Jeffers
Joe Jeffers
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
Research Interest
The Life and Works of Frederick Sanger, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 1958, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 1980
Dr. Frederick Sanger was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1958 for his work in determining the structure of insulin, the first protein molecule sequenced. He became only the third two-time recipient of the Nobel Prize when he shared the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing techniques for sequencing DNA molecules. Dr. Sanger worked first in the Biochemistry Department at Cambridge University in England. Then he worked at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. I have interviewed Dr. Sanger and many of his colleagues and family members. I continue research to prepare articles for the Bulletin for the History of Chemistry and to write a biography of Frederick Sanger.
Elizabeth Blackburn was announced as a co-recipient of the 2009 Noble Prize in Physiology
or Medicine. She is the third graduate student of Fred Sanger to be so honored. Rodney
Porter, Sanger's first graduate student, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in
1972; and Cesar Milstein shared the 1984 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Sir
Hans Krebs said in his 1967 Nature paper*, “Scientific distinction develops if nurtured
by distinction.” No truer words could be said of Fred Sanger.
*“The Making of a Scientist,” Nature 215, 1441-1445 (1967).
Courses Taught
Organic Chemistry 1 & 2
Scientific Inquiry
OBU Connections
Readings in Natural Science
Health Professions Seminar
Additional Involvements
Chair-Elect, American Chemical Society Division for the History of Chemistry, 2023-2024
Organic Chemistry Editor, Chemical Education Resources, a subsidiary of Brooks/Cole Publishing, Pacific Grove, CA. Brooks/Cole is a division of CENGAGE Learning.
Multidisciplinary Programming Planning Group, American Chemical Society, 2009-2020
Executive Committee, History of Chemistry Division, American Chemical Society, 2005-2018, 2023-2026
Arkansas IDeA Networks for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Steering Committee, 2004-2018
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