astronomy

Philip Handler

Philip Handler is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Philip Handler rather than just read about it. In short: Philip Handler (August 13, 1917 – December 29, 1981) was an American nutritionist, and biochemist. He was President of the United States National Academy of Sciences for two terms from 1969 to 1981.

Key takeaways

Philip Handler belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Philip Handler to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Philip Handler from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Philip Handler (August 13, 1917 – December 29, 1981) was an American nutritionist, and biochemist. He was President of the United States National Academy of Sciences for two terms from 1969 to 1981. He was also a recipient of the National Medal of Science.

Biography Handler grew up in a Jewish family in New York City. He received his B.S. degree from the City College of New York in 1936 and his Ph.D. from University of Illinois in 1939. He taught at Duke University where he was named the youngest chairman of the Department of Biochemistry, at 35. Handler remained at Duke until 1969, when he accepted the position of president of the National Academy of Sciences. As a biochemist, he published more than 200 papers on nutrition and metabolic activity. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1964. He received the National Medal of Science in 1981 for "his outstanding contribution to biochemical research, resulting in significant contributions to mankind, including research which led to a clearer understanding of pellagra". His research led to the first understanding of nicotinic acid deficiency and the discovery of the tryptophan-nicotinic acid relationship. Handler also provided an understanding of the oxidation of sarcosine to glycine and formaldehyde, which led to the importance of single-carbon atoms in metabolism. His final work showed that methionine is the only methyl donor in mammalian metabolism and that there is no pool of methyl groups. As President of the National Academy of Sciences, Handler was instrumental in opening a dialog on American-Soviet cooperation in outer space with his counterpart at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1970. The discussions would ultimately lead to a joint spaceflight in 1975, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Handler was also responsible for perhaps one of the most notable statues relating to science in the United States: that of Albert Einstein at the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. Handler was also involved in the creation of the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), the predecessor to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Within HEW, Handler had a significant impact on the creation of a multitude of centers within the National Institutes of Health. He spurred in part by a growing interest in the biosciences, his position on various governmental committees, and the book Biology & The Future of Man, which read like a blueprint for a generation of work in the life sciences. Rather abruptly, Handler died in Boston on December 29, 1981, from pneumonia, just short of six months after leaving office at the Academy. Instead of returning to Duke University as planned, he remained in the hospital following his admission for a thorough checkup in August 1981. He chose to have his ashes placed alongside his colleagues' at Duke University Medical Center, where he began his academic research career.

Positions held

Employment 1937–1939 Junior Chemist, U. S. Regional Soybean Byproducts Laboratory Duke University School of Medicine: 1939–1942 Fellow and Instructor, Nutrition and Physiology 1942–1945 Assistant Professor of Physiology 1945–1950 Associate Professor of Biochemistry 1950–1961 Professor of Biochemistry and Chairman of the Department 1961–1969 James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry (on leave 1969–1981) and Chairman of the Department 1969–1981 President, National Academy of Sciences 1970–1981 Distinguished Professor of Medical Sciences, George Washington University

Public Service Governmental Positions

1952–1962 Consultant, Veteran's Administration 1964–1968 President's Science Advisory Committee 1968–1974 President's Science Advisory Committee 1969–1981 Committee on National Medal of Science 1980 Chairman, U. S. Delegation to the Scientific Forum of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Hamburg National Institutes of Health: 1953–1956 Biochemistry Study Section 1956–1958 Chairman, Biochemistry Study Section 1956–1959 Committee on Health Sciences Training 1958–1961 National Advisory Health Council 1963–1967 National Advisory Council on Research Resources and Facilities National Science Foundation: 1958–1960 Panel on Biological Research Facilities 1960–1962 Divisional Committee for Biology and Medicine 1962–1974 National Science Board, Member 1964–1966 National Science Board, Vice-Chairman 1966–1970 National Science Board, Chairman Non-Government

1953–1965 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Member of Board (1953–1965); Executive Committee (1959–1965); Chairman (1964–1965) 1953–1968 American Society of Biological Chemists, Secretary (1953–1958); Councillor (1958–1961); President-elect (1961); President (1962); Chairman, Publications Committee (1965–1968) 1967–1981 National Academy of Sciences, Chairman, Committee on the Life Sciences (1967–1970); Councillor (1966–1969); President (1969–1981) 1969–1981 Board of Trustees, Rockefeller University 1973–1979 Board of Trustees, Nutrition Foundation 1974–1981 Board of Governors, Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1981 Board of Governors, Weizmann Institute of Science

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Philip Handler

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Philip Handler claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Philip Handler before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Philip Handler ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Philip Handler

In research: Philip Handler appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Philip Handler in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Philip Handler is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1917 births, 1981 deaths, 20th-century American Jews, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Philip Handler outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Philip Handler in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Philip Handler means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Philip Handler out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Philip Handler in simple terms?

Why does Philip Handler matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Philip Handler?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Philip Handler.