W. Maxwell Cowan
W. Maxwell Cowan | |
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Born | 27 September 1931 |
Died | 30 June 2002 (aged 70) |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Neurobiologist |
Employer | |
Awards |
William Maxwell Cowan (27 September 1931 – 30 June 2002) was a South African neuroscientist known for his work on developmental plasticity and neural connectivity. He is credited with helping to contribute to the growth of modern neuroanatomy through his use of novel anterograde tracing techniques which fundamentally transformed the field in the 1970s.[1][2] From 1978–2002 Cowan was the founding editor of the Annual Review of Neuroscience.[3] Cowan was vice-president and chief scientific officer of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 1987 until his retirement in 2000.[4]
Early life and education
William Maxwell Cowan was born to Scottish parents in
Cowan's interest in a legal career that first year soon waned, and he became more aware and troubled by the inequality between whites and blacks in South African society. He decided to change careers and study medicine instead when a friend of the family recommended it as way for him to dedicate his life to serving the community. He studied medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand (1951, BSc), several years prior to
Academic career
External videos | |
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9–10 April 2002: Society for Neuroscience Archival Interview. |
Cowan lectured in anatomy at
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Cowan became a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in 1984. The institute privately funds biomedical research and employs hundreds of scientists.[2][9] He became vice-president and chief scientific officer at HHMI in 1987, holding the post until his retirement in 2000.[8][10]
Journal editor
Cowan helped establish neuroscience in the 1960s as an interdisciplinary enterprise. As managing editor of The Journal of Comparative Neurology from 1968 to 1980, it became a leading source for neuroscience research.[2][11] Cowan was also editor-in-chief of The Journal of Neuroscience from its founding in 1980 through 1987.[9][12]
Personal life
Cowan married school teacher Margaret Sherlock and they had two sons and one daughter. He signed his work as "W. Maxwell Cowan", but his friends called him "Max".[7] Cowan was known for his scientific abilities and his communication skills, his "big-picture" thinking, and his leadership qualities. He influenced and mentored many fellow scientists, helping to encourage their careers.[2][11][13] After coping with prostate cancer, Cowan died at home in Rockville, Maryland, at age 70.[9]
Awards and honors
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1976)[14]
- Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1981)[15]
- Karl Spencer Lashley Award, American Philosophical Society (1984)
- Member of the American Philosophical Society (1987)[16]
Selected publications
For an extensive, but selective bibliography of scientific papers by Cowan, see The History of Neuroscience in Autobiography (2004), pp. 198–208.[6]
As author
- Cowan, W.M.; Gottlieb, D.I.; Hendrickson, A.E.; Price, J. L.; Woolsey, T.A. 1972. "The autoradio-graphic demonstration of axonal connections in the central nervous system." Brain Research, 37 (1): 21–51. (subscription required)
As editor
- Studies in Developmental Neurobiology: Essays in Honor of Viktor Hamburger (1981)
- Synapses (2000)
See also
- Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives
- Geoffrey Raisman, Cowan's only graduate student at Oxford
References
- ISBN 9783540644606.
- ^ doi:10.1038/418600a(subscription required)
- ^
- ^ "W. Maxwell Cowan Dies; Distinguished Neuroscientist and Former Chief Scientific Officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute". Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 2 July 2002. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^
- ^ ISBN 0-12-660246-8.
- ^ a b Raisman, Geoffrey. 2006. "Cowan, William Maxwell (1931–2002)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press, January; online edn, Jan 2009.
- ^ a b "New Vice President and Trustee Named at Hughes." Science, 238 (4828): 749. 6 November 1987. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d Baranauckas, Carla (8 July 2002). Dr. W. M. Cowan, 70, Scientist With Hughes Medical Institute, Dies. The New York Times. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
- ^ Cech, Thomas R. 2002. "A Creative Influence." HHMI Bulletin, 15 (3): 5. September.
- ^ (subscription required)
- ^ Keeley, Jim (2 July 2002). W. Maxwell Cowan Dies. HHMI News. Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ^ Kandel et al. 2002. Appreciation: W. Maxwell Cowan. HHMI Bulletin, 15(4): 45. December.
- ^ "William Maxwell Cowan". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "W. Maxwell Cowan". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
Further reading
- Jessell, Thomas; Eric Kandel. 2002. "W. Maxwell Cowan 1931–2002." Nature Neuroscience 5 (9): 827. September. (subscription required)
- Rowland, Lewis P. 2003. NINDS at 50: Celebrating 50 Years of Brain Research. Demos Medical Publishing. ISBN 9781888799712.
External links
- W. Maxwell Cowan Collected Publications, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archive, Washington University School of Medicine
- National Academy of Sciences, member directory