Aaron Shatkin (1934–2012)

Aaron Shatkin died of cancer at his home in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, on 4 June, at the age of 77. When asked last year by the Bowdoin College (where he majored in chemistry) magazine, what was the most rewarding part of his job, he responded: “Seeing students and others I've mentored at CABM (Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey) and elsewhere become independent, accomplished researchers and leaders in their fields in many different countries.” His graciousness and passion for science were among his finest attributes. Both of us, like all his trainees, owe our progress in science largely to his extraordinary mentorship.