Kenneth Vivian Thimann (August 5, 1904January 15, 1997) was an English-American plant physiologist and

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...

known for his studies of

plant hormones Plant hormones (or phytohormones) are signal molecules, produced within plants, that occur in extremely low concentrations. Plant hormones control all aspects of plant growth and development, including embryogenesis, the regulation of Organ (anat ...

, which were widely influential in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

. He isolated and determined the structure of

auxin Auxins (plural of auxin ) are a class of plant hormones (or plant-growth regulators) with some morphogen-like characteristics. Auxins play a cardinal role in coordination of many growth and behavioral processes in plant life cycles and are essent ...

, the first known plant hormone. He spent most of his early career (1935–1965) at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and his later career (1965–1989) at the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of C ...

.Charles Daniel,
Kenneth V. Thimann, Biology: Santa Cruz
, ''University of California: In Memoriam, 1997'', edited by David Krogh. Academic Senate, University of California, 1997, pp. 163-165. Accessed March 5, 2009. He is credited with identifying

indole-3-acetic acid Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, 3-IAA) is the most common naturally occurring plant hormone of the auxin class. It is the best known of the auxins, and has been the subject of extensive studies by plant physiologists. IAA is a derivative of indole, con ...

as an auxin. Thimann was born in Ashford, England. He studied chemistry and biochemistry at Imperial College, University of London (earning a B.Sc. and a Ph.D.) and also received a diploma from the

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

. After several years teaching at the University of London, Thimann moved to the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

in 1930. In 1935, he joined the Biology department of

. He authored an influential book on plant hormones, ''Phytohormones'', in 1937 (co-authored with F. W. Went). He was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) 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, and other ...

in 1938. Thimann became director of Harvard's Biological Laboratories in 1946, a position he held until 1950. He was elected to the United States

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

in 1948. In 1955 he wrote ''The Life of Bacteria'', an influential book on microbiology. He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1959. From 1962 until leaving Harvard in 1965, Thimann was the Higgins Professor of Biology. Thimann moved to University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) in 1965—the year of its founding—to become the first

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

of Crown College. At UCSC, he was largely responsible for building the science departments of the new university. He also played a central role in fostering the

UCSC Arboretum The Arboretum & Botanic Garden at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is located on the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the United States. The garden is set over some 115 acres and includes over 300 rare plant spec ...

and its botanical collection. After retiring as provost in 1972, Thimann remained at UCSC until 1989, when he moved to

Haverford, Pennsylvania Haverford is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community located in both Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, and Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, Lower Merio ...

. In 1977, he wrote ''Hormone Action in the Whole Life of Plants''. He won the

Balzan Prize The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organizations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the b ...

in 1982 in recognition of his contributions to botany. There is a lecture hall called Thimann Lecture Hall within the campus of UCSC.

Notes and references

External links

Kenneth V. Thimann: Early UCSC History and the Founding of Crown College
- posthumous memoir by Randall Jarrell based on interviews with Thimann and his colleagues
Guide to the Kenneth V. Thimann papers UC Santa Cruz LibraryPhotographs of Kenneth V. Thimann from the UC Santa Cruz Library's Digital Collections

Remembering Kenneth and Ann Thimann
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thimann, Kenneth V 1904 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American botanists University of California, Santa Cruz faculty Harvard University faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Foreign members of the Royal Society Plant physiologists British emigrants to the United States People from Ashford, Kent Members of the American Philosophical Society Presidents of the American Society of Naturalists