Calvin, Melvin (1911-1997), an American chemist, received the 1961 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his studies of photosynthesis. Using radioactive carbon-14, he traced the chemical reactions that occur when a plant changes carbon dioxide and water into sugar.
Calvin was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He studied at the Michigan College of Mining and Technology and the University of Minnesota. Calvin joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley in 1937. From 1941 to 1945, he performed research for the United States government. During this period, he participated in the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb. In 1946, Calvin became director of the Chemical Biodynamics Group at Berkeley’s Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, and he later served in other positions there.
After retiring his directorship in 1980, he continued to lecture and to perform research. Calvin wrote about 500 scientific papers and articles. He authored or co-authored seven books. Calvin was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1989.
