Caryl P. Haskins
Carnegie Institution of Washington
August 12, 1908 - October 8, 2001
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Scientific Discipline: Genetics Membership Type:
Member
(elected 1956)
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Caryl Haskins cast a wide scientific net, making contributions to entomology, genetics, and biophysical methods. He was also a scientific leader, founding Haskins Laboratories; advising the government; and serving as president of the Carnegie Institute of Washington for 15 years. His 1939 book, Of Ants and Men, compared ant and human societies and was based on 15 years of close observation of ant colonies around the world. In 1935 he founded (with Franklin S. Cooper) the nonprofit Haskins Laboratories, which conducted research in microbiology, radiation physics, and other fields; to this day the entity remains a leading multidisciplinary laboratory.
Haskins earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale in 1930 and his PhD from Harvard in 1935. During World War II he served in the Office of Scientific Research and Development as a liaison between research teams developing radar and proximity fuses. In 1956 he became president of the Carnegie Institute of Washington.
