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Memorial Tributes Volume 23 (2021) / Chapter Skim
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KARL H. NORRIS
Pages 224-229

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From page 225...
... He grew up on the family farm with three brothers and three sisters. He graduated magna cum laude from high school, enrolled at Pennsylvania State University, and earned a BS degree in agricultural engineering in 1942.
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From page 226...
... He was hired into a permanent position as a research agricultural engineer to lead the Instrumentation Research Laboratory, where he was asked to develop new instruments and methods for measuring the quality of agricultural produce and food commodities, especially those that enter marketing channels. His initial project was to design, develop, and perfect instrumentation that would automatically sort eggs.
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From page 227...
... Sterling Hendricks, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and former president of the American Society of Plant Physiologists, worked at Beltsville and cited the importance of Norris's instrumentation contributions on the advancement of photobiology. For example, Karl developed the instrumentation and measurement technique that permitted the first spectrophotometric detection of phytochrome, the plant pigment that controls photoperiodic plant processes such as germination, growth, and flowering.
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From page 228...
... His numerous other honors and awards include being named a fellow of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers in 1967 and receiving its Cyrus Hall McCormick Medal in 1974 for his "exceptional and meritorious engineering achievement in agriculture." In 1975 he was an honoree of the American Academy of Achievement, celebrated at a Banquet of the Golden Plate. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1980.
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From page 229...
... He served as president of the Beltsville Rotary Club, president of the Parent-Teachers Association, and institutional representative for the Boy Scouts of America. In the Emmanuel United Methodist Church of Beltsville, he headed many committees and served as head usher.
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Key Terms

  • alexander von
  • superior service
  • automatically sort
  • instrumentation research
  • beltsville center

  • von humboldt
  • agricultural research
  • sort eggs
  • professional career
  • engineering alumnus

  • reflectance principles
  • methodist church
  • cum laude
  • agricultural engineers
  • died july

  • infrared spectroscopy
  • tinguished research
  • using light
  • distinguished service
  • news section

  • shell color
  • karl howard
  • soybean association
  • usda honors
  • magna cum

  • biophysical research
  • nirs community
  • stokes medal
  • norris devore
  • former president


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