SCIENCE
Role of Chemistry in Biotechnology And Materials Science Highlighted ACS symposium is first step in campaign to educate press, policy makers, and public about chemical foundations of these two fields Rebecca L. Rawls, C&EN Washington
Biotechnology and materials science are two of the most exciting areas of scientific research these days, and though the names don't say so, these are really chemical sciences. That's the message the American Chemical Society has set out to deliver to Congressional leaders, the financial community, the press, and the public in general. The campaign got solidly under way early this month as ACS president Mary L. Good hosted a select conference in Washington, D.C., designed to highlight the central role chemistry is playing in the developments taking place in both these fields. "We wanted to show policy makers that chemistry is truly behind
all of the exciting discoveries and advances that are taking place today in the fields of biotechnology and materials science/' Good says. "Without molecular science, which is chemistry, all of these advances just wouldn't be possible. The point is, that when people see the terms biotechnology or materials science, they don't think of chemistry, but that is what these fields are really all about. That's true now, and it is going to be increasingly true in the future." To make that point, Good assembled blue-ribbon panels of chemists working in biotechnology and materials science to comment briefly on the excitement, promise, and importance to the national economy of their own fields of research. In addition, all stressed the common theme: that it is the ability to understand and manipulate matter at the molecular level that is behind the revolution taking place today in both biotechnology and materials science. "This is the most exciting time in the history of science to be doing
Good: chemistry behind discoveries
Biotechnology panel (from left): Peter Dervan, Howard Simmons, Jacqueline Barton, Gregory Petsko, and Stephen Lippard 26
June 15, 1987 C&EN
chemistry, and chemistry is the most exciting science to be doing n o w / ' said Gregory A. Petsko, echoing the theme of the conference. Petsko, a chemistry professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was one of the speakers on the chemical basis of biotechnology. In addition to Petsko, biotechnology's chemical connections were described by Howard E. Simmons Jr.,
Hackerman: states can play larger role
vice president of Du Pont's central research and development department, and professors Peter B. Dervan and Harry B. Gray, both at California Institute of Technology, Stephen J. Lippard of MIT, and Jacqueline K. Barton of Columbia University. The chemical nature of materials research was highlighted by chemistry professors William A. Goddard III from Caltech, George M. Whitesides of Harvard University, Mark S. Wrighton of MIT, as well as James Economy, manager of the polymer science and technology department at IBM's Almaden Research Laboratories, San Jose, Calif. Also, Robert F. Large, director of the life sciences research laboratories at Eastman Kodak, described the potential economic benefits that companies such as Kodak see in investing in biotechnology. And Joel P. Clark, director of the materials systems laboratory at MIT, gave his predictions for the economic impact of materials that are now under development. The day-long conference was attended by some 130 people, including Congressional staff members, representatives of investment firms and other financial institutions, and chemists from industry, academic institutions, and government labs. Most of the members of the ACS Board of Directors also attended. "I think we did reasonably well in bringing our message to the audience we had in mind," Good says.
George Whitesides (center) and Harry Gray (right) chat with fellow
conferee
"There was good representation from Capitol Hill and reasonable representation from the financial community and the press." An international symposium on AIDS research that was taking place in Washington, D.C., at the same time may have led to less press coverage of the conference than had been hoped for, she says, but "overall, I think we've made a very good start." The conference is intended to be just the first step in a bigger effort to stress the chemical foundations of biotechnology and materials science. Among other efforts, ACS plans to publish a book based on the conference later this year. It will be directed toward that portion of the general public that has some familiarity with science—people who are aware of the advances taking place in biotechnology and materials science, but who may not realize their chemical basis. ACS is also considering sponsoring more select conferences in the future to focus attention on the importance of chemistry in other high-technology fields. ACS used the occasion of this month's conference to present its 1987 Charles Lathrop Parsons Award to Norman Hackerman, chairman of the scientific advisory committee of the Welch Foundation in Houston. The award recognizes outstanding public service by a member of ACS. It consists of $3000 and a scroll. In his acceptance speech, Hackerman emphasized the important role that federal government support of scientific research plays in the education of future scientists and the importance of remembering that educational role in making decisions about the kind of research to fund. States can play a larger role in support of basic research at universities, Hackerman says, pointing to recent efforts to increase this role in Texas. There, the legislature has passed a comprehensive bill that would provide $85 million for scholarships and for scientific and engineering research at Texas schools. "For a state undergoing a depression, that's a lot of money," Hackerman says. "Obviously, it's a fairly important lift" to science and engineering research at the state's colleges and universities, he adds. D June 15, 1987 C&EN
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