Bayer Foundation Awards $300,000 To MIT's Chemical Engineering Department For Professorship And Fellowship
Pittsburgh, PA - The Bayer Foundation announced recently it has bestowed a $300,000 grant to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Department of Chemical Engineering to support the Bayer Professorship in Chemical Engineering and the Bayer Graduate Fellowship. This newest grant, which will be awarded over a three-year period, represents the continuation of Bayer's support of these two programs which it first began, through its philanthropic arm, the Bayer Foundation, in 1979.
Paula Hammond, Ph.D., a full professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has been named the Bayer Professor, while Bradley Niesner, a first-year graduate student, is the Bayer Fellow.
Dr. Hammond's leading edge research in macromolecular design and synthesis, directed assembly and nanoscale design of materials has wide-ranging potential applications for various products, processes and technologies in a number of industries. In the health care industry, for example, Dr. Hammond's approach to electrostatic layering or "ordering" of films may one day be applied to medical devices implanted in the body and to drug delivery systems, such as patches and pills. The next generation of microbatteries (necessary as technology becomes smaller and smaller), alternative energy technologies like fuel cells and computer displays all may be significantly advanced by Dr. Hammond's work.
An African-American female scientist, Dr. Hammond also is a strong advocate for diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields and has called for reversing underrepresentation of women and minorities in these fields if the United States is to remain the world's innovation leader.
"For nearly 30 years, Bayer has been proud to be affiliated with MIT and its Department of Chemical Engineering, one of the finest academic and research institutions not only in the United States, but in the world," said Dr. Attila Molnar, President and CEO, Bayer Corporation, and President, Bayer Foundation. "Dr. Hammond's research exemplifies the brilliant scholarship that routinely emerges from MIT. We are especially honored to support her for both her innovative research, which is closely aligned to Bayer's, as well as for her strong advocacy for diversity in STEM -- an issue to which we at Bayer are also strongly committed."
Commenting on the grant, Gregory S. Babe, President and CEO, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, and board member of the Bayer Foundation, said the Bayer Graduate Fellowship is equally important to Bayer. "Students like Bradley Niesner represent the future for our industry. We are delighted to help such a promising student pursue his graduate studies in chemical engineering by presenting him with the Bayer Fellowship."
The grants were made recently when Bayer executives from the United Sates and Germany joined with Dr. Hammond, four previous Bayer Professors and others to share their insights about their current research. The former Bayer Professors attending the symposium were Gregory Stephanopoulos (Bayer Professor 2001-2006); Gregory J. McRae (Bayer Professor 1995-2001); Robert E. Cohen (Bayer Professor 1988-1995); and Clark Colton (Bayer Professor 1979-1986).
"At MIT, we are dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the natural world. We are grateful to the Bayer Foundation for this grant and for its unwavering support of the Department of Chemical Engineering for the past 27 years," said Klavs Jensen, department head. "The work of Dr. Hammond and all the previous Bayer Professors has been greatly enhanced by Bayer's generosity."
SOURCE: The Bayer Foundation