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Arthur Winfree

Science Talent Search – 1960

About Arthur Winfree*

Scientist and mathematician Arthur Winfree performed pioneering research on biological rhythms. He competed in the 1960 STS and went on to earn his doctorate from Princeton University. Winfree’s talent for mathematically describing physical, biological and chemical phenomena deepened our understanding of cycles and shapes, including heart rhythms and sleep patterns. He received a 1984 MacArthur Fellowship for his work in theoretical biology and published popular writings, including his seminal work, The Geometry of Biological Time. Winfree taught in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona from 1986 until his death in 2002.

* = Deceased

Science Talent Search 1960

An excerpt from Winfree’s STS project report. His experiments produced polyvinyl alcohol and sucrose soap solution bubbles which were more difficult to pop than normal soap bubbles, including one which lasted over 50 hours.

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Winfree had a gift for teaching and wrote many scientific articles for popular consumption.

Notable Alumni - Arthur Winfree
Gene Selkov via Wikimedia Commons