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Illinois professor to be inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
James E.
Kloeppel, Physical Sciences Editor
217-244-1073; kloeppel@illinois.edu
|
Released
2/8/2007
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Paul C. Lauterbur, Nobel laureate and University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign chemistry professor, will be inducted
into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Lauterbur was selected for
his pioneering work in the development of magnetic resonance imaging,
an important tool in modern medicine.
Sir Peter Mansfield of the University of Nottingham in England, who
shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Lauterbur,
also will be inducted. Mansfield was a research associate in the department
of physics at Illinois from 1962-1964.
“Paul Lauterbur’s invention, like all great works of scientific
inspiration, has changed our world,” said Richard Herman, the chancellor
of the Urbana campus. “Think, for a moment, of the countless lives that
MRI has saved. Without it, illnesses would go undiagnosed, patients’ lives
would be cut short. Honoring this invention is yet one more recognition of
the extraordinary significance of this work.”
Founded in 1973 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the National
Council of Intellectual Property Law Associations, the National Inventors
Hall of Fame is the premier not-for-profit organization in America
dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity.
This year’s inductees include Allen Breed, who invented the automotive
airbag; John Franz, who produced the non-toxic weed killer Roundup;
and Robert Metcalfe, who created Ethernet, the widely used local area
network. The induction ceremony will be held May 4-5 in Akron, Ohio.
Lauterbur was among the first scientists to use nuclear magnetic resonance
in the studies of molecules, solutions and solids. He was the first
researcher to produce an image with NMR and apply the technology to
medicine. This led to the development of the magnetic resonance imaging
scanner, which has had a revolutionary impact on the medical profession.
Lauterbur is a Center for Advanced
Study Professor and holds appointments
in the departments of chemistry, of bioengineering and of molecular
and integrative physiology. He also is a Distinguished University Professor
of Medical Information Sciences.
Lauterbur joined the U. of I. faculty in 1985, after 22 years at the
State University of New York at Stony Brook.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1951 from the Case
Institute of Technology in Cleveland, and a doctorate in chemistry
in 1962 from the University of Pittsburgh.
Among his other awards are the National Academy of Sciences Award for
Chemistry in Service to Society (2001); the Kyoto Prize from the Inamori Foundation
of Japan in recognition of his lifelong research accomplishments in advanced
technology (1994); the Order of Lincoln Medallion, the state of Illinois’ highest
award (1992); the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia’s Bower Award for
Achievement in Science (1990); the National Medal of Technology (1988); the
National Medal of Science (1987); and the Albert Lasker Clinical Research Award
(1984). He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical
Society.
Editor’s note: To
reach Paul Lauterbur, e-mail: pcl@illinois.edu.
