OBITUARIES

Zoran Ristic

Zoran Ristic

Zoran Ristic died October 18, 2009, after a courageous battle against stomach cancer. Zoran was a long-time member of ASPB and was respected for his innovative research on mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance, especially for his work on drought and heat tolerance in maize and wheat. Zoran’s enthusiasm for life and his passion for research were contagious and helped make him an unforgettable colleague and inspiring mentor to his students.

Zoran was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in 1953 and received both BSc and MSc degrees in biology at the University of Belgrade. He moved to Canada in 1987 and began his studies of drought and heat resistance in maize, working in the lab of Dave Cass at the University of Alberta. A talented physiologist and skilled microscopist, Zoran sought to develop a comprehensive picture of stress response in maize. He earned his PhD in plant structure and development in 1992, and then went on to a successful postdoctoral collaboration with Ed Ashworth at Purdue University. There, Zoran used his microscopy skills to study freezing tolerance and developed a new technique to fix woody tissues for electron microscopy using freeze substitution. In 1993, Zoran was hired at the University of South Dakota (USD), where he spent 12 years, rising to the rank of professor of biology. While at USD, Zoran received the inaugural President’s Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, but he is mostly remembered for the enthusiasm he brought to every aspect of his work, the excitement he shared with his students in both classroom and lab, and the delight he took in the research process.

In 2005, Zoran moved to a position with the USDA-ARS in Manhattan, Kans., where he was able to focus solely on his goal of developing drought- and heat-resistant crop plants. The course of Zoran’s research career was set during his dissertation studies when he found that a 45 kDa heat shock protein produced by a drought- and heat-tolerant line of maize was absent from sensitive lines. Zoran spent much of his career establishing the linkage between this protein and thermotolerance in maize, and later in wheat. His research group identified the protein as a chloroplast protein synthesis elongation-factor, EF-Tu, and showed that heterologous expression of the maize EF-Tu could enhance heat tolerance in E. coli. With his students, Zoran further established that EF-Tu was an effective chaperone protein, limiting thermal denaturation of other proteins in vitro and in vivo. Zoran’s research on EF-Tu was used to develop new lines of maize and wheat that might improve crop yield under conditions of drought and heat stress, bringing to reality his vision of helping farmers feed the world as the planet warms.

Zoran was passionate about science but never neglected other aspects of his life. He was devoted to his wife, Mira, and their two daughters, Anna and Maya, and he shared his love of travel and fine food with them. Zoran was also passionate about soccer and helped train youth soccer teams in South Dakota. He was a member of the United States Youth Soccer Association, from which he proudly received his National “D” Coaching License. Zoran was also an avid tennis player and member of the United States Tennis Association.

Zoran was devoted to research and was always eager to share his passion with students and colleagues. While at the University of South Dakota, he mentored graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and he engaged numerous undergraduates in the research process. To honor Zoran’s passion for research, the USD Biology Department is establishing the Ristic Research Award, a competitive grant program for graduate students seeking funding for their research. Donations in Zoran’s memory can be made to the USD Foundation Biology Research Fund. Although Zoran can no longer bound down the hallway to share his latest research findings with us, his memory will remain forever in the minds of his friends and colleagues.

Karen L. Koster
University of South Dakota