Darwin Prockop, Academician of Science, dies at 94
Darwin Prockop, foreign Academician of Science, has died at the age of 94. Prockop was an American scientist whose research focused on collagen, stem cells and gene therapy. He received the honorary title of foreign Academician of Science in 1990.
Academician Prockop had a long and solid working relationship with Finnish researchers, particularly with collagen researchers at the University of Oulu. He also significantly influenced researcher training in Finland. He was a research colleague of Academy Professor emeritus Kari Kivirikko since the late 1960s; Kivirikko made several research visits to Prockop’s laboratory. Many Finnish researchers did their postdoctoral research in his lab, such as Leena and Aarno Palotie and Taina Pihlajaniemi.
Based on nominations made by the Research Council of Finland, the President of the Republic of Finland may confer the honorary title of Academician of Science to highly distinguished Finnish or foreign scientists and scholars. The title of Academician can be held by no more than sixteen Finnish scientists and scholars at a time. There are no restrictions on the number of foreign Academicians.
