Biodiversity a Theme at Heritage Event

"The best days for the chemical and molecular sciences lie ahead," Vincent A. Calarco, chairman of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF), told a gathering of more than 200 people at the Philadelphia-based foundation. And Heritage Day on June 9 celebrated four pioneers who laid the foundation for and continue to inspire developments in life sciences.

James D. Watson won the Othmer Gold Medal Award, Robert L. McNeil Jr. received the American Institute of Chemists (AIC) Gold Medal, Thomas M. Connelly Jr. accepted the Commercial Development & Marketing Association (CDMA) Award for Executive Excellence, and Herbert W. Boyer received the Chemists' Club's Winthrop-Sears Award.

Watson, who along with Francis H. Crick proposed the double-helical structure for DNA, joked in a speech following a luncheon in his honor that he first thought it was inappropriate that he get the Othmer Gold Medal. He was a biologist, and not a chemist, he declared, and the Othmer Gold Medal honors Donald Othmer, a chemical engineer whose work was fundamental to the production of billions of pounds of resins, coatings, and textile fibers.

But then Watson admitted that as a student he took chemistry courses and got As. And he added that "finding DNA was pure chemistry, and I'm very proud of it."

At an afternoon award ceremony, McNeil received the AIC Gold Medal; it was the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia-based McNeil Laboratories' introduction in 1955 of a then-new prescription analgesic, Tylenol (acetaminophen), for children. McNeil, a research chemist, guided the development of the drug at the firm founded by his grandfather and which he ultimately chaired.

ALSO RECEIVING an award during the afternoon session was DuPont's Connelly, senior vice president and chief technology officer. Connelly received the CDMA award for advancing the understanding and practice of commercial development in the chemical and allied industries. In particular, Connelly broadened his firm's focus on polymer science, chemistry, math, physics, and engineering to include biology and information science.

The Winthrop-Sears Award went to biochemist and Genentech cofounder Boyer, following a dinner in his honor. Boyer, along with Stanley Cohen, discovered that DNA could be recombined to produce medicines such as human insulin and human growth hormone.

An unscheduled event provided additional luster to the Winthrop-Sears Award. At a cocktail reception for Boyer, Dow Chemical arranged a surprise for the scientist. Nick Hyde, global business director of Dowpharma, announced that Dow had donated an original Genentech fermenter, used to produce the first therapeutic proteins, to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Dow affiliate Mycogen bought the fermenter from Genentech in the 1980s.

Thomas M. Connelly Jr. received the Commercial Development & Marketing Association Award for Executive Excellence because he helps direct research today to develop marketable products for tomorrow.

Connelly, DuPont senior vice president and chief technology officer, sat down with C&EN during a lull in the Heritage Day festivities to describe some of the research initiatives he is now spearheading at DuPont. Among them are expansions in Asia with new technology research centers in China, South Korea, and Japan.

He is keeping an eye on China because its scientists are particularly strong in agricultural and industrial biotechnology. "As our business grows in Asia, it is essential to have a greater technical presence there," he said.

Life sciences research, including crop protection, crop genetics, and industrial biotechnology, consumes as much as 40% of DuPont's R&D budget, according to Connelly. Work on new herbicides, for instance, is as complex as developing a new pharmaceutical. "It's all about understanding the mode of action," he said.

Now under development, he said, is a new family of insecticide molecules that are two to three years away from commercialization. "It will be safe for mammalian life and will provide broad-spectrum insect control on trees, vines, and vegetables."

DuPont recruits scientists "on a continual basis" not only in life sciences but also in nanotechnology and other disciplines. In addition to agricultural products, the firm is interested in electronics, membranes, nutrition, and coatings, among other areas. And Connelly said that DuPont is still hiring chemists, engineers, materials scientists, physicists, and life scientists who he hopes will include some future award winners, too.

Commercial Developments
Thomas M. Connelly Jr. received the Commercial Development & Marketing Association Award for Executive Excellence because he helps direct research today to develop marketable products for tomorrow.

Connelly, DuPont senior vice president and chief technology officer, sat down with C&EN during a lull in the Heritage Day festivities to describe some of the research initiatives he is now spearheading at DuPont. Among them are expansions in Asia with new technology research centers in China, South Korea, and Japan.

He is keeping an eye on China because its scientists are particularly strong in agricultural and industrial biotechnology. "As our business grows in Asia, it is essential to have a greater technical presence there," he said.

Life sciences research, including crop protection, crop genetics, and industrial biotechnology, consumes as much as 40% of DuPont's R&D budget, according to Connelly. Work on new herbicides, for instance, is as complex as developing a new pharmaceutical. "It's all about understanding the mode of action," he said.

Now under development, he said, is a new family of insecticide molecules that are two to three years away from commercialization. "It will be safe for mammalian life and will provide broad-spectrum insect control on trees, vines, and vegetables."

DuPont recruits scientists "on a continual basis" not only in life sciences but also in nanotechnology and other disciplines. In addition to agricultural products, the firm is interested in electronics, membranes, nutrition, and coatings, among other areas. And Connelly said that DuPont is still hiring chemists, engineers, materials scientists, physicists, and life scientists who he hopes will include some future award winners, too.