Honorary degree recipients named

Two individuals who have distinguished themselves in the world of science and the arts will receive honorary degrees from MSU during undergraduate convocation ceremonies May 4.

Chuck Close

Chuck Close, a prominent America artist, and Yasuyuki Yamada, president of the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, will be honored at the 1 p.m. ceremonies at Breslin Student Events Center.

Close will receive an honorary doctor of fine arts, and Yamada will receive an honorary doctor of science.

Close, who is known for his large photo-realist portraits, is an influential figure in contemporary American art. He is a leading contributor to the art movement known as Super-realism, a movement whose artists used photography with other media to document and explore the work via large-scale images.

He was drawn initially to the arts, in part, as a consequence of a learning disability.

He suffered a spinal blood clot in 1988, which robbed him of mobility in his arms and legs. He worked to revive his spirit and develop ways to continue with his work, painting some of his best, most creative work.

Yasuyuki Yamada

Yamada has made contributions in several areas of science, including plant biotechnology research, international agricultural activities, and the promotion of scientific and graduate education in Japan.

He is internationally known for his work on plant growth and development. His pioneering work in plant tissue culture led to the first successful regeneration of rice plants not only from cultured cells, but also from protoplasts, an accomplishment that eluded scientist for two decades.

Yamada has been associated with MSU for many years and was an MSU Fulbright research fellow from 1962 to 1965.

He was a major force in developing the understanding of the mechanism of action on hormones and growth regulators.

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