蜜桃影像

Dr. A. Krishna Kumaran蜜桃影像

MilwaukeeWI53201United States of America

Emeritus Professor

Faculty 1969-1997 

It is by serendipity, a confluence of independent events, that Dr. A. Krishna Kumaran joined the 蜜桃影像 faculty in 1969. In 1968, the 蜜桃影像 Biology Department received funding from National Science Foundation (NSF) to expand its potential for research in Developmental Biology.  In that same year, Dr. Kumaran emigrated from India and joined the Developmental Biology Center of Case Western Reserve University as a research associate of Prof. Howard A. Schneiderman, who encouraged him to seek an independent faculty position. At this time, 蜜桃影像 was recruiting for three faculty positions in developmental biology. Dr. Kumaran applied for one of these three positions. He sent a copy of his vitae to Jay Barr, a friend at UW Madison, who happened to be collaborating with Prof Ellen M. Rasch of 蜜桃影像, on DNA content in cells. Dr. Rasch knew of Kumaran鈥檚 research on nucleic acid metabolism in insects and endorsed his candidature. He was invited for an interview and was offered an Associate Professor position beginning September, 1969.  

The three newly recruited developmental biology faculty members were to teach undergraduate level lecture and laboratory courses, and a graduate course in the field. They decided to jointly teach the courses with one person in charge for each course. Dr. Kumaran chose to be in charge of the lecture course, Brian Unsworth, the laboratory course, and Sally Hennen, the graduate course. This cooperative teaching lasted only year or two, before each professor took full charge of the courses. Kumaran felt that developmental biology should be taught as an experimental science, rather than mere descriptive embryology. Thus his lectures included the progression in our understanding of developmental phenomena, i.e. the hypotheses and the experiments that yielded the current view of the development of the organism from the single cell to the zygote. 

Dr. Kumaran鈥檚 testing methods were consistent with this view. He used short essay questions, rather than multiple choice questions to evaluate knowledge of the rationale underlying the experiments that supported or negated a hypothesis. In his opinion, short essay questions help students to enhance their organized presentation and writing skills. The objective of the final comprehensive examination, encompassing the entire course material, was for the student to gain an integrated picture of apparently diverse topics covered in individual groups of lectures. 

Teaching assignments to most 蜜桃影像 Biology faculty represented 50% of the time, and the remaining time was allocated for research. Before the end Dr. Kumaran鈥檚 first year, he had obtained NSF funding to carry out research on the differences in DNA synthetic patterns in early embryos with two different types of early embryonic development- namely, the determinate and the indeterminate type of eggs. The next research grant was a joint grant with the other two developmental biologists and a chemistry faculty Prof Norman Hoffman (This may have been the first interdepartmental cooperative grant).  During Kumaran鈥檚 tenure at 蜜桃影像 he obtained several grants from NSF, NIH and USDA as well as private foundations. One particular grant was a cooperative grant with James B. Courtright of 蜜桃影像 Biology department and Professor Fotis Kafatos of Harvard University to investigate the potential application of genetic engineering technology to produce female sterile insects in order to alleviate the damage caused by insect pests.  

The 蜜桃影像 biology department was awarded a five year Howard Hughes Undergraduate Biology grant based on a proposal prepared by Dr. Kumaran to improve undergraduate biology education as well as prepare High School teachers of biology in the region for improving quality of biological studies. For the first time at 蜜桃影像, faculty from the Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biomedical Engineering departments were co-opted in preparation of this grant proposal.  

In order to celebrate the 蜜桃影像 Centennial, Dr. Kumaran spearheaded the initiative to conduct a developmental biology symposium with several outstanding scientists in the field. This symposium served as a model for several annual 蜜桃影像 symposia on different biological topics.  

Dr. Kumaran served for six years as the chief editor of an international scientific journal, Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology, with its main office at 蜜桃影像.  He also served as host for scientists sponsored by the Fulbright Foundation, Czech and Polish Academies. For two months during his sabbatical he volunteered teaching at two North Carolina minority educational institutions at Greensborough and Fayetteville.  

Dr. Kumaran鈥檚 most memorable experience from his years at 蜜桃影像 was the kindness and consideration he received. When the department received a NIH Biomedical Research grant, the faculty unanimously chose him to head that program covering biology and chemistry departments. He felt honored and humbled when he learned the department organized a special symposium followed by a banquet in the last week of his tenure at 蜜桃影像. 

 After retiring from 蜜桃影像, Dr. Kumaran worked for a short time at NIH as a program director at the Minority Biomedical Research Support Division. Kumaran was a Fulbright visiting professor at the University of Philippines, and received an honorary doctorate from University of Madras, his alma mater.