John Stanley Gardiner facts for kids
John Stanley Gardiner (born 1872, died 1946) was a British scientist who studied animals, especially those living in the ocean. He was a very important zoologist and a pioneer in understanding coral reefs.
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John Stanley Gardiner: A Life in Science
Early Life and Education
John Stanley Gardiner, often called Stanley, was born in Jordanstown, near Belfast, in 1872. His father, John Jephson Gardiner, was a clergyman. Stanley's mother passed away when he was very young. In 1874, Stanley and his brother Arthur moved to England with their father.
They first lived in Marshfield, Wiltshire. Later, in 1876, they moved to Wonersh, near Guildford, Surrey. Stanley attended a boarding school in Guildford.
From 1885 to 1890, Stanley went to Marlborough College. There, he developed his critical thinking skills. He became very interested in natural history. In 1891, he earned a scholarship to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He studied zoology and graduated in 1894 with top honors in Natural Sciences. He also played hockey for Cambridge!
Exploring Coral Reefs
Between 1896 and 1909, Stanley Gardiner spent a lot of time doing fieldwork. He focused on researching corals. He traveled to many remote places in the Indian Ocean on three different expeditions.
He was especially fascinated by marine biology, which is the study of ocean life. In 1896, at age 26, he joined a Royal Society expedition to Funafuti in the Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu) in the Pacific. This trip was very important for him. After this, he dedicated much of his research to scleractinian corals. These are the stony corals that build reefs.
He studied how environmental factors affect where corals live. His research included identifying different types of corals. He also studied how fast they grow and what they eat. Much of his later work was in the Indian Ocean. He explored areas like the Laccadives, Maldives, and the Chagos Archipelago. He also visited the Seychelles, Amirantes, and Mauritius.
Stanley Gardiner was truly a pioneer in coral reef research. He made careful observations of Indian Ocean reefs. Many of these reefs have not been studied by scientists since his time. He also explored many different aspects of coral biology.
A Lasting Impact
One of his most important contributions was to the Great Barrier Reef Expedition of 1928–29. This was a huge expedition led by C.M. Yonge. Gardiner helped start and fund this important project. The expedition changed coral reef science forever. Its findings are still used by scientists today. Many of the main questions asked during this expedition came from Gardiner's early research in the Indian Ocean.
In 1909, Gardiner became a Professor of Zoology at Cambridge University. He held this position until 1937. During his career, he received many awards for his work. These included the Murchison Award in 1902 and the Agassiz Medal in 1929. He was also made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1908. He received the Linnean Medal in 1936 and the Darwin Medal in 1944.
Family Life
Stanley Gardiner married Rachel Florence Denning in 1900. Sadly, she passed away in 1901.
In 1909, Stanley married again to Edith Gertrude Willcock. Edith studied at Newnham College, Cambridge. She earned a doctoral degree from Trinity College Dublin. At that time, women could not get doctoral degrees in England.
Edith was a chemist. She did important early research with radium.
Stanley and Edith had two daughters. Nancy Emma Gardiner was born in 1911. Joyce Critchley Gardiner was born in 1913. Joyce became a talented painter. She married and had three children.
The family lived at Bredon House in Cambridge. This house later became part of Wolfson College. Stanley Gardiner passed away in 1946. Edith passed away in 1953.
Animals Named in His Honor
Several animals have been named after John Stanley Gardiner to honor his contributions to science. These include:
- The Rotuman forest gecko, Lepidodactylus gardineri
- Gardiner's burrowing skink, Pamelaescincus gardineri
- Gardiner's Seychelles frog, Sechellophryne gardineri
- Plectranthias gardineri, a type of fish found in the Western Indian Ocean.
- The sea slug Tubulophilinopsis gardineri
