Robert H. Burris (April 13, 1914 – May 11, 2010) was a professor in the

Biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

Department at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1961. Research in Burris's lab focused on

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

reaction mechanisms, and he made significant contributions to our knowledge of

nitrogen fixation Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but also in industry. Atmo ...

Education

Born in

Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is South Dakota's fourth largest city, with a population of 23,377 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State Un ...

, Burris earned his B.S. degree in chemistry at

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

in 1936 and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1940.

Career

He did postdoctoral research with

Harold Urey Harold Clayton Urey ( ; April 29, 1893 – January 5, 1981) was an American physical chemist whose pioneering work on isotopes earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for the discovery of deuterium. He played a significant role in th ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and later moved back to Madison, eventually becoming a professor in the Biochemistry Department. He was chairman of the department from 1958 to 1970. He retired from active research in 1984, having trained more than 70 doctoral research students. He died in 2010 aged 96.

Awards and distinctions

*1961 – Elected to the National Academy of Sciences *1975 – Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

*1979 – Member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

*1979 –

National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...

*1984 – John J. Carty Award of the National Academy of Sciences in agricultural science *1985 – Wolf Award in agriculture *1989 – Kenneth A. Spencer Award for Meritorious Achievement in Agricultural and Food Chemistry * Recognized as a Pioneer Member of the

American Society of Plant Biologists American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burris, Robert H. 1914 births 2010 deaths American biochemists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty South Dakota State University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni National Medal of Science laureates Wolf Prize in Agriculture laureates Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Brookings, South Dakota Members of the American Philosophical Society