Gene Brown

Gene Monte Brown (1926 – 4 August 2017) was a Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the department in 1954 and headed it from 1977 to 1985. Brown served as the dean of science at MIT from 1985 to 1991. He was committed to undergraduate education and taught the department's biochemistry course for over 50 years.

Early life and education Brown was born in Pioneer, Missouri, and raised in nearby Cassville until around age nine, when his family moved to Idaho. He was the first member of his family to attend high school and the only member of his graduating high school class to attend college. After a year as a college student in Idaho, he joined the Army Air Corps, where he was assigned to work in chemical warfare operations. His tasks included teaching safety lessons, which he later described as "whetting [his] teaching interest" for his later activities as an educator. under the supervision of Esmond Snell, although Snell moved to the University of Texas partway through Brown's education. After defending his thesis in Wisconsin, Brown worked briefly as a postdoctoral fellow with Snell in Texas. Under his leadership, funding was obtained and plans were made for the launch of MIT's Whitehead Institute.

In 1985 Brown became the dean of science at MIT. During his tenure as dean, he worked on curricular issues, including the development of a communication requirement to be incorporated into the undergraduate program (They were eventually cleared of misconduct.

MIT gives two teaching awards named after Brown: the Gene Brown Prize, which recognizes academic and teaching excellence among undergraduates, and the Gene Brown-Merck Teaching Award, which recognizes excellence in teaching among graduate students.

Research Brown's research interests focused on metabolic biochemistry, particularly in prokaryotes. His PhD work involved isolating and identifying a compound needed for the growth of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, which proved to be pantethine, an intermediate in the synthesis of coenzyme A. He based his research as a faculty member on broadening this work to identifying additional coenzymes and studying their biosynthesis. He was particularly instrumental in understanding the biosynthesis of folic acid and related pteridine compounds, and later described this work as the research he was most proud of.

Personal life While working in Texas with Snell, Brown met a faculty member there who taught music theory. On the second date they had they decided to get married and they did on June 15, known as Flag Day.