Robert M. Bock received both his undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Following receipt of his PhD. in 1952, he was appointed to the faculty and spent his entire academic career serving the University. He was professor of biochemistry and, from 1965 on, professor of molecular biology as well.  In addition to his own research contributions to biochemistry and molecular biology, he served these sciences by training graduate students.  He directed the thesis research of masters and Ph.D. candidates in biochemistry and continued to maintain an active laboratory and to train graduate students after he became Dean of the Graduate School in 1967. He served as Dean until his retirement in 1989.
 
Bock, a pioneer in molecular biology, led the establishment of the molecular biology program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  In the early 1960’s he and his students were the first to crystallize a transfer RNA, a ribo-nucleic acid that carries on amino acid from the naturally occurring 21 in the process of protein synthesis.  During this work, Dean Bock developed the hanging drop procedure for crystallization – a process now widely adopted by crystallographers throughout the world.
 
Bock served as Chair of the building committee for the construction of the Biophysics and Molecular Biology Building.  Upon completion of construction in 1968, his research laboratory was located on the fourth floor of the building.  The name of the building was changed to the Robert M. Bock Laboratories after Bock’s death in 1991, in recognition of his crucial role in the development of molecular biology and molecular virology at the University.  It is hoped that honoring him by giving his name to the building will both perpetuate the memory of an eminent teacher and researcher as well as symbolize the excellence of the achievements on this campus in these two important areas of science.