Emmett Chappelle-2007 National
Inventor’s Hall of Fame Inductee
Emmett Chappelle is the recipient of 14 U.S. patents and was inducted into the Hall of Fame located in Akron on February 8, the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame announced that he will be, Ohio on May 4. Also, he was recently recognized as one of the as one of the100 most distinguished African American scientists and engineers of 20th Century. The Phoenix, Arizona native, earned a B.S. degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1950, and from 1950 to 1953 he served as an instructor of biochemistry at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Chappelle earned an M.S. degree from the University of Washington in 1954. From 1955 to 1958, he was a research associate at Stanford University, and from 1958 to 1963 he became scientist and biochemist for the Research Institute of Advanced Studies at Stanford University. Between 1963 and 1966 Chappelle served as a biochemist for Hazelton Laboratories, then as an exobiologist and astrochemist. He started with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 1966 in support of NASA's manned space flight initiatives. He pioneered the development of the ingredients ubiquitous in all cellular material. Later, he developed techniques that are still widely used for the detection of bacteria in urine, blood, spinal fluids, drinking water and foods. In 1977, Chappelle turned his research efforts toward the remote sensing of vegetation health through laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Working with scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, he advanced the development of LIF as a sensitive means of detecting plant stress.
Chappelle received a bachelor's of science degree in biochemistry from University of California at Berkley. He earned his master's of science degree, also in biochemistry, from University of Washington in Seattle and performed post-graduate work at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.
Chappelle is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society of Photobiology, the American Society of Microbiology, and the American Society of Black Chemists. Throughout his career, he has continued to mentor talented minority high school and college students in his laboratories.