Emeritus Professor Reinhard Ferdinand Mathias Van Steveninck (1928–2017) and Dr Margaret Elva Van Steveninck (1931–2017) – plant physiologists and electron microscope X-ray microprobe specialists

Abstract

This obituary highlights the careers and contributions of two eminent plant physiologists. Emeritus Professor Reinhard Van Steveninck (1928–2017) was educated at Wageningen and London University. He joined the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), New Zealand, and achieved early recognition for his publications on abscission and mechanisms of salt uptake of plants. He was appointed Professor of Agriculture (Plant/Soil Science) at La Trobe University in 1976. He expanded his research into salinity tolerance of lupins and the ultrastructural localisation of ions using X-ray microprobe analysis. He was a good teacher and nurtured and trained many researchers in this area. He was a recognised expert in using a combination of ultrastructural techniques to study the movement of ions within plant cells and across tissues. His publications include book chapters on plant physiology, as well as a major review on the ‘washing’ or ‘ageing’ phenomenon in plant tissues. He was an active member and President of the Australian Society of Plant Physiologists. Margaret Van Steveninck (1931–2017) worked as a Research Assistant at Adelaide University and subsequently as a Demonstrator and Senior Demonstrator in Botany at Queensland and La Trobe University. Her plant physiology research with her husband resulted in numerous joint publications including a chapter on microanalysis in ‘Electron microscopy of plant cells’.