Rieseberg follows Elliot Sperling and Christopher Beck of the IUB Department of Central Eurasian Studies; Gregory Schopen of the IUB Department of Religious Studies; and John Eaton of the IU School of Music in Bloomington as MacArthur Fellows. Bassist and composer Edgar Meyer, an alumnus of the IU School of Music in Bloomington, received the honor last year.
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Rieseberg is fifth IU prof to receive ‘genius award’ and ‘the gift of time’
Loren Rieseberg, Class of ’54 Professor of biology at Indiana University Bloomington, has been named one of 24 MacArthur Fellows by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Rieseberg’s intricate studies of sunflowers (see story, page A3) have revealed clues about early Native American cultures and also suggested new ways evolution produces species. His research, published in Science magazine, provided evidence that cross-species mating is likely to have been important in the evolution of new species.
The five-year, unrestricted $500,000 MacArthur award is given to those whose originality and creativity merit “the gift of time and the unfettered opportunity to explore, create and accomplish,” according to the foundation.
Rieseberg’s co-recipients include a blacksmith, several historians, a biophysicist, a gerontological nurse, a children’s novelist and an archaeologist.
The fellowships are designed “to emphasize the importance of the creative individual in society” and are awarded annually.
“Loren is an amazing scientist whose novel insights into the mechanisms of speciation have taken the field in new directions,” said Elizabeth Raff, chair of the IUB Department of Biology. “In addition to being a well-deserved personal triumph for Loren, who is a leader in evolutionary biology, the award emphasizes this department’s reputation as one of the best biology departments in the country.”
Related story.
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