This collection documents the career of Kenneth V. Thimann, particularly his extensive publishing activity and professional involvement in the scientific community. The largest portion of the collection comprises alphabetical subject files that reflect his activity within national and international scientific organizations during the 1950s-1970s, such as the National Academy of Sciences. Materials in the collection also document Thimann's editorial work for a number of journals, his laboratory research at the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and the University of California Santa Cruz, as well as his role as provost of Crown College at UCSC. A small amount of personal and biographical material is also included.

Kenneth V. Thimann was an English-born American plant physiologist who is best known for his isolation of the plant growth hormone auxin. His identification of this hormone allowed for the production of several herbicides that were of critical importance to agricultural and horticultural industries. Thimann wrote or coauthored over 300 articles and several books, including Phytohormones (1937); The Life of Bacteria (1955); Hormone Action in the Whole Life of Plants (1977); and Botany: Plant Biology and Its Relation to Human Affairs (1982).

78.4 Linear Feet 162 boxes (141 doc boxes/half cartons, 17 flats/photo boxes, 2 roll boxes, 2 cartons)

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Collection open for research. Audiovisual media is unavailable until reformatted. Contact Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access to audiovisual media.