Scientist of the Year

Loading...

It is with great pleasure that the editors of R&D Magazine would like to introduce Dr. Thomas C. Sparks as its 2009 Scientist of the Year Award recipient. Sparks is one of the leading entomologists in agroscience and a pioneer in the wave of new green chemistries that are changing the way we control the insects that are crucial factor in global agriculture. Sparks will receive his award at R&D Magazine's 47th Annual R&D 100 Awards Banquet, on Nov. 12 at the Renaissance Orlando Hotel at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla.

Read More about Dr. Thomas C. Sparks

Dr. Thomas C. Sparks’ Swarm of Ideas

Dr. Thomas C. Sparks’ Swarm of Ideas

By keeping an open mind and irrepressible optimism, the 2009 R&D Magazine Scientist of the Year helped Dow AgroSciences pioneer a new, green insect control technology.

Scientist of the Year - Dr. Thomas C. Sparks

Scientist of the Year - Dr. Thomas C. Sparks

By some estimates, there are more than a million insect species in this world. Only a small percentage of this number is detrimental to the quality of our lives, but these are the species that drive research by scientists like Dr. Thomas C. Sparks, R&D Magazine’s 44th Scientist of the Year. The entomologist’s job is to know these insects, even down to the molecular level, to discover ways to keep them from destroying a very precious commodity: our food.

Mario Paniccia: Conductor of Light

Mario Paniccia: Conductor of Light

At an Intel laboratory, R&D Magazine’s 2008 Scientist of the Year is designing the chips that are revolutionizing photonics and pointing the way to the terascale age of optical communications.

R&D Magazine’s 42nd Scientist of the Year

Before genomics, before computer software, and long before computer-aided chromatographs, a typical day in the chemistry lab involved arduous work. What might take minutes today required weeks a few decades ago, a fact well-known to George M. Whitesides who learned the chemist's trade as a teenager in his father's lab, studying compounds for rope treatments and enhancements to concrete.

Architect of the Future: Refocusing On Basic Research

Dr. Gerald Rubin is a researcher who works to understand the genomic structure of the Drosophila melanogaster, or common fruit fly. Rubin is also Vice President and Director of the Janelia Farm Research Campus (JFRC), the recently opened research facility of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Chevy Chase, Md.

Leading the Fight Against Disease

The world is faced with tremendous medical challengesthat now, all too often, have come to include the wordpandemic. Consider the fact that HIV/AIDS, malaria,and tuberculosis alone are directly responsible formore than 4 million deaths per year.

Constant Focus on the Future

When George Poste left SmithKline Beecham in late-1999 after nearly 20 years of running many of their R&D operations, he thought that his future commuting route would be a lot different than his nearly weekly trips between SmithKline's headquarters in Philadelphia and its offices in Europe. "I had what I called my three-S triangle-Scottsdale (Ariz.), San Francisco, and San Diego," he explains. "That was going to be my commuting triangle and I would interact with a series of biotech companies in those cities and have more time to explore the landscape of Arizona."

2003 Scientist of the Year

Eric Lander has a very simple goal in lifeall he wants is to know everything there is to know about the human genome. And he believes he can do it. Eric Lander is director of the MIT Center for Genome Research at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

    2009    July  
    2008    Dec  
    2007    Dec  
    2006    Nov  
    2005    Nov  
    2004    Nov  
    2003    Nov  

Blogs

more

Lunar tires, space MRSA, and resonating microfluidics

Lunar tires, space MRSA, and resonating microfluidics

I typically attend the annual Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy each year in pursuit of specific coverage. This year, I sought out candidates for coverage in a vacuum technology article, and pulled together some instruments for a spectroscopy guide. But as busy as that kept me, it wasn’t all mass spectrometers and vacuum pumps on the show floor.  

A clean energy America…is it coming or not?

A clean energy America…is it coming or not?

Almost a year ago, the buzz during the downturn was that the economic stimulus will help boost jobs in a sort of national improvement program reminiscent of the 1930s. Our coal would be phased out. Our grids would get smart. Our cars would get hybridized.

Multimedia

more

NuGard Coating Ashburn Hill

NuGard Coating Ashburn Hill

NuGard First Response Protective Clothing are lightweight coveralls, jackets, and pants that provide protection from heat and flame while keeping the wearers body temperature constant.

Multi-Touch Music Maker

Multi-Touch Music Maker

Professor David Wessel shows his multi-touch interface that uses computer technologies that allow him to experiment with fine controls to "caress" the instrument.

New To Market

more

Submersible FlowCAM catches particle images and data in-situ and real-time
Submersible FlowCAM catches particle images and data in-situ and real-time

Fluid Imaging Technologies recently introduced its Submersible FlowCAM particle and cell imaging and analysis system at Ocean Sciences 2010 in Portland, Ore. The remote sensing platform can be used for continuous, unattended monitoring tethered to research vessels or autonomous submersibles.

Daytime running light has just two LEDs

The new OSTAR Compact LED from OSRAM has been developed specifically for use in vehicle headlights. Despite drawing just 5 W, the device provides 300 lumens of power and meets ECE/SAE color binning requirements for use on motor vehicles.

Tools & Technology

more

Voltage controlled oscillator ideal for digital radio apps
Voltage controlled oscillator ideal for digital radio apps

Crystek’s CVCO55CC-2580-2650 VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) operates from 2580 MHz to 2650 MHz with a control voltage range of 0.5V~4.5V. This VCO features a typical phase noise of -110 dBc/Hz@10KHz offset and has excellent linearity.

Metcar assemblies designed for fast cartridge replacement

Metallized Carbon Corp. now offers Metcar 100 Series and 300 Series Bearing Assemblies that are designed for use in gypsum board and ceiling tile continuous dryers.

Advertisement

Advertisement