We lost four valued and cherished members of the faculty last year: Rudy Raff, Drew Schwartz, Bob Togasaki, and Gene Weinberg. Find a brief paragraph about each of them below plus links to additional information.
Rudolf “Rudy” Raff
Nov. 10, 1941–Jan. 5, 2019
Rudy Raff was a faculty member in IU Biology since 1971, starting as an assistant professor and rising quickly through the ranks to a James H. Rudy Professor of Biology in 2000 and a Distinguished Professor in 2002, until his retirement as Distinguished Professor Emeritus in 2018. Raff was a pioneer of the field now known as evo-devo (evolutionary developmental biology) and his work received numerous awards and honors, including the pioneer award of the PanAmerican Society of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and election to the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Perhaps more important than his scientific and scholarly accomplishments (and there were indeed many), Raff was a wonderful colleague, friend, and mentor to many, and he was vital to the growth and success of the department over the last half century.
Eugene "Gene" Weinberg
Mar. 4, 1922–Mar. 8, 2019
Gene Weinberg had been an IU Biology faculty member since 1950 (with a joint appointment in Medical Sciences), starting as an assistant professor of the then Department of Microbiology and rising quickly through the ranks to Professor of Biology in 1961. Weinberg was among the first to advance the concept that humans and animals protect themselves from invasion by microbes and cancer cells by withholding iron from the invaders. His research on the roles of iron and other minerals in health and infectious diseases, cancer, and other chronic conditions was nationally and internationally recognized. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 1992.
Drew Schwartz
Nov. 15, 1919–Aug. 10, 2019
Drew Schwartz was a faculty member from 1964 until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 1990. He made several fundamental contributions to maize genetics during his time at IU, including developing methods to screen for negative mutants and developing a “competition model” for the regulation of gene action. He also made important contributions to the area of transposable elements (“jumping genes”) in maize. Schwartz was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 1972. Shortly before his retirement, Schwartz established a graduate fellowship for students whose research involves fundamental genetic phenomena.
Robert K. “Bob” Togasaki
Jul. 24, 1932–Nov. 19, 2019
Bob Togasaki was recruited in 1968 to the then Department of Botany to provide research strength in biochemistry of photosynthesis. He made important discoveries in genetics using the unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas. He developed the Bio Nebulizer, one of “100 Discoveries of the Year” by Research and Development Magazine in 1993. Togasaki also made critical contributions to IU Biology’s educational mission, including employing modern pedagogical techniques. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 1998. He was involved in numerous departmental science outreach programs, and Togasaki regularly volunteered as a teacher at the local Harmony School and the WonderLab Science Museum.
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