Much of our modern understanding of the mechanics of synaptic transmission and the highly conserved organization of neural networks in vertebrate brains comes from Charles “Chuck” Stevens. The legendary neuroscientist died at his San Diego home on October 21 at age 88.
Stevens was born in Chicago on September 1, 1934, to Russell Stevens and Reba Hoffman Stevens, according to a tribute from the Salk Institute. Initially hoping to become a physician, Stevens attended Harvard University and graduated with a BA in psychology in 1956. He then earned a medical degree at Yale University.
According to a 2012 PNAS interview, he then became interested in the mechanisms of learning and memory. Drawn to research, Stevens attended Rockefeller University to study math and physics, and earned a PhD in biophysics in 1964. Shortly afterward, he joined the faculty of the University of Washington, where he stayed until returning to Yale in ...
