Facts: - known for: director of the smithsonian tropical research institute - caption: ira rubinoff , 1987 - birth date: 1938 - name: ira rubinoff - nationality: american - image: ira rubinoff , stri director.jpg - occupation: marine biologist Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of ira rubinoff .
ira rubinoff -lrb- born 1938 -rrb- is an american marine biologist and was a former director of the smithsonian tropical research institute in panama .