David Goodall (botanist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Goodall
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David Goodall, early 1970s
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David William Goodall
4 April 1914 Edmonton, Middlesex, England
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| Died | 10 May 2018 (aged 104) Liestal, Switzerland
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| Nationality | British Australian |
| Education | Imperial College London |
| Awards | Member of the Order of Australia (2016) |
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| Thesis | Studies in the assimilation of the tomato plant (1941) |
David William Goodall (4 April 1914 – 10 May 2018) was a famous botanist and ecologist. He was born in England but later became an Australian citizen. He helped create new ways to study plant groups using statistics.
David Goodall worked as a scientist and teacher in many countries. These included England, Australia, Ghana, and the United States. He was the main editor for a huge 30-book series called Ecosystems of the World. He also wrote over 100 scientific papers. He was known as Australia's oldest working scientist. He was still editing science papers when he was 103 years old! David Goodall died in Switzerland when he was 104.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
David Goodall was born in Edmonton, England, on 4 April 1914. When he was young, he first liked chemistry. But later, he became very interested in biology.
He studied at the Imperial College London. He earned his first degree in 1935. Then, he got his PhD in 1941. His PhD research looked at how tomato plants grow and use nutrients. During World War II, he was told his research was very important. This meant he could not join the armed forces.
His Work and Discoveries
In 1948, David Goodall moved to Australia. He became a senior teacher of botany at the University of Melbourne. From 1952 to 1954, he worked in Ghana. There, he helped with the cocoa industry. He earned another science degree from the University of Melbourne in 1953.
He then went back to England. He taught about plants used in farming at the University of Reading. From 1956 to 1967, he was a research scientist in Australia. He worked for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Later, he moved to the United States. He taught biology at the University of California, Irvine. He also taught about ecosystems at Utah State University. He returned to Australia and worked with CSIRO again. He officially retired in 1979.
Working After Retirement
Even after retiring, David Goodall kept working. He stayed with CSIRO until 1998. Then, he joined Edith Cowan University as a research associate. He helped many students with their science degrees. He also helped edit several science magazines.
David Goodall was famous for his work on plant physiology. This is how plants function. He also helped with statistical analysis in ecology. Ecology is the study of how living things interact with their environment. He helped change plant ecology. It went from just describing plants to using numbers and facts.
In the 1950s and 1960s, he wrote papers about how to classify plants. He showed how to do this in a way that was more scientific. In 1954, he was the first to use a method called "factor analysis" in ecology. He called this "ordination." This method is now used a lot in ecology.
In the late 1960s, he helped start a project called the Desert Biome. He helped create computer models. These models showed how things like desertification and overgrazing affect dry lands.
A Scientist's Office
In 2016, when David Goodall was 102, his university made a decision. They said he could not travel to his old office anymore. They suggested he work from home. He was only allowed to come to the university for special meetings.
David Goodall said he liked talking to his friends in the office hallway. He did not have many other social contacts. This decision caused a lot of discussion. The university then found a new office for him. It was much closer to his home.
In December 2016, David Goodall was still very active. He was the main editor for the Ecosystems of the World series. At 103, he was still editing science papers. He was thought to be the oldest working scientist in Australia. He worked on the Ecosystems of the World series from 1972 until it finished in 2005.
Awards and Special Honours
David Goodall received many awards for his work.
- In 1990, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Trieste in Italy.
- He was a member of 14 different science groups.
- In 1994, he won the Distinguished Statistical Ecologist Award.
- In 2008, he received the Gold Medal from the Australian Ecological Society.
- In 1997, he became an Honorary Member of the International Association for Vegetation Science. This is their highest award.
In 2014, David Goodall turned 100 years old. A book of science papers was dedicated to him that year. In 2015, a special issue of the Plant Ecology magazine honored him. In 2016, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia. This was for his important work in plant ecology and managing natural resources.
His Life Outside Work
David Goodall was married three times. He had four children and 12 grandchildren. When people asked him how he lived so long, he said "genetics helps." But he also said it was important "to keep alive, keep active."
He played tennis until he was 90 years old. He also enjoyed writing poetry and acting. He performed with a theater group in Perth, Australia.
Death
David Goodall died on May 10, 2018. He was 104 years old.
