Robert H. Burris was a professor in the Biochemistry Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Burris was an expert on nitrogen fixation, the process by which certain microorganisms convert nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form that can be taken up by plants. He made major advances in the understanding of the biological systems involved, according to UW-Madison officials. He was born on April 13, 1914 in Brookings, South Dakota. He was awarded the National Medal of Science, the highest honor the federal government accords scientists and engineers, from President Carter in 1980, and the Wolf Prize, sometimes referred to as the Nobel Prize for agriculture, from the Israeli parliament in 1985. He died on May 11, 2010 at the age of 96.