Karl Johnson officiates the 2016 wedding of Meredith Course ’12 and Nick Clute-Reinig ’13—students he introduced during office hours.
Karl G. Johnson, the Sara Rampel and Herbert S. Rampel Professor of Neuroscience who inspired Pomona students for nearly 20 years, passed away in July at 52. Johnson joined the Pomona faculty in 2005 and was the first professor at the College hired into neuroscience with a joint appointment in biology.
“He was the heart and soul of neuroscience at Pomona, and no one can ever replace him,” says longtime colleague Richard S. Lewis, professor of neuroscience and psychological science.
Unlike those who get annoyed by Drosophila—fruit flies—Johnson studied them to find windows into the way central nervous systems are constructed. His work sought answers to two important questions: How do neurons find the right synaptic targets, and how do neurons build synapses?
Johnson and his active lab of student researchers studied how molecules called “heparan sulfate proteoglycans” (HSPGs) influence central nervous system development. He was the lead author of a 2006 paper in the journal Neuron reporting the discovery of a novel molecular mechanism that controls synapse strengthening, a process essential for learning and memory.
Students who flocked to Johnson’s courses—such as Vertebrate Sensory Systems and Introductory Cell Chemistry and Cell Biology—found him to be an exceptional lecturer and an approachable and humorous teacher. “He has the amazing ability to take really complex scientific content and walk the class through it in a way that is comprehensive, non-intimidating and also fun,” wrote one student in nominating him for the Wig Distinguished Professor Award, which he won twice. “Can he teach me everything for the rest of my life?”
Rachel Levin, emerita professor of biology and neuroscience, describes Johnson as “one of those magical teachers who makes his students want to know more about whatever he is teaching.” His classes, she says, were “always filled to capacity. He [was] adored and respected as a friend and colleague.”
Meredith Course ’12 is a professor at Colorado College, and credits Johnson as her professional motivation.
“He had the superpowers of both seeing generously who we could become, and knowing how to help us get there,” she wrote in a tribute. “He was everything I could ever hope to be as a teacher, mentor, advisor and researcher.”