chemistry

Thomas C. Südhof

Thomas C. Südhof is a chemistry 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 Thomas C. Südhof rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas Christian Südhof (German pronunciation: [ˈtoːmas ˈzyːtˌhoːf] ; born December 22, 1955), is a German-American biochemist known for his study of synaptic transmission. Currently, he is a professor in the school of medicine in the department of molecular and cellular physiology, and by courtesy in neurology, and in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Thomas Christian Südhof (German pronunciation: [ˈtoːmas ˈzyːtˌhoːf] ; born December 22, 1955), is a German-American biochemist known for his study of synaptic transmission. Currently, he is a professor in the school of medicine in the department of molecular and cellular physiology, and by courtesy in neurology, and in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. Südhof, James Rothman and Randy Schekman are the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureates for their work on vesicle trafficking.

Early life and education A German native, Südhof was born in Göttingen in 1955. He spent his childhood in Göttingen and Hannover. He studied music in his youth, specifically the bassoon, and has credited his bassoon instructor, Herbert Tauscher, as his "most influential teacher". He was a graduate from the Hannover Waldorf School in 1975. Südhof studied medicine at the RWTH Aachen University, Harvard University, and then the University of Göttingen. In Göttingen Südhof worked on his doctoral thesis, in which he described the structure and function of chromaffin cells, at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in the lab of Victor P. Whittaker. In 1982, he received his MD in medical science (Dr.med.) from the University of Göttingen. He was born in an anthroposophical family, but has left anthroposophy since his youth.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomas C. Südhof

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thomas C. Südhof claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, 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 Thomas C. Südhof 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 Thomas C. Südhof 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 Thomas C. Südhof

In research: Thomas C. Südhof appears in chemistry 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 Thomas C. Südhof 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: Thomas C. Südhof is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1955 births, American Nobel laureates, American biochemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomas C. Südhof 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 Thomas C. Südhof in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Thomas C. Südhof 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 Thomas C. Südhof out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomas C. Südhof in simple terms?

Why does Thomas C. Südhof matter?

Because it connects several chemistry 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 Thomas C. Südhof?

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 Thomas C. Südhof.