Conant, James Bryant

Name:
Conant, James Bryant
Detailed information:
(1893–1978). An American chemist and educator, born in Boston, who received his doctorate in chemistry from Harvard in 1916 and was president of Harvard for 20 years (1933–1953). His major scientific activities included pioneering research on chlorophyll and important contributions to the Manhattan Project. Perhaps his greatest achievements lay in the educational field, in which he exerted a strong liberalizing influence at both the collegiate and secondary-school levels. He also was ambassador to postwar Germany and educational adviser to Berlin. He wrote many books on science and education, including basic chemical texts, and received a number of scientific and educational awards.