[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 10, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E139]]
                        TRIBUTE TO DENNIS POWERS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 10, 2004

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dennis Powers, former 
Director of Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station and Harold A. 
Miller Professor of Biological Sciences. He passed away on December 8, 
2003, at the age of 65, following a long illness.
  Dennis was born on May 4, 1938 in Dearborn, Michigan. He served in 
the United States Marine Corps' First Reconnaissance Company from 1957 
to 1959 and then in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1960-1963. In 1963 he 
graduated from Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas; he was married this 
same year. Dr. Powers received a PhD from the University of Kansas in 
1970 and subsequently completed postdoctoral research at both the State 
University of New York-Stony Brook and the Marine Biology Laboratory at 
Woods Hole, Massachusetts. From 1972 to 1988 he held multiple positions 
at Johns Hopkins University, including chair of the Department of 
Biology, Director of the McCollum-Pratt Institute for Biochemistry, and 
Acting Director of the Chesapeake Bay Institute.
  In 1988 he became Director of Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station, 
which is located in Pacific Grove, on the Monterey Peninsula. Dr. 
Powers held the Director's position until 2000. I think one of his 
colleagues stated it best when she said, ``Dennis Powers' impact on 
Hopkins Marine Station has been enormous.'' His legacy at Hopkins 
includes collaborating with others to establish four new endowed chair 
positions, ensuring construction of a new research and teaching 
facility, and working with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to launch the Tuna 
Research and Conservation Center.
  Dr. Powers was a brilliant research scientist and dedicated 
administrator. His scientific career involved development of 
``integrative biology,'' a branch of biological inquiry whereby 
scientists study the interconnections between the microscopic and 
macroscopic levels of biological organization. This discipline 
recognizes the fundamental fact that all levels of biological systems, 
from a tiny cell to a whole ocean basin, play important roles in the 
overall health and well-being of our living systems. Dennis's inquiry 
into marine organisms, particularly fishes, focused on understanding 
how genetic information helps animals survive under different, and 
often-times stressful, environmental conditions. In addition to his 
contributions to integrative biology, he was known for his efforts to 
integrate biomedical research techniques into the areas of marine 
biology and environmental science.
  Dr. Powers mentored numerous students, was active in many scientific 
societies, and served on the editorial boards of multiple peer-reviewed 
academic journals, including Physiological and Biochemical Zoology as 
well as Biological Oceanography.
  Mr. Speaker, Dennis Powers was a brilliant scientist and an 
exceptional person, and for these reasons, I am proud to be able to 
honor him today. I wish to express my condolences to his three 
daughters, Kathi, Julie, and Wendy, and his four grandchildren.

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