george wells beadle :: essays research papers

George Wells Beadle was born at Wahoo, Nebraska, U.S.A., October 22, 1903, the son of Chauncey Elmer Beadle, a farmer, and his wife Hattie Albro. George was educated at the Wahoo High School and might himself have become a farmer if one of his teachers at school had not directed his mind towards science and persuaded him to go to the College of Agriculture at Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1926 he took his B.Sc. degree at the University of Nebraska and subsequently worked for a year with Professor F.D. Keim, who was studying hybrid wheat. In 1927 he took his M.Sc. degree, and Professor Keim secured for him a post as Teaching Assistant at Cornell University, where he worked, until 1931, with Professors R.A. Emerson and L.W. Sharp on Mendelian asynopsis in Zea mays. For this work he obtained, in 1931, his Ph.D. degree. In 1931 he was awarded a National Research Council Fellowship at the California Institute of Technology at Pasadena, where he remained from 1931 until 1936. During this period h e continued his work on Indian corn and began, in collaboration with Professors Th. Dobzhansky, S. Emerson, and A.H. Sturtevant, work on crossing-over in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In 1935 Beadle visited Paris for six months to work with Professor Boris Ephrussi at the Institut de Biologie physico-chimique. Together they began the study of the development of eye pigment in Drosophila which later led to the work on the biochemistry of the genetics of the fungus Neurospora for which Beadle and Edward Lawrie Tatum were together awarded the 1958 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. In 1936 Beadle left the California Institute of Technology to become Assistant Professor of Genetics at Harvard University. A year later he was appointed Professor of Biology (Genetics) at Stanford University and there he remained for nine years, working for most of this period in collaboration with Tatum. In 1946 he returned to the California Institute of Technology as Professor of Biology and Chairman of the Division of Biology. Here he remained until January 1961 when he was elected Chancellor of the University of Chicago and, in the autumn of the same year, President of this University. During his career, Beadle has received many honours. These include the Hon. D.Sc. of the following Universities: Yale (1947), Nebraska (1949), Northwestern University (1952), Rutgers University (1954), Kenyon College (1955), Wesleyan University (1956), Birmingham University and Oxford University, England (1959), Pomona College (1961), and Lake Forest College (1962).

Behavior and personality development Essay

A person’s behavior and attitude at any point of time is the resultant effect of all factors acting on the individual. The factors, each contribute in its own way and at varying levels, having a positive effect, a negative effect, a soothening effect or even a precipitating effect. The individual then reacts as a consequence of all combined effects. There are several parameters involved in the development of behavioral patterns including cognitive-social, biological, emotions, gender, person-situation, culture, ethnicity etc. These factors effect differently, for each individual since the level of perception and understanding is varied. It should be noted here that there may be several other factors too that influence behavior patterns, that have not yet been recognized. The cognition-social perception of an individual plays an important role in the building up of the individual’s personality. Although there is a debate of whether cognition gives rise to emotions or emotions give rise to cognition, the resultant reaction has wide social perceptions. The term ‘cognition’ in emotion elicitation includes all simple sensory information processing to very complex processing. The emotion – cognition – interaction is the study on the integrative aspects of research in emotion, cognition and the interaction between the two. The complex association between emotion and cognition is analyzed using knowledge and methods from the separate fields of research. Emotions are not always associated with facial expressions. Face recognition and object recognition are performed through different functions by different areas within the brain. Several disorders like alexia, prosopagnosia and visual agnosia develop when recognition process is impaired. Social cognition attempts to relate personal-social development with intellectual development. The process of cognitive development occurs through four universal stages of infancy; toddler and early childhood; elementary and early adolescence; and, adolescence and adulthood. The development in each stage is associated with an increased level of thinking. Cognition is an important aspect of behavior development. An individual perceives a situation based on his cognitive inputs and responds appropriately. Thus feelings of sadness, happiness, anger, guilt etc. , are produced as a result of cognition. As for me, I don’t tolerate anyone talking to me in a high pitch or commanding tone. In such cases, I deliberately don’t cooperate, even if the speaker wants to help or oblige me. Gender too plays an important role in social developments. Women have been traditionally expected to perform their domestic family roles as obedient wives and daughters. They were mainly more perceived to be sexual objects in a male dominated society, with primary interests in homemaking and caring, till the end of the century. This indifference in sociology can be mainly attributed to men’s identity as the dominant social player associated with force of character while women are associated with their weaknesses and passive role. The relationship between crime and gender has been immense throughout the long period of offence observation. Men and women have differing offence rates and offence patterns, both as offenders and as victims. The opportunities and capabilities of men and women for crime are different, which is reflected in their crime pattern. The sex of offenders has always been recorded throughout the history of criminal record keeping. Lady police officers and corrections officers are also needed to tune in, to fit into the gendered criminal justice system, although their lives are very different from that of women offenders or victims. Women were allowed to take up positions of police patrol officers and corrections officers only in the 1970s. This too was achieved through several legislative changes and civil rights movements. While positions have been opened for women in the male dominated fields like policing and corrections, women are faced with challenges as to what are appropriate or not appropriate women activities, given their traditional attitude on such activities. The social role of women had been had been largely restricted, although the situation has changed considerably. However gender based perception, attitude and reaction to situations persist. I am particularly careful in my dealings with women, because I find it difficult to convince them compared to men, although they don’t argue or threaten like men. It has been established by biocriminology that heredity and body organ dysfunctions can induce an inclination in social interaction. Modern researches indicate that chromosomal abnormalities, hormonal and brain chemical imbalances, diet, drugs and alcohol are factors that contribute to aggressive and criminal behavior. The hormone ‘testosterone’ in men has been identified as the main cause of aggression and crime committed by most men. Several case studies indicate that certain foods or food constituents induce neuropsychological disorders in the form of allergic or pharmacologic reactions which may even lead to chemical imbalances in the brain, resulting in behavioral disorders. Adoption and twin studies too indicate that genetic influences play a major role in development of criminal behavior. Molecular genetic investigations and epidemiological studies suggest that criminal activity may be genetically linked to mental abnormality. Prenatal disturbances or altered normal fetal development due to maternal smoking in pregnancy period is linked to violent offsprings. Reading deficits are sometimes developed in impulsive aggressive people, which could be attributed to their early school experiences. Here, impulsive and aggressive acts are caused due to inability in discriminating visual information during social situations. Biology is an important determinant of behavior and social response. Although I don’t perceive any behavior type as due to any specific food pattern, I do believe that group behavior or specific instincts of groups has to do with their biological response. Cultural differences and its influence on behavior have been extensively studied by behavioral scientists mainly during the 1940s and the 1960s. Cross-cultural psychology is very important in understanding the psychological framework of inter personal behavior. Interpersonal behavior is a vital aspect of human daily activity and is greatly influenced by culture. In recent times, this relationship between culture and individual behavior is more explored through empirical studies rather than historical or philosophical enquiries. Findings of such studies indicate that culture moulds and defines individual attitude as much as it determines our values, our ways of thinking and our social relationships. Culture is in fact a major criteria in the determination of human behavior. Culture together with the physical environment represent one of the two important external factors that mould human behavior. These factors in combination with internal influential factors of biological and psychological aspects constitute the main determinants of human behavior. Culture is inhibited by both internal and external representations. External representation of culture is seen in institutions of education, politics, religion and economy while it is internally represented through values, worldviews, beliefs etc. All these forces act simultaneously on an individual at any given point of time. Perhaps most of the conflict and confrontation in today’s world may be attributed to cultural differences. Clash of cultures and adherence to rigid cultural beliefs, keeps up tension between communities. A mutual respect and understanding of each others culture and values is essential for the upliftment of any society. I find it difficult to live a normal life where cultural tolerance is not practiced. I personally feel that culture intolerance is a sign of undeveloped cultures. The individual at any point of time is also subject to a given situation. It is this simultaneous interaction of the person and the situation, which ultimately derives the behavior. Therefore, behavior can be described as a person-situation interaction, which is under continuous adjustment. Normal or abnormal behavior is a continuous response to the person-situation forces. The attitude and behavior of mankind is influenced by several factors, which cannot be predicted or explained using any particular theory. These include cognition, biological, behaviorist, cognitive-social, existential-humanistic, person-situation, and gender, cultural and ethnicity. It must also be understood that similar factors cannot influence everyone to the same level. A combination of several such factors may perhaps explain a particular behavior pattern. Although the role of the parameters in the development of the behavior pattern is known, we cannot conclude that all factors contributing to the same have been identified, nor the level of contribution of each factor. Newer research needs to be done on the subject, to determine further influences, given the fact that technology and lifestyle are constantly evolving.

The Life Of A Woman Harriet Tubman - 1404 Words

This book will create an image of a woman Harriet Tubman, who was compared to the biblical Moses as she was determined to get her people out of bondage and onto freedom seen as their promised land. Reading the book will no doubt create a level of pain within the reader as he/she feels the pain that not only Harriet Tubman suffered but also those who suffered and died in the quest from slavery to freedom. This small yet powerful book of 22 chapters, takes us as passengers on this fictitious railroad, that was truly a historical pathway. While the Underground Railroad must not be seen as an actual railroad underground, it was a secret organization that the slaves would use to escape and that it was a series of paths through land and sea routes so that runaway slaves could become free. If one were to visualize this pathway to freedom and compared to modern day train stations, then the reader should be able to visualize that the stations along the way were simply houses and barns owned b y people who were sympathetic and supportive of the slaves to be set free. Railroads in America today have conductors, and Harriet Tubman as well as other men and women were seen as the conductors because of how they led people to a destination. Oral history has given David R Hill-page 2 stories that even when the slaves would travel theShow MoreRelatedChange in the 1800s: Radicals805 Words   |  3 Pagesneeded to be addressed. Some people stood up for what they believed needed to be done to reform the country. Prominent examples of these radicals are Harriet Tubman and Dorothea Dix. Tubman fought to abolish slavery while Dix fought for better treatment of the mentally ill. These two individuals had a significant impact on American life. Harriet Tubman was born between 1819 or 1821in Dorchester County, Maryland. At the time, slavery was a well-established institution in the South. Slavery was presentRead MoreHarriet Tubman And The American Civil Rights Movement997 Words   |  4 Pages Harriet Tubman, the woman who faced much adversity in her life, especially in her earlier years, was a very influential black civil rights abolitionist. During the time period, blacks were not treated as equals to whites and many blacks were slaves and Harriet Tubman was no exception. Harriet Tubman was born in the 1820’s on a plantation called Edward Brodess in Dorchester County, Maryland. Her mother was Harriet â€Å"Rit† Green owned by Mary Pattison Brodess; and her father was Ben RossRead MoreHarriet Tubman And The Underground Railroad1510 Words   |  7 PagesThis memoir covers the life of Harriet Tubman who was a slave known for her extraordinary chip away at the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman was conceived in Dorchester County, Maryland on March, 1822. This novel discusses how Harriet Tubman had the capacity escape bondage in the south in the year of 1849 and looked for some kind of employment in the north. Particularly in Philadelphia, where she worked in inns to raise enough cash to bolster her needs. She would then migrate to Canada and inRead MoreHarriet Ross Tubman s Underground Railroad1462 Words   |  6 PagesHarriet Ross Tubman The Underground Railroad Harriet Ross Tubman was a spiritual woman who lived her ideals and dedicated her life to ending slavery. While Harriet s efforts placed her in great peril, her integrity and commitment inspired others to assist in rescuing countless slaves during the Civil War. The woman known as Harriet Ross Tubman was born into slavery in 1825, in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was born as Araminta Ross, and nicknamed â€Å"Minty† by her parents. Harriet wouldRead MoreEssay about Harriet Tubman, A Strong Woman Who Helped Many to Freedom591 Words   |  3 PagesHarriet Tubman In the 18th century before the civil war. Slavery was based on the color of your skin. It was a very difficult life for people who are not white in some states.People believe that everyone should follow and fight for what they believe is best for their life .â€Å"Oh lord , if you ain’t never going to change that man`s heart ,kill him lord ,and take him out of the way â€Å", Those were words of Harriet tubman ,who suffered throughout her life especially in her childhood ,but sheRead MoreHarriet Tubm The Most Influential Women Of All Time1609 Words   |  7 Pagespeople are capable of defying the rolls of society but that did not stop Harriet Tubman. Not only was Tubman the bravest woman in history, she was an African American slave who overcame adversity. Tubman escaped and not only made a better life for herself, but made a difference in hundreds of other African Americans lives. Tubman risked her own safety and freedom to help other African American’s reach their freedom. Tubman taught us that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what yo u lookRead MoreHarriet Tubman1168 Words   |  5 PagesHarriet Ross Tubman was an African American who escaped slavery and then showed runaway slaves the way to freedom in the North for longer than a decade before the American Civil War. During the war she was as a scout, spy, and nurse for the United States Army. After that she kept working for rights for blacks and women. br brHarriet Tubman was originally named Araminta Ross. She was one of 11 children born to Harriet Greene and Benjamin Ross on a plantation in Dorchester County, Maryland. SheRead MoreHarriet Tubm An African American Abolitionist And Humanitarian1429 Words   |  6 PagesHarriet Tubman was an African-American abolitionist and humanitarian. Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County, Maryland around 1820-1825 and died in Boston, Massachusetts of pneumonia in 1913. She was born into slavery, but successfully escaped in 1849 to become a leading abolitionist, yet she returned many times to rescue both family mem bers and non-relatives from the plantation system. She led hundreds of slaves to freedom in the North as the most famous conductor on the Underground RailroadRead MoreThe New Face Of The 20 Dollar Bill857 Words   |  4 PagesHarriet Tubman the new face of the 20 Dollar Bill Harriet Tubman’s face should be the one on the 20 dollar bill. Not only would this change women’s history, but it would change African Americans history too. There has never been a female on our currency let alone a black one. Harriet Tubman devoted her life towards the demolition of slavery, she has been someone people look up to because she has inspired many from her struggle of equality and civil rights, and she is one of the most notable figuresRead More Harriet Tubman : Walk to Freedom Essay1023 Words   |  5 Pagesboys by the hands and leads them to the other side. That is exactly how Harriet Tubman lived her life. During her first plan to escape slavery, she went on her way with two of her brothers. Harriet reached safety, but her brothers had turned back halfway to freedom. After that incident, Harriet Tubman devoted her life to helping slaves cross the street to freedom. THESIS With a past childhood surrounded with slavery, Harriet Tubman grew up with the need to make a difference; after years of smuggling