Caryl Parker Haskins (1908–2001) was an American scientist, author, inventor, philanthropist, governmental adviser and pioneering entomologist in the study of ant biology. Along with Franklin S. Cooper, he founded the

Haskins Laboratories Haskins Laboratories, Inc. is an independent 501(c) non-profit corporation, founded in 1935 and located in New Haven, Connecticut, since 1970. Haskins has formal affiliation agreements with both Yale University and the University of Connecticut; ...

, a private, non-profit research laboratory, in 1935. He was professor at

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

. He was also on the boards of non-profits such as the

Carnegie Institution of Washington The Carnegie Institution of Washington (the organization's legal name), known also for public purposes as the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), is an organization in the United States established to fund and perform scientific research. Th ...

and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

Career

Haskins was initially educated at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, where he was awarded a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

degree in 1930. He went on to earn a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from Harvard University in 1935. During his career, he was awarded an

Sc.D. Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

from multiple institutions. Haskins taught at

as a research professor from 1937 to 1955. He was also a research associate at MIT from 1935 to 1945. In the late 1940s, he began to study the evolution of

guppies The guppy (), also known as millionfish and rainbow fish, is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish and one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae and, like almost all ...

in the streams of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

. He found that male guppies in stream ponds further upstream were more colorful than those downstream, presumably because of fewer predators there. He also continued his research on entomology, working with his wife, Edna Haskins (whom he married in 1940), and other colleagues.

Haskins Laboratories

In the 1930s, Haskins was inspired by

Alfred Lee Loomis Alfred Lee Loomis (November 4, 1887 – August 11, 1975) was an American attorney, investment banker, philanthropist, scientist, physicist, inventor of the LORAN Long Range Navigation System and a lifelong patron of scientific research. He estab ...

to establish his own research facility. He founded Haskins Laboratories in 1935. Affiliated with

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

and

, Haskins conducted research in microbiology, radiation physics and other fields in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

, and in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

. In 1939, Haskins Laboratories moved its center to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Seymour Hutner joined the staff to set up a research program in microbiology,

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

and

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient ...

; the descendant of this program is now part of

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...

in New York. In the 1940s, Luigi Provasoli joined the Laboratories to set up a research program in marine biology, which disbanded with his retirement in 1978. Since the 1950s, the main focus of the research of Haskins Laboratories has been on speech and its biological basis. The main facility of Haskins Laboratories moved to

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, in 1970 where it entered into affiliation agreements with Yale University and the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

. Haskins Laboratories continues to be a leading, multidisciplinary laboratory with an international scope that does pioneering work on the science of the spoken and written word. Haskins served as President, Research Director, and Chairman of the Board of Haskins Laboratories from 1935 to 1987.

Public service

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Haskins used his scientific knowledge for the war effort. He was a liaison officer with the

Office of Scientific Research and Development The Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) was an agency of the United States federal government created to coordinate scientific research for military purposes during World War II. Arrangements were made for its creation during May 1 ...

(OSRD) and then worked with the chairman of the

National Defense Research Committee The National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) was an organization created "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare" in the Un ...

. After the war, he advised the Research and Development Board of the Army and the Navy, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of State; he was also a member of the

President's Science Advisory Committee The President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC) was created on November 21, 1957, by President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower, as a direct response to the Soviet launching of the Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 satellites. PSAC was an upgrad ...

. In 1956, he was appointed to the Presidency of the

, a position he held until 1971. Haskins served as a Regent of the

from 1956 to 1980. He also chaired the Regents' Executive Committee from 1968 to 1972. In 1980, the Board of Regents unanimously awarded him the Henry Medal "in recognition of his manifold services to the Institution as a friend and a Regent". He was active with the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, an ...

in many positions: Trustee from 1964 to 1984 (and then honorary trustee), member of the Finance Committee from 1972 to 1985, member of the Committee on Research and Exploration beginning in 1972, and member of the Society's Executive Committee from 1972 to 84. He was a director of E.I. du Pont de Nemours from 1971 to 1981. He was president of the

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

scientific research honor society in 1967–68. He remained a trustee of Carnegie Institution and of Haskins Laboratories, as well as trustee ''emeritus'' of the National Geographic Society, until his death.

Publications by or about Caryl Parker Haskins

Philip Abelson Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

. "A Model for Excellence". In J. D. Ebert (ed.), ''This Our Golden Age'', 3-10. * Alice B. Dadourian
"A Bio-Bibliography of Caryl Parker Haskins"
Yvonix, New Haven, Connecticut, 2000. * James D. Ebert, editor. ''This Our Golden Age: Selected Annual Essays of Caryl P. Haskins, President Carnegie Institution of Washington 1956-1971''. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC, 1994. LC # 94–70734. * James D. Ebert. "Inspiring Mentor, Visionary Leader". In J. D. Ebert (ed.), ''This Our Golden Age'', 19–24. * George Orwell: "Review of Ants and Men by Carol P. Haskins". In: George Orwell. ''Essays''. Everyman Library. 242. Edited by Alfred A. Knopf. 2002, pp 1077. . * Caryl Parker Haskins. ''Of ants and men''. Prentice-Hall, New York, 1939. * Caryl Parker Haskins. ''Of Societies and Men''. W.W. Norton, New York, 1951. * Caryl Parker Haskins. ''The scientific revolution and world politics''. Greenwood Press, 1975. * Haskins, C. P. and Haskins, "Edna F. Notes on the biology and social behavior of the archaic ponerine ants of the genera ''Myrmecia'' and ''Promyrmecia''". ''Annals of the Entomological Society of America'', 1950, 43(4), 461–491. *

Edward O. Wilson Edward Osborne Wilson (June 10, 1929 – December 26, 2021) was an American biologist, naturalist, entomologist and writer. According to David Attenborough, Wilson was the world's leading expert in his specialty of myrmecology, the study of a ...

. "Caryl Haskins, Entomologist". In J. D. Ebert (ed.), ''This Our Golden Age'', 11–18.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haskins, Caryl Parker 1908 births 2001 deaths Haskins Laboratories scientists Harvard University alumni 20th-century American inventors 20th-century American philanthropists