From Statistical Mechanics to Molecular Biology

A Festschrift for Terrell L. Hill

RICHARD GORDON

Departments of Botany and Radiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg R3T 2N2, Canada;

and

YbDER CHEN

Laboratory of Theoretical Biology, National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of

Health, Bethesda MD 20205

This and the next volume of Cell Biophysics are a surprise tribute, by many of his friends and colleagues, to Terrell L. Hill on the occasion of his 70th birthday, December 19, 1987. Terrell's career has been a quiet one, of vast productivity. He has brought the art of statistical mechanics from his initial field of chemistry into the heart of molecular biology. It is worth looking at his earlier works (Hill Bibliography, Vol. 12), to see how much Terrell Hill was a pioneer in quantitation in molecular biology, well before it acquired that name. It is only now beginning to wake up to its chemical physics basis. As his recent work makes its impact as an essen- tial component for unders tanding the cytoskeleton, we will see Terrell's contribution to molecular and cellular biology acknowledged more and more. He may eventually come to be known as one of the great theoreti- cal biologists, one who has brought that field to a standing comparable to that of theoretical physics.

These two volumes will be of interest to anyone prepared to follow Hill's trail into a new era of biology, in which precise explanations of mo- lecular, macromolecular, cellular, and even whole organism phenomena in terms of the unique blend of physics and chemistry that is statistical

Cell Biophysics j VoL 11, 1987

ii Gordon and Chen

mechanics, is achieved. It is, after all, statistical mechanics that has shown us exactly how it is possible to intellectually bridge the gap be- tween hierarchical levels. Terrell Hill has shown many of us not only how this can be done, but the tremendous intellectual effort and honesty it requires to achieve a lasting result. The reader will see how most of the contributors to this volume struggle with these questions of explaining the whole from its parts, without the crutch of the philosophical apho- rism (whole > Z parts). Statistical mechanics is the basis for this leap. Terrell Hill stands alongside its founders, people such as James Clerk Maxwell and J. Willard Gibbs, in taking that leap (and many of us along with him).

We would each like to add a personal note: (R.G.): I met Terrell via his lectures on statistical mechanics when I

was a graduate student at the University of Oregon, bouncing back from philosophical problems with molecular biology (of the very nature de- scribed above, and, yes, in the very Institute he helped establish). When I published my thesis work, he insisted that I take his name off of it, claiming he had too small a part. I learned from him the importance of giving credit to others where it was due, and, in retrospect, can see that I also learned from him how to let others fly with their own ideas, while promulgating the highest of scientific standards in their attempts to un- derstand nature. (These themes are oft repeated in the testimonials to Terrell in these volumes.) Terrell also taught me to first develop my own ideas, and afterwards consult the literature, since it is often full of pre- conceptions and misleading lines of reasoning. This approach prepares one to be a critic of the scientific literature, and not just accept it on au- thority. Terrell had very few graduate students, and I am privileged to have been one of them.

(Y.C.): I started working for Terrell as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1969. We have been working together since then. I first learned of Terrell and his work when I was taking a graduate course at Penn State, in which his famous book, An Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics, was used as the textbook. I was deeply impressed by the clarity and insight of his work. So when he of- fered me the postdoctoral position in the Fall of 1969, it was really a dream come true to me. From him, I have learned the beauty of statistical thermodynamics and theoretical biology. He is always the first to read my manuscripts and to correct my English. He is both my best teacher and my best friend, professionally as well as personally. His help and encouragement throughout the years will always be remembered!

A number of people send their greetings to Terrell on this occasion, besides the contributors to this volume: Jack B. Carmichael, Marshall Fixman, John Gergely, Joel L. Lebowitz, Shneior Lifson, Adiel Litan, Richard Simmons, Peter H. von Hippel. One greeting is posthumous: The late and wonderful James F. Danielli, who always had an inspiring twinkle in his eye, wrote that: "I am vitally interested in publishing your

Cell Biophysics Vol. 11, 1987

A Festschrift for Terrell L. Hill i i i

Terrell Hill Festschrift . . . . There is a good deal of doubt that I will be able to make a contribution." Terrell served on the external advisory committee for Jim's Center for Theoretical Biology (SUNY/Buffalo), which provided one of the few homes for aspiring theoretical biologists.

Many people worked on this special issue, in addition to the contrib- utors of the articles. Nicholas Catsimpoolas, Editor-in-Chief, and Thomas Lanigan, the publisher of Humana Press, gave it their enthusias- tic endorsement, and stuck to their commitment when the response to our call for Festschrift papers was twice what we anticipated. Ann L. Griffith, Managing Editor, saw it through to the galleys, and Candice Zerphy and Lucia Read, Copy and Journal Editors, saw it through to publication. The following people helped us review the manuscripts: Baltazar P. Aguda, Dean Astumian, Evan Eisenberg, Lois Greene, Harold Hutton, Joel Keizer, Norman Kenkel, M. Ochiai, Nobuhiko Sait6, H. Suzuki, Dieter Walz, Hans V. Westerhoff, and Douglas A. Young.

Cell Biophysics Vol. 11, 1987