Wolf V. Vishniac

Wolf Vladimir Vishniac (April 22, 1922 – December 10, 1973) was an American microbiologist. He was the son of photographer Roman Vishniac. Educated at Brooklyn College and Stanford University, he was a professor of biology at the University of Rochester. He died on a research trip to the Antarctic attempting to retrieve equipment in a crevasse. The crater Vishniac on Mars is named in his honor.[1]

Wolf V. Vishniac
Born(1922-04-22)April 22, 1922
Berlin, Germany
DiedDecember 10, 1973(1973-12-10) (aged 51)
Asgard Range, Wright Valley, Antarctica
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Helen Vishniac
Scientific career
FieldsMicrobiology Astrobiology
InstitutionsUniversity of Rochester

Wolf Vishniac contributed greatly to the search for life on Mars by developing a special miniature laboratory that could be transported to that planet, known as the "Wolf Trap". This research was supported by a NASA grant started in 1959, the very first ever for the "biological sciences."[2]

Wolf Vishniac Memorial Award

A Wolf Vishniac Memorial Award for Young Researchers is awarded at the biennially held International Symposium On Environmental Biogeochemistry (ISEB).[3] The award is presented to researchers no older than 35 years who must be a first author and give a presentation at the symposium.[4] A notable recipient is Sergey Zimov, who received the award at the ISEB-10 in 1991.[5] Other recipients include M. Francesca Cotrufo at the ISEB-12 (1995),[6] Alexis S. Templeton at the ISEB-14 (1999),[7] Kamlesh Jangid at the ISEB-14 (1999),[8] Salwa Hamdi at the ISEB-19 (2009),[9] and Jillian M. Petersen at the ISEB-20 (2011).[10]

In Culture

In his 1980 TV series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, Carl Sagan told the story of Wolf Vishniac in Episode 5, "Blues for a Red Planet".

References
  1. Müller, E. A.; Jappel, A., eds. (2012), "Proceedings of the Sixteenth General Assembly Grenoble", International Astronomical Union Transactions, Springer Science & Business Media, 16 (2), p. 325, ISBN 978-9401012577
  2. Carney, Emily. "Wolf V. Vishniac, The First Human to Walk on Mars". americaspace.com. Retrieved Dec 1, 2019.
  3. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: “International Symposia On Environmental Biogeochemistry (ISEB).” Without date (2000/2001 ?). Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  4. Uniwersytet Przyrodniczy we Wrocławiu: “The Wolf Vishniac Memorial Award.” 2001. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  5. William S. Reeburgh: “Meeting report.” Report on the Tenth International Symposium on Environmental Biogeochemistry (ISEB-10). In: Geomicrobiology Journal 28 January 1992, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 73–74. (Full text at eScholarship, UC.) Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  6. M. Francesca Cotrufo: “Curriculum Vitae.” Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences, 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  7. Alexis S. Templeton: “Templeton Curriculum Vitae 2012.” University of Colorado Boulder, CU Experts, 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  8. Microbial Culture Collection (MCC): “Dr. Kamlesh Jangid, Ph.D.” Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, without date. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  9. Oliver Dilly, Eva Maria Pfeiffer: “Editorial. Sustainable biogeochemical cycling in soil.” In Soil Biology and Biochemistry 43(9), September 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  10. Jillian M. Petersen: “Curriculum vitae Dr. Jillian M. Petersen.” Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
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