Frederick Campion Steward facts for kids

Frederick Campion "Camp" Steward (June 16, 1904 – September 13, 1993) was a brilliant British scientist. He was a botanist, which means he studied plants, and a plant physiologist, meaning he understood how plants work. He made amazing discoveries about how plants grow from just one cell. His work helped create the field of plant tissue culture, which is used in genetic engineering and plant biotechnology today.

Early Life and Learning

Frederick Steward was born in Pimlico, London, England. He grew up in Yorkshire. He went to Heckmondwike Grammar School. Later, he studied at the University of Leeds. In 1924, he earned a degree in biology. After that, he continued his studies in the botany department.

Steward's Scientific Journey

In 1924, Frederick Steward received a special scholarship. This allowed him to travel to the United States. He first worked at Cornell University. Four years later, he moved to the University of California at Berkeley. There, he worked as a researcher with Dennis Robert Hoagland.

He returned to England in 1934. He became a botany professor. During World War II, he helped the government. He worked for the Ministry of Aircraft Production. After the war, he went back to the USA. He taught at the Universities of Chicago and Rochester. Finally, in 1950, he joined Cornell University.

Amazing Plant Discoveries

Professor Steward was always curious about how plants grow. He wanted to understand how mature plant cells behave. He took cells from carrot roots. Then, he grew them in a special liquid food. He used unique flasks and a spinning wheel for this.

In 1958, he made his most important discovery. He proved that a whole plant could grow from just one single cell. This was a huge breakthrough! It showed that plant cells are totipotent. This means they carry all the genetic information needed. They can develop into a complete plant. This often happens by forming an embryo. This discovery changed plant cell biology forever.

Before Steward's work, people thought you needed cuttings or shoots to grow new plants. His finding meant that individual plant cells had all the information. They could control the entire plant's growth. This discovery led to the whole field of plant molecular biology. Now, scientists can create clones, hybrids, and new plant types in the lab. This is much faster than growing plants from cuttings.

Inspiring Future Scientists

Frederick Steward taught at Cornell University. He inspired many students to become botanists. His former students said his "advanced plant physiology" lectures were amazing. He taught for a whole year without notes. He would walk back and forth while speaking.

Steward was known for his strong scientific beliefs. He often found himself in the middle of scientific discussions. He believed it was important to stand by your scientific convictions. Even if it meant being the only one with that opinion.

Awards and Recognition

Frederick Steward was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society in March 1957. This is a very high honor for scientists. His nomination said he studied how plants absorb and move salts. His early work showed that plants storing salts was linked to their metabolism. He also used a new technique called chromatography. This helped him study proteins.

After his war service, he found factors in coconut milk. These factors help plant cells stay in an early, growing state. He identified two of these factors. His studies also looked at how these substances work.

In 1969, Steward gave a special lecture. It was called "From cultured cells to whole plants: the induction and control of their growth and morphogenesis." He wrote over 100 scientific articles. He also wrote several books. He was an editor and writer for a large series of books called "Plant Physiology: A Treatise."

Family Life

Frederick Steward passed away in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He had met his wife, Anne Temple Gordon, at Cornell University. They had one son together.