John B. Balinsky
John (Ivan) Boris Balinsky (July 4, 1934[1] in Kyiv – October 1, 1983[1] in Ames, Iowa) was a Ukrainian-South African zoologist. His father Boris Balinsky was an embryologist.
John Boris Balinsky | |
|---|---|
| Іван (Джон) Балінський | |
| Born | 4 July 1934 |
| Died | 1 October 1983 (aged 49) |
| Citizenship |
|
| Alma mater | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemistry, zoology |
| Institutions | |
Early Life
Balinsky was born in Kyiv into a family of biologists; his father, Boris Balinsky, was a university professor and his mother, Katia Syngayevskaya,[1] was a laboratory researcher. In 1937, his mother was sentenced to 10 years in a Gulag work camp, as part of Stalin's Great Purge.[2] The sentence was later reduced but she died suddenly in 1943.[2]
Balinsky graduated from St. John's College in Johannesburg, South Africa.[1] He obtained his Bachelors of Science in Zoology and Chemistry in 1955 from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1959 from the University of London.[1]
Career
Balinsky studied amphibian physiology. He investigated cell environmental adaptation regulation during development.[1] Balinsky authored 47 research publications, including a chapter in the book "Comparative Biochemistry of Nitrogen Metabolism".[1]
Balinsky also described several species of Echinodermata:
- Ophiactis delagoa JB Balinsky, 1957
- Macrophiothrix mossambica JB Balinsky, 1957
- Amphiura inhacensis JB Balinsky, 1957
Awards and grants
Balinsky received numerous awards and grants, including:
- Witwatersrand Council of Education Overseas Scholarship (1956)[1]
- Nuffield Foundation in dominions (1962)[1]
- Carnegie Corporation of New York (1967)[1]
- U. S. National Institutes of Health International Fellowship (1968)[1]
- South African Council for the scientific and Industrial Research Senior Bursary (1975);[1] and
- Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award (1975).
Membership
Balinsky was a member of:
- AAAS[1]
- Biochemical Society[1]
- Royal Society of South Africa[1]
- Physiological Society of Southern Africa;[1] and
- Society for Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes of Southern Africa[1]
He was also the vice-chair from 1974-1975 of the South African Biochemical Society and, from 1973-1974, chair of the Society for Experimental Biology, Transvaal.[1]
Further reading
- Balinsky, Boris (1988). Digital surrogate of Boris Balinsky Memoir. University of Illinois Archives.
References
- ^ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 "Biography Note to the catalogue for the John B. Balinsky Papers in the Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library". Iowa State University Library. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ 2.0 2.1 Korzh, Vladimir (2005). "Boris Balinsky: transition from embryology to developmental biology" (PDF). BioEssays. 27: 970–977 – via Wiley.