Roger Slack
Charles Roger Slack FRS FRSNZ (22 April 1937 – 24 October 2016) was a British-born plant biologist and biochemist who lived and worked in Australia (1962–1970) and New Zealand (1970–2000). In 1966, jointly with Marshall Hatch, he discovered C4 photosynthesis (also known as the Hatch Slack Pathway).
Roger Slack FRSNZ FRS | |
---|---|
Born | 22 April 1937 Ashton-under-Lyne |
Died | 24 October 2016 Palmerston North |
Education | University of Nottingham |
Biography
Slack was born on 22 April 1937 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England; the first and only child of Albert and Eva Slack.[1]
Charles Roger Slack studied biochemistry at the University of Nottingham, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in 1958, and a Doctorate in 1962.[1]
He married Pam Shaw in March 1963, and had two children (Andrew in 1963 and Kathy in 1966).[1]
From 1962 he worked as a biochemist at the David North Plant Research Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (funded by the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd).[1] In 1970 he joined the DSIR (Department of Scientific and Industrial Research) in New Zealand.[2] From 1989, Slack was a Senior Scientist at the newly formed Crown Research Institute for Crop & Food Research in Palmerston North, New Zealand.[1]
He retired from Crop and Food Research in 2000.[2]
Roger Slack died in 2016 in Palmerston North, New Zealand.[1]
Roger Slack Award
In 2007 the New Zealand Society of Plant Biologists renamed their annual award after Dr. Roger Slack. The award is made to society members to recognise an outstanding contribution to the study of plant biology. It was renamed in recognition of his outstanding contribution as a plant biologist and biochemist in New Zealand, his role in the discovery of C4 photosynthesis (also known as the Hatch Slack Pathway), and his contribution as an early member of the New Zealand Society of Plant Biologists.[2]
Honours
- 1970: Peter Goldacre Award from the Australian Society of Plant Scientists (previously called the Australian Society of Plant Physiologists).[3]
- 1980: Charles F Kettering Award from the American Society of Plant Physiologists, shared with Hugo Kortschak and Marshall (Hal) Davidson Hatch.[4]
- 1981: Rank Prize for Nutrition, shared with Hugo Kortschak and Marshall (Hal) Davidson Hatch.[5]
- 1983: Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.[1]
- 1989: Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.[6][7]
Bibliography
Selected articles:[1]
- Hatch MD, Slack CR (October 1966). "Photosynthesis by sugar-cane leaves. A new carboxylation reaction and the pathway of sugar formation". The Biochemical Journal. 101 (1): 103–11. doi:10.1042/bj1010103. PMC 1270070. PMID 5971771.
- Hatch MD, Slack CR (June 1970). "Photosynthetic CO2-fixation pathways". Annual Review of Plant Physiology. 21 (1): 141–62. doi:10.1146/annurev.pp.21.060170.001041.
- Roughan PG, Slack CR (June 1982). "Cellular Organization of Glycerolipid Metabolism". Annual Review of Plant Physiology. 33 (1): 97–132. doi:10.1146/annurev.pp.33.060182.000525.
References
- "Charles Roger Slack". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
- "Roger Slack Award |". plantbiology.science.org.nz. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
- "Australian Society of Plant Scientists » Peter Goldacre Award". Retrieved 2019-12-28.
- "Charles F. Kettering Award". ASPB. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
- "Nutrition". www.rankprize.org. Archived from the original on 2019-03-03. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
- "Charles Slack". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
- Laing, William (2020). "Charles Roger Slack. 22 April 1937—24 October 2016". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 69.