American Institute Awards

Abstract

DR. W. CROCKER has been awarded the Gold Medal of the American Institute of the City of New York for “his contribution to knowledge of life processes in plants and for his unique leadership in the organization of plant research”. Dr. Crocker was professor and director of research in plant physiology at the University of Chicago for many years. He organized and has directed the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research from the time it was founded in 1921 to the present day. At the University of Chicago and the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research he has acquired a reputation as an organizer and director of research. His method has been to bring together specialists in different fields of knowledge and to give these specialists an opportunity to work co-operatively on biological problems that have not yielded to attacks by individuals working single-handed. Dr. Crocker has also done noteworthy research. He was the first to show that ethylene gas in air in amounts far too small to be detected by any known chemical means causes profound reactions in plants. He proved that ethylene ‘puts plants to sleep’. He has shown how certain seeds that remain dormant for many years may be induced to grow if given proper treatments. Low temperatures, chemicals, light and other environmental agencies have been used to break these long rest periods. His work on the physiology of dormancy in seeds has contributed to fundamental knowledge of life processes. The Gold Medal of the American Institute may be awarded either to organizations or to individuals.