A founding father of modem biotechnology, superb teacher, writer and researcher, for half a century Arthur Kornberg has been a leader in modem biology and a mentor for many important scientists. As co- winner of the 1959 Nobel prize in medicine and physiology, Arthur Kornberg’s work has been fundamental to the entire field of biotechnology. He first demonstrated how DNA, the biological material which transmits genetic information, is synthesized by enzymes. After a dozen years of effort, Arthur Kornberg and his group succeeded in the synthesis of a virus assembled from the four fundamental building blocks of DNA. Though having no life of its own, this virus was capable of diverting the machinery of a host cell to making millions of copies of itself – the mechanism by which viruses destroy cells.
Arthur Kornberg’s research and teaching spawned a school of scientists that further revolutionized biology. A talented writer, he has published a classic work in the field of DNA synthesis and regulation. His memoirs, For the Love of Enzymes, published in 1989 by Harvard University Press, is as much a biography of modem biology as an autobiography. It is a model of how to make complex science understandable to everyone, as well as a guide to young biologists on how they may succeed in their field. He has just completed another book, The Golden Helix: Inside Biotech Ventures, which chronicles the development of the important, new biotechnology industry. This industry, in which he has been so constructively active, is remarkable for its blending of the cultures of academic science and business.
In recognition of his internationally renowned contributions to defining the role of chemistry in understanding life, the Cosmos Club bestows the 1995 Cosmos Club Award on Arthur Kornberg, a distinguished American scientist and founding father of modem biology.
