Peter Hepler, professor emeritus of biology has been named an honorary fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society, the highest award offered by the organization. Hepler is being recognized for his contributions to the applications of light and electron microscopy to the plant sciences. “Throughout his career he has remained at the forefront of new developments and has produced a number of cutting-edge papers detailing his novel and inspiring research,” said the RMS announcement.
Helper was one of the first scientists to apply the new glutaraldehyde fixation to plant cells, revealing for the first time, bundles of microtubules under the plasma membrane of developing tracheary elements. He was also the first plant scientist to employ microinjection techniques to study the incorporation of fluorescent tubulin into microtubules in cells.
Hepler and the two other new honorary fellows were announced at the Botanical Microscopy Meeting held this week at Exeter University in the U.K..
Department of Biology