Illustration by Peter and Maria Hoey
Students adore John Kuspira. Decades after taking his genetics class, many say he remains an inspiration for how they learn, teach and see the world. They cite his infectious enthusiasm and fearlessness in challenging conventional ideas. Interwoven with his teaching accolades is a career as a highly respected geneticist. As former student Shiva M. Singh, '70 PhD, a professor at Western University, puts it, "Mentoring students and elevating academia and society are in John Kuspira's DNA." Here are the traits that came together to make Kuspira both a beloved educator and an influential researcher.
Pioneering
Kuspira received the first PhD in genetics from the U of A and helped create the Department of Genetics in 1961. At the time, modern genetics was a young discipline - the structure of DNA was discovered in 1953.
Memorable
Shauna Somerville, '76 BSc(Hons), '78 MSc, a distinguished professor at UC Berkeley, was inspired by Kuspira to pursue graduate studies in genetics. In fact, she learned so much that she carried around her notes from his classes for 30 years.
Influential
His book, Genetics: Questions and Problems, co-authored with G.W.R. Walker, has been used extensively throughout the world and was described as "probably the greatest aid to teaching genetics ever published," according to the journal Genome.
Inspiring
His teaching has had a global impact. His former students are working across Canada and the United States and around the world, from Thailand to Switzerland.
Revolutionary
Kuspira developed techniques later used by geneticists studying humans and animals. "It's difficult to comprehend the significance of what he did," says Ramesh Bhambhani, '66 BSc, '68 MSc, '72 PhD, professor emeritus. "He came up with a methodology for plant breeders, but no one knew it would extend to medicine, biochemistry and other disciplines."
Popular
"The lineups for registration were long. … On the day I registered, everyone wanted to get into John Kuspira's genetics class. In fact, students would alter their schedules in order to get into his classes."
- Tony Fields, '74 MD, '16 DSc (Honorary), from the book I Was There.
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