Gordon Elliott Fogg (26 April 1919 – 30 January 2005) was a British biologist.

Early life

He was born in

Langar, Nottinghamshire Langar is an English village in the Vale of Belvoir, about four miles (6.4 km) south of Bingham, in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire. The civil parish of Langar cum Barnstone had a population of 980 at the 2011 Census. This was est ...

and educated at

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2-18 private, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

and

Queen Mary College, London Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of London. Today, ...

Career

During WW2 he assisted in a national survey of seaweed resources and researched algae used to make water-soluble silk for parachutes to drop mines at sea. He also worked on pest control for Pest Control Ltd at Harston. In 1945 he was appointed Assistant Lecturer, then Lecturer, and then Reader in Botany at

University College, London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

(until 1960). During his time at University College he supervised Joanna M. Kain who obtained her doctorate in 1957. He was then made Professor of Botany at

Westfield College, London Westfield College was a small college situated in Hampstead, London, from 1882 to 1989. It was the first college to aim to educate women for University of London degrees from its opening. The college originally admitted only women as students and ...

(1960–1971) and then Professor of Marine Biology,

University College of North Wales Bangor University () is a public research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 became one of the founding institutions of the federal ...

(1971–1985). He specialised in

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) color, which forms the basis of cyanobacteri ...

, algal cultures and

phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater Aquatic ecosystem, ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek language, Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), mea ...

. Professor Fogg wrote important foundational texts on the latter two : ''The Metabolism of Algae'' ( Methuen, 1954) and ''Algal Cultures and Phytoplankton Ecology'' (

University of Wisconsin Press The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a Non-profit organization, non-profit university press publishing Peer review, peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic comm ...

, 1966). From 1953 - 1960 he was a co-editor and author of the successful popular science series from Penguin '' New Biology''. He was President of the British Phycological Society (1961–1962), Chairman of the

British Antarctic Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of list of global issues, global issues, and to provide an active prese ...

Scientific Advisory Committee (1971–1964), Chairman of the

Freshwater Biological Association The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) is an independent scientific organisation founded in 1929 in Cumbria by Felix Eugen Fritsch, William Harold Pearsall, Francis Balfour-Browne, and Robert Gurney among others. Whilst originally created to ...

Council (1974–1985), Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Panel,

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

(1974–1982) and President of the

Institute of Biology The Institute of Biology (IoB) was a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in the United Kingdom. The Institute was founded in 1950 by the Biological Council: the then umbrella body for Britain's many learned biological societie ...

(1976–1977). He also sat on the Council of NERC (

Natural Environment Research Council The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is a British Research Councils UK, research council that supports research, training and knowledge transfer activities in the environmental sciences. History NERC began in 1965 when several envir ...

) and on the

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the United Kingdom was created under Royal Warrant in 1970 to advise the monarch, Government, Parliament and the public on environmental issues. It was closed on 1 April 2011, as part of the Co ...

. He and Beryl Llechid-Jones were married in 1945. He died in

Llandegfan Llandegfan (; ; meaning ''The Church of St Tegfan'') is a village on the east of island of Anglesey in Wales. It is part of the community (Wales), community of Cwm Cadnant.Davies (2008) p.180 Population is around 1,580. History and description ...

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

in 2005.

Honours and awards

* He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in Mar, 1965 * He delivered the

Leeuwenhoek Lecture The Leeuwenhoek Lecture is a prize lecture of the Royal Society to recognize achievement in microbiology. The prize was originally given in 1950 and awarded annually, but from 2006 to 2018 was given triennially. From 2018 it will be awarded bienni ...

to the Royal Society in 1968. * He was awarded

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1983. *

Fogg Highland Violante Inlet () is an ice-filled inlet long, in an east–west direction, and wide, lying between Cape Fanning and Cape Herdman along the east coast of Palmer Land, Antarctica. Location The Violante Inlet is on the Black Coast of Palmer L ...

in Antarctica is named after him. * The G.E. Fogg Building at

Queen Mary University of London Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public university, public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University ...

is named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fogg, Gordon Elliott 1919 births 2005 deaths People from Rushcliffe (district) 20th-century British botanists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Society