John B. Balinsky

John Boris Balinsky
John Boris Balinsky
Іван (Джон) Балінський
Born	4 July 1934; Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR
Died	1 October 1983 (aged 49); Ames, Iowa
Citizenship	USSR (1934–1950); South Africa (1950–1983);
Alma mater	St. John's College, Johannesburg; University of the Witwatersrand;
	Scientific career
Fields	Biochemistry, zoology
Institutions	University of the Witwatersrand; University of London; Columbia University; Iowa State University;

John (Ivan) Boris Balinsky (July 4, 1934^[1] in Kyiv – October 1, 1983^[1] in Ames, Iowa) was a Ukrainian-South African zoologist. His father Boris Balinsky was an embryologist.

Early life

Balinsky was born in Kyiv into a family of biologists; his father, Boris Balinsky, was a university professor and his mother, Katia Syngayevskaya,^[1] was a laboratory researcher. In 1937, his mother was sentenced to 10 years in a Gulag work camp, as part of Stalin's Great Purge.^[2] The sentence was later reduced but she died suddenly in 1943.^[2]

Balinsky graduated from St. John's College in Johannesburg, South Africa.^[1] He obtained his Bachelors of Science in Zoology and Chemistry in 1955 from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1959 from the University of London.^[1]

Career

Balinsky studied amphibian physiology. He investigated cell environmental adaptation regulation during development.^[1] Balinsky authored 47 research publications, including a chapter in the book "Comparative Biochemistry of Nitrogen Metabolism".^[1]

Balinsky also described several species of Echinodermata:

Ophiactis delagoa JB Balinsky, 1957
Macrophiothrix mossambica JB Balinsky, 1957
Amphiura inhacensis JB Balinsky, 1957

Awards and grants

Balinsky received numerous awards and grants, including:

Witwatersrand Council of Education Overseas Scholarship (1956)^[1]
Nuffield Foundation in dominions (1962)^[1]
Carnegie Corporation of New York (1967)^[1]
U. S. National Institutes of Health International Fellowship (1968)^[1]
South African Council for the scientific and Industrial Research Senior Bursary (1975);^[1] and
Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award (1975).

Membership

Balinsky was a member of:

AAAS^[1]
Biochemical Society^[1]
Royal Society of South Africa^[1]
Physiological Society of Southern Africa;^[1] and
Society for Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes of Southern Africa^[1]

He was also the vice-chair from 1974-1975 of the South African Biochemical Society and, from 1973-1974, chair of the Society for Experimental Biology, Transvaal.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r "Biography Note to the catalogue for the John B. Balinsky Papers in the Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library". Iowa State University Library. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b Korzh, Vladimir (2005). "Boris Balinsky: transition from embryology to developmental biology" (PDF). BioEssays. 27: 970–977 – via Wiley.

[:1-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r "Biography Note to the catalogue for the John B. Balinsky Papers in the Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library". Iowa State University Library. Retrieved 13 March 2024.

[:0-2] Korzh, Vladimir (2005). "Boris Balinsky: transition from embryology to developmental biology" (PDF). BioEssays. 27: 970–977 – via Wiley.

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