Chris R. Somerville facts for kids

Christopher Roland Somerville is a Canadian-American biologist. He is famous for being a pioneer in studying a small plant called Arabidopsis thaliana. This plant is often used by scientists as a model to understand how plants work. Currently, Dr. Somerville is a Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley and works as a Program Officer at the Open Philanthropy Project.

A Scientist's Journey and Work

Christopher Somerville studied Mathematics and earned his PhD in Genetics at the University of Alberta. After that, he did more research and then became a professor at several universities. These included the University of Alberta, Michigan State University, Stanford University, and the University of California, Berkeley. He also led the Department of Plant Biology at the Carnegie Institution for Science and later the Energy Biosciences Institute at UC Berkeley. He retired from teaching at UC Berkeley in 2017.

Dr. Somerville also helped start several companies. He was a co-founder and Executive Chairman of Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.. He also helped create Poetic Genetics, LS9, Inc, and Redleaf Biologics. He has shared his ideas in public discussions about the benefits of transgenic crops (plants with added genes) and biofuels (fuels made from plants).

In 2006, Christopher Somerville and Elliot Meyerowitz received the Balzan Prize. They earned this award for their important work in making A. thaliana a key plant for scientific research. His interest in this tiny mustard plant was sparked by an article written by George Rédei.

While at Michigan State University, Dr. Somerville's research team worked on creating special plants. These plants, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, had genes from two types of bacteria. This allowed the Arabidopsis plant to produce a material called polyhydroxybutate (PHB). PHB is a type of plastic that can break down naturally, which is good for the environment. Companies were already making PHB using bacteria, but the idea was that plants like potatoes could produce it more cheaply.

Many students and researchers who trained in Dr. Somerville's lab have gone on to start their own successful science labs. Some of these include Mark Estelle, Peter McCourt, Christoph Benning, and Sean Cutler.

Dr. Somerville is a member of several important science groups. These include the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (since 1996), the Royal Society (since 1991), and the Royal Society of Canada (since 1993). He has also received many awards. Some of these are the EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 2010 and the Genetics Society Mendel Medal in 2004. He has also received honorary degrees from many universities, including the University of York and Michigan State University.

Media Appearances

Christopher Somerville appeared on the TV show "Bill Nye the Science Guy." In the episode called "Pollution Solutions," he talked about his research. He explained how he used the Arabidopsis plant to create biodegradable plastics made from plants.

Key Discoveries and Contributions

• He helped create a new way to study how plants work. This method, called 'biochemical genetics,' helped understand plant processes like photorespiration (how plants use light), how plants make fats, and how they make cellulose (a main part of plant cell walls).
• He was the first to use a special method called 'map-based cloning' to find a specific gene in A. thaliana.
• He led the creation of The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR). This is a very important online database and website for scientists who study Arabidopsis.

See also

• History of research on Arabidopsis thaliana