones).

By carefully examining each cell, Professor Roberts found out how these nerve connections develop. His research gave us unique insights into how the nervous system is built and how it works.

Images for kids

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  Roberts in 2015