Melvin Calvin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Melvin Calvin
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Calvin c. 1960s
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Melvin Ellis Calvin
April 8, 1911 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
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| Died | January 8, 1997 (aged 85) Berkeley, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Michigan College of Mining and Technology University of Minnesota |
| Known for | Calvin cycle |
| Spouse(s) | Genevieve Elle Jemtegaard (m. 1942) (d. 1987) |
| Children | Elin Sowie Calvin
Karole Campbell Calvin Noel Calvin |
| Awards | Centenary Prize (1955) William H. Nichols Medal (1958) Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1961) Davy Medal (1964) Priestley Medal (1978) AIC Gold Medal (1979) National Medal of Science (1989) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry · Biology |
| Institutions | University of Manchester University of California, Berkeley Berkeley Radiation Laboratory Science Advisory Committee |
| Academic advisors | Michael Polanyi |
| Doctoral students | Cyril Ponnamperuma |
Melvin Ellis Calvin (born April 8, 1911 – died January 8, 1997) was an American biochemist. He is famous for discovering the Calvin cycle. This important discovery explained how plants make food using sunlight. He shared the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work. Melvin Calvin spent most of his long career at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Early Life and Education
Melvin Calvin was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents, Elias Calvin and Rose Herwitz, were immigrants. They came from the Russian Empire, which today includes Lithuania and Georgia.
When Melvin was young, his family moved to Detroit, Michigan. His parents ran a grocery store there. Melvin loved looking at all the different products on the shelves. He quickly saw how important chemistry was in everyday items.
After finishing Central High School in 1928, he went to college. He studied at Michigan College of Mining and Technology. This school is now called Michigan Technological University. He earned the first Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from that school.
He then got his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1935. After that, he joined the lab of Michael Polanyi in England. For two years, he studied how organic molecules are built and how they behave. In 1942, he married Marie Genevieve Jemtegaard. They had two daughters, Elin Sowie and Karole, and a son, Noel.
A Career in Science
A scientist named Joel Henry Hildebrand visited the University of Manchester. He invited Calvin to join the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. Calvin was the first non-Berkeley graduate hired by the chemistry department in over 25 years. Hildebrand wanted Calvin to focus on research using carbon-14.
In 1947, Calvin became a Professor of Chemistry. He also became the director of the Bio-Organic Chemistry group. This group was part of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He put together a great team, including Andrew Benson and James Bassham.
Andrew Benson helped set up the photosynthesis laboratory. The team's goal was to find out how plants use carbon dioxide. They wanted to understand how light energy turns into chemical energy.
Discovering the Calvin Cycle
Calvin's team used a special type of carbon, called carbon-14. This carbon-14 acted like a tracer. It allowed them to follow carbon's path through a plant. They mapped the entire journey carbon takes during photosynthesis. This journey starts when a plant takes in carbon dioxide from the air. It ends when the carbon turns into sugars and other organic compounds.
This amazing process is a key part of how plants grow. It was named the Calvin–Benson–Bassham Cycle. This name honors the hard work of Melvin Calvin, Andrew Benson, and James Bassham. Many people helped with this discovery, but Melvin Calvin led the project.
In 1963, Calvin also became a Professor of Molecular Biology. He started and directed the Laboratory of Chemical Biodynamics. This lab was known as the “Roundhouse.” He also worked as an Associate Director at the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory. He continued his research there until he retired in 1980.
In his later years, he studied how to use oil-producing plants. He hoped they could be a new source of energy. He also spent many years studying how life first began on Earth. He even wrote a book about it in 1969.
The "Roundhouse" Lab
The circular laboratory, called the “Roundhouse,” was designed to help scientists work together. Calvin believed in sharing ideas from different fields of science. He wanted to create a place where all kinds of smart people could meet. He invited scientists from all over the world to work there.
Students and staff felt they could do their best work in the Roundhouse. Calvin became known for his excellent leadership skills. Many modern scientific groups use his ideas for teamwork. He was sometimes called "Mr. Photosynthesis." But his skills in organizing and managing helped science in many other ways too.
How the Calvin Cycle Was Found
The discovery of the Calvin cycle built on earlier work. Scientists Sam Ruben and Martin Kamen had studied the carbon-14 isotope. After their work ended, Ernest Lawrence, the lab director, wanted to continue the research. He asked Calvin to take over in 1945.
Calvin's lab first focused on using carbon-14 in medicine. They also made special carbon-labeled amino acids for medical research. Calvin hired strong chemists from labs across the country. He then brought in Andrew Benson. Benson had worked with Ruben and Kamen on photosynthesis before.
Scientists used to think that making sugars in plants only happened with light. But Benson showed that plants could still make sugars in the dark. This happened if they had been exposed to light first. This proved that carbon dioxide could be changed without light.
Next, they needed to find the very first product of carbon dioxide use. They used a new method called paper chromatography. This allowed them to find that the first product was 3-Carbon phosphoglyceric acid (PGA).
After this, another lab challenged Calvin's findings. This led to a big meeting of scientists. Calvin and Benson were able to convince everyone that their discovery was correct. Later, with the help of James A. Bassham, they identified more parts of the cycle. By 1958, Calvin figured out the complete process.
Public Service and Impact
Melvin Calvin was also a dedicated public servant. He led many important scientific groups. These included the American Chemical Society. He also chaired a committee for the National Academy of Sciences.
One major contribution was his work with NASA. He helped plan how to protect Earth from anything brought back from the Moon. He also helped NASA search for life on other planets during the Apollo missions.
He also advised the U.S. government. He was part of the President’s Science Advisory Committee. He also served on the Department of Energy's advisory board.
Calvin also worked with many international science groups. He helped connect scientists from different countries.
Awards and Recognition
Melvin Calvin received many honors for his important work.
- 1954 - Elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences
- 1955 - Awarded the Centenary Prize
- 1958 - Elected a foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1958 - Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1959 - Elected a Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
- 1960 - Elected to the American Philosophical Society
- 1961 - Melvin Calvin received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on how plants use carbon dioxide.
- 1964 - Awarded the Davy Medal of the Royal Society
- 1971 - Received an honorary degree from Whittier College
- 1978 - Awarded the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society
In 2011, Melvin Calvin was featured on a U.S. postage stamp. He was part of the American Scientists collection. He also received 13 other honorary degrees during his lifetime.
See also
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
