Jan Zeevaart was one of the original faculty members of the Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) at MSU and an internationally recognized elder statesman in the plant sciences. He was born on January 5, 1930 in the Netherlands, where he received his education prior to immigrating to the United States. In 1960, Zeevaart took a position at Caltech, one of the premier places for plant biology research at the time. In 1965, Zeevaart joined the new PRL at MSU and remained on the faculty until his death in 2009. During his career he made significant contributions to the understanding of plant physiology and the action of plant hormones in controlling plant growth and development. Throughout his career he received many honors including being named a university distinguished professor in 1998, being elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 1998, and being named a Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists in 2007. Along with his research accomplishments he was known as a mentor to many students and younger colleagues.
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