Born in
New Jersey to
Edgar Howard Sturtevant, a
linguistics professor at
Yale University, and Bessie Fitch Skinner, the family descends from Samuel Sturtevant, an early settler of
Plymouth Colony. Sturtevant's great-grandfather was
Julian Monson Sturtevant, the second president of
Illinois College, and his uncle was
Alfred Sturtevant, a noted
geneticist. Sturtevant obtained his
Bachelor of Arts from
Columbia University in 1927, and his
Doctor of Philosophy in
chemistry from Yale in 1931. He joined the faculty there in that same year. Sturtevant chaired the department of chemistry from 1959 to 1962, and continued to teach until retirement in 1977, becoming professor emeritus of chemistry, molecular biophysics, and biochemistry. Sturtevant was known for applying
thermochemistry to the study of
biology, and pioneered the collection of kinetic data for studying organic chemical reactions and designed unique
calorimeters that allowed for more accurate heat measurements long before high-precision ones became available. His former student and Rutgers professor
Kenneth Breslauer credited him for having "...practically founded the field of biothermodynamics." For his work, Sturtevant received a
Guggenheim Fellowship (1955), was elected to both the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences and
National Academy of Sciences (1973), and was awarded the
Wilbur Cross Medal (1987). ==See also==