William F. Grant

William Frederick Grant, (born October 20, 1924) is an Canadian plant geneticist, biosystematist, [http://www.tc-biodiversity.org/biosystematics.htm Retrieved on 22 July 2008.] educator, and environmental advocate [http://www.ecojustice.ca Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.] who developed higher plant species for monitoring and testing for mutagenic effects of environmental pollutants. He has carried out research on the genetics of species of the genus Lotus (Leguminosae) and the forage species Lotus corniculatus (Birdsfoot Trefoil) [http://topics.scirus.com/Lotus_corniculatus.html?navbar=off Retrieved on July 23, 2008.] developing an innovative procedure for increasing seed production [http://www.organic.aber.ac.uk/library/Organic%20forage%20seed%20production.pdf Retrieved on July 22, 2008.] in the legume birdsfoot trefoil.

Biography

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947 from McMaster University and a Master’s degree in 1949. In 1953, he received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Virginia .In 1953, he was appointed Botanist to the Department of Agriculture, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia , through the Colombo Technical Cooperation Program [http://www.colombo-plan.org Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.] under the operation of the Canadian Department of External Affairs, Ottawa. [http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/international/index.asp Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.] In 1955 he joined McGill University as an Assistant Professor in Genetics in the Department of Genetics. In 1961, he was appointed Associate and in 1967 was made a full professor. In 1970, he joined the Department of Plant Science, retaining his affiliation until 1976 as Associate Member with the Department of Biology. From 1983 to 1989 he was appointed Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, York University, Toronto. From 1978 to 1986, he was a Member of the Environmental Contaminants Advisory Committee on Mutagenesis to the Minister, Department of National Health and Welfare, and the Minister, Department of the Environment, Ottawa. From 1987 to 1991 he was appointed Chair of the Steering Committee of the International Program on Chemical Safety's collaborative study on plant genotoxicity assays for screening and monitoring environmental pollutants, a cooperative venture sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program, the International Labour Organization, and the World Health Organization. Since 1995 he has been a Co-Director of the International Program on Plant Bioassays [http://www.wiu.edu/NATO Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.] in the use of higher plants in the testing for environmental mutagens [http://www.ems-us.org Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.] in the global environment.

Employment

* 1956, founding member of the Genetics Society of Canada. [http://life.biology.mcmaster.ca/GSC Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1962, elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London; appointed Life Member 2005.
* 1964, elected President of the Macdonald Campus, McGill University Branch of the Agricultural Institute of Canada. [http://www.aic.ca Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1965, founding member of the Canadian Botanical Association. [http://www.cba-abc.ca/cbahome.htm Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1973, the only Canadian to participate in the 25th Nobel Symposium in Sweden [http://nobelprize.org/nobelfoundation/symposia/complete-list.html Retrieved on July 24, 2008.]
* 1974 to 1982, Editor of the Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology (now GENOME). [http://pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/rp-ps/volumes.jsp?jcode=gen&lang=eng Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1974 to 1978, Treasurer of the Biological Council of Canada (replaced by the Canadian Federation of Biological Sciences). [http://www.cfbs.org Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1974, elected President of the Genetics Society of Canada.
* 1975, elected President of the McGill University Chapter of Sigma Xi.
* 1981, elected President of the International Organization of Plant Biosystematists. [http://www.iopb.org Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1990-1996, Member of the International Committee of the International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology

Awards and appointments

* 1984 and 1989, awarded Senior Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. [http://www.jsps.go.jp/English Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1989, elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. [ [http://www.mcgill.ca/researchoffice/awards/royalsocietycanada/ Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy III] Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1989, recipient of the George Lawson Medal [http://www.cba-abc.ca/lawson.htm Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.] of the Canadian Botanical Association. [http://www.cba-abc.ca/cbahome.htm Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1990, made an Emeritus Professor by McGill University. [ [http://academic.mcgill.ca/acadstaff/emeritus/by-date/#1990/ McGill Emeritus Professor recipients] Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1990, awarded The McMaster University Distinguished Alumni/Alumnae Scholar Award. [ [http://www.mcmaster.ca/ua/alumni/gallery/G88321.htm/ McMaster Alumni] Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1991, awarded the Presidential Citation by the President of the Genetics Society of Canada. [http://www.yorku.ca/spyro Genetics Society of Canada Bulletin 33 (Issue 3): 99-105, 2002 Retrieved on July 24, 2008.]
* 1993, appointed honorary Editor-in-Chief of the journal Plant Species Biology. [http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0913-557x Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 1995, awarded life Membership in Ordre des agronomes du Québec. [http://oaq.qc.ca Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 2000, received an honorary D.Sc. from McMaster University. [ [http://mcmaster.ca/univsec/lists/S_HD_Recipients.pdf/ McMaster Honorary degree recipients] Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]
* 2006, inducted into Westdale Secondary School’s Wall of Distinction, Hamilton, Ontario.
* 2007, received the first Life Time Achievement Award from the Genetics Society of Canada. [ [http://www.yorku.ca/spyro/vol38(3)Aug07red.pdf/ Lifetime Achievement Award, Page 88] Retrieved on 22 July, 2008.]

References

External links

* [http://www.utpress.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/cw2w3.cgi?p=grainger&t=40648&d=2772/ Canadian Who’s Who]
* [http://international.gc.ca/department/history/dcer/details-fr.asp?intRefId=4124/ Colombo Plan for Technical Co-operation]
* [http://www.iopb.org/ International Organization of Plant Biosystematists]
* [http://www.inia.org.uy/sitios/lnl/base_investigadores_visualizar.php?id=64&inicio=0&base=4&orden=Campo48/ Lotus Newsletter]
* [http://topics.scirus.com/authorprofile.jsp?userid=605 Lotus corniculatus]

Persondata
NAME= Grant, William F.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Canadian plant geneticist
DATE OF BIRTH=1924-10-20
PLACE OF BIRTH=Hamilton, Ontario
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=