Bruce Wallace (geneticist)

Bruce Wallace
Born1920 (1920)
McKean, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 12, 2015(2015-01-12) (aged 94–95)
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materColumbia University
Scientific career
FieldsPopulation Genetics
InstitutionsCold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cornell University
Virginia Tech
Doctoral advisorTheodosius Dobzhansky

Bruce Wallace (1920 – January 12, 2015) was an American scientist. He was University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech.[1]

Biography[edit]

Wallace was born and raised in McKean, Pennsylvania. He received his bachelor's degree in zoology from Columbia University before joining the United States Army. He served as a statistical control officer under Robert McNamara before returning to Columbia to earn his doctoral degree in 1949, studying under Theodosius Dobzhansky.[1][2] He joined the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1947 and was promoted to its assistant director. In 1958, he joined the faculty of Cornell University and held the position of professor of genetics until 1981 to become University Distinguished Professor of Biology at Virginia Tech.[3] Wallace retired from teaching in 1994. His research has initially focused on the study of genetics and natural populations, but shifted towards environmental issues after his retirement.

Among his contributions to the field of biology was his conceptualization of an "island machine" to estimate the equilibrium number of species in the biogeography of a laboratory island and the major determinant of extinction.[4] He also anticipated the structure and roles of enhancers in gene regulation.[5]

Wallace was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1970.[6] However, he resigned from the academy after learning that through its operating arm, the National Research Council, had committees doing secret war research funded by the United States Department of Defense during the Vietnam War.[7] He was reinstated in the academy after the war was over.

He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[8] Wallace served as president of numerous learned societies, including the Genetics Society of America, the American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the American Genetics Association.[1][9]

He died on January 12, 2015, in Blacksburg, Virginia, at age 94.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "In memoriam: Bruce Wallace, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences". vtx.vt.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  2. ^ "Dr. Bruce Wallace Obituary (2015) Ithaca Journal". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  3. ^ "Distinguished geneticist Bruce Wallace dies at 94". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  4. ^ Wallace, Bruce (1975). "The Biogeography of Laboratory Islands". Evolution. 29 (4): 622–635. doi:10.2307/2407073. ISSN 0014-3820. JSTOR 2407073. PMID 28563100.
  5. ^ Wallace, Bruce; Kass, Thomas L. (July 1974). "On the Structure of Gene Control Regions". Genetics. 77 (3): 541–558. doi:10.1093/genetics/77.3.541. ISSN 0016-6731. PMC 1213146. PMID 4414920.
  6. ^ "Bruce Wallace". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  7. ^ a b MacIntyre, R. J.; Gearhart, J. D.; Effron, J. W.; O' Brien, S. J.; Fogleman, J. (2015-05-01). "In Memory of Bruce Wallace: 1920–2015". Journal of Heredity. 106 (3): 331–332. doi:10.1093/jhered/esv024. ISSN 0022-1503. PMID 26086052.
  8. ^ "Bruce Wallace". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  9. ^ "Bruce Wallace" (PDF). Retrieved June 14, 2022.
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