Cornelius Bernardus Van Niel was a Dutch-American microbiologist. He introduced the study of general microbiology to the United States and made key discoveries explaining the chemistry of photosynthesis. Van Niel was born in Haarlem, The Netherlands, on Nov. 4, 1897. His father, Jan Hendrik Van Niel, died when he was seven years old. He was raised by his mother, Geertien Gesiena Hagen, along with his uncles. He received the National Medal Of Science in 1963. He was the first scientist to demonstrate that photosynthesis is a light-dependent redox reaction in 1931, in which hydrogen from an oxidizable compoundreduces carbon dioxide to cellular materials. Van Niel also played a key role in the development of Bacterial taxonomy. He received the National Medal Of Science in 1963.