Paul Grobstein
Paul Grobstein, 2005
Born(1946-03-21)March 21, 1946
Long Beach, California
DiedJune 28, 2011(2011-06-28) (aged 65)
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma mater
SpouseMargaret (Peg) Hollyday (widowed)
ChildrenJed Grobstein and Rachel Grobstein
Awards
  • Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship
  • Eleanor A. Bliss Professorship
  • Rosalyn R. Schwartz Teaching Award
Scientific career
FieldsNeuroscience
Institutions
Doctoral advisorDonald Kennedy
Websitehttps://serendipstudio.org/local/grobstein.html

Paul Grobstein (March 21, 1946 – June 28, 2011) was an American neurobiologist who studied the development and organization of nervous systems. In addition to his work in neurobiology, Grobstein had a long-term interest in understanding people's behavior.

Early life

Paul was born on March 21, 1946, in Los Angeles to Rose Gruver Grobstein and Clifford Grobstein. Clifford Grobstein, an American biologist and cancer researcher, was a member of the National Academy of Sciences.[1] Rose Grobstein, an American social worker, was a pioneer and “founding mother” in the field of genetic counseling.[2] Paul grew up with one younger sister, Joan Grobstein. In 1950 the family lived in Bethesda, Maryland.[3] Later they moved to Palo Alto, California where Clifford was on the Stanford University faculty and Paul attended Palo Alto High School.

Education and career

Grobstein received his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Harvard University in 1969 and his Master of Arts and PhD in biology from Stanford University in 1970 and 1973. After postdoctoral fellowships at Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University, Grobstein joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1974 as an assistant professor; he left Chicago in 1985 as an associate professor. Grobstein spent the rest of his academic career at Bryn Mawr College where he joined the biology department as chair and professor in 1986. In 1988 he was awarded the Eleanor A. Bliss Professorship at Bryn Mawr, and he founded the Summer Institutes for K-12 Teachers in 1990 which brought hundreds of local educators to campus to consider new ways of teaching science and math. In 2000 he founded and was director of the Center for Science in Society.[4][5] Grobstein was associate editor of the Journal of Research Practice from 2005 to 2011.[6]

Research and innovation

His laboratory research concentrated on the development and organization of the nervous systems of various animals including crayfish, rabbits, leeches, and significantly frogs, where the focus of his work was "the nature of spatial representations and the origins, organization, regulation, and significance of unpredictability in neuronal function and behavior".[7] In addition to his work in neurobiology Grobstein had a long-term interest in understanding people's behavior. In 1994, together with Deepak Kumar, Professor of Computer Science at Bryn Mawr College, and Ann Dixon, Bryn Mawr College alumna, he created Serendip, an intellectual community dedicated to gathering people together for the exploration of science. Serendip was the first website on the Bryn Mawr campus and originally Serendip hosted the Bryn Mawr College website. In 2005 the site consisted of over 20,000 pages and averaged 20,000 unique visitors a day. The site has a section that encourages interactive educational experiences and another that promotes online interactive discussions. There are many other sections on the site including a more recent addition that provides resources for teaching about the coronavirus.[8][9]

Recognition

Grobstein was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow from 1976 to 1980.[10] Grobstein received the Rosalyn R. Schwartz Teaching Award for teaching excellence and campus leadership at Bryn Mawr in 1988.[4] In that same year he was appointed to the Eleanor A. Bliss Professorship.[11] In 2000 he was named founding director of the Center for Science in Society at Bryn Mawr. To honor Grobstein after his death in 2011 Bryn Mawr College established the Paul Grobstein Memorial Fund.[12]

Selected publications

References

  1. ↑ Grady, Denise (13 September 1998). "Clifford Grobstein, 82, Biologist Who Applied Ethics to Research". New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Separating mother, child damages relationship". No. 11. The Peninsula Times Tribute. 11 May 1972.
  3. ↑ "1950 United States Federal Census", United States census, 1950; roll 2547, page 11, line 4, enumeration district 16–50. Retrieved on 29 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Obituaries-November/December 2011". Stanford University. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Bryn Mawr College Summer Institutes for K-12 Teachers". Science Education Resource Center at Carleton University. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  6. ↑ Dalke, Anne (11 March 2011). "Paul Grobstein (Associate Editor, JRP, 2005–2011)". Journal of Research Practice. 7 (1): 1.
  7. ↑ "Paul Grobstein Serendip co-founder". Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "Serendip's 10th Anniversary: An Invitation to an Intellectual Playground". Serendip Studio's One World. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  9. ↑ Dixon, Ann (November 2005). "Serendip". Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletin: 14–19.
  10. ↑ "Fellows Database". Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  11. ↑ "Bryn Mawr Biology Faculty". Bryn Mawr College. Archived from the original on 20 October 2000.
  12. ↑ "Paul Grobstein Obituary". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
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