Harry Smith. (Molecular Ecology: Elinor Smith)
We’ve received word that Harry Smith, the founder of Molecular Ecology, passed away yesterday.
Smith had a prolific and well-regarded career studying the molecular basis of plants’ responses to their environments. In particular, he helped to demonstrate how plants perceive the color, and thereby the quality, of light, and adjust their growth in response. In addition to editing Molecular Ecology from its 1992 launch through 2008, Smith was founding editor of the journals Plant, Cell & Environment and Global Change Biology. On his departure from the editorship, he was awarded the 2008 Molecular Ecology prize, and profiled in the journal by Peter Quail, who wrote:
… Harry Smith is a scholar, mentor, internationally renowned researcher, eloquent speaker and author, pioneering journal editor and highly valued colleague who has contributed greatly in multiple ways to plant science and the community.
Our thoughts are with Smith’s friends and family.
