Israel Roisenberg (1934-2013): a life dedicated to science

Abstract

Historians of science have continuously searched for the factors which determine why certain persons achieve proeminence in the area. Of prime importance, of course, is their biological constitution; only persons with a given degree of intelligence can reach success. But there are many additional factors which are also important, including work drive, persistence, as well as appropriate family and academic environments. This combination of factors led to Israel Roisenberg's brilliant career, and the main events of his life are listed in Table 1. He was born in Porto Alegre on July 31, 1934, where he lived all his life, except for varied periods of time in São Paulo and outside Brazil. After primary and secondary education (the latter in a public school, Colégio Júlio de Castilhos), he was approved in the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) entrance exam for the Biological Sciences Career in 1958. Soon he developed an interest in research, and as a consequence I invited him to work as an undergraduate student in our laboratory. He graduated in 1961 and soon afterwards received a contract as a Biologist at UFRGS. Our PostGraduate Program was just starting at the time, but he also immediately enrolled as a Ph.D. student.