Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 19-26, 1999

Volume 27, Number 29

Yale affiliates honored for
their contributions to science

The Yale Science and Engineering Association honored three distinguished University-affiliated scientists at its annual dinner on April 14.

Engineering Dean D. Allan Bromley, who served as the nation's first presidential adviser on science and technology, will receive the group's Award for Meritorious Service to Yale University; retired Yale faculty member John B. Fenn, who developed a pioneering technique for measuring biomolecules, will be given the Award for Advancement of Basic and Applied Science; and University alumnus Dr. David W. Barry, who led the team that developed the AZT treatment for HIV, will receive the Award for Distinguished Service to Industry, Commerce or Education.

D. Allan Bromley. Dean of Yale Engineering and Sterling Professor of the Sciences, Bromley will be honored for his outstanding service to the University. His citation reads, in part: "For 40 years, Allan Bromley has been a source of unique distinction for Yale, as an inspiring leader of research, visionary educator and distinguished public servant. ... He has increased the visibility of Engineering at Yale, renewing contacts with leading U.S. corporations, soliciting support and recruiting new faculty, and stimulating the development of timely new educational programs."

Founder and director of the A.W. Wright Nuclear Structure laboratory, Bromley has published nearly 500 papers, edited or authored 19 books and held leadership positions in most of the major national and international science and science policy organizations. His many honors and awards include the National Medal of Science.

In 1989, President George Bush appointed Bromley as the first Cabinet-level assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the Office of Science and Technology. In that post, he made a major impact on U.S. science policy, both within the government and in its relationship with the private sector. In 1994 he returned to Yale, where he led the restructuring of the University's engineering departments.

John B. Fenn. A member of the Yale faculty for 20 years, Fenn is being honored for his contributions to the advancement of a field of science -- in particular, his development of a new technique known as Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESIMS), a new method that "weighs" large biomolecules, such as proteins, with unprecedented accuracy.

"That finding," notes the citation for Fenn's award, "had turned a trickle into a flood of more than a thousand electrospray papers per year by 1996 and resulted in such a growing role in the pharmaceutical industry that it will touch the lives of millions."

Fenn, who holds a Ph.D. from Yale (1940), worked in process development at Monsanto and Sharples Chemical before being named director of Project SQUID, a program administered for the U.S. Navy by Princeton University. After teaching in Princeton's mechanical engineering and aerospace sciences departments, Fenn joined the Yale faculty in 1967 as professor of applied science and chemistry, a post he held for 13 years. From 1980 until his retirement in 1987, he was professor of chemical engineering.

Dr. David W. Barry. A graduate of both Yale College (1965) and the School of Medicine (1969), Barry will be honored for having reflected credit upon the University by achieving preeminence in science or engineering in the field of industry, commerce or education.

Barry's interest in science and virology dates back to the days of his internship and residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he conducted virology research. After serving as deputy director of the National Food and Drug Administration's Bureau of Biologics, he joined Burroughs-Wellcome in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and was named head of clinical research a year later. Eventually, Barry became head of worldwide research and development for the company's British parent, Wellcome PLC.

"Never one to be interested in drugs to attack trivial diseases," according to the award citation, "[Barry] pioneered the development of the herpes drug acyclovir and then went on to lead a team that discovered AZT, the first treatment for HIV."

In 1995, Barry left Burroughs Wellcome to found his own firm, Triangle Pharmaceuticals,. There, as chief executive officer, he continues to focus on drugs to combat "incurable" diseases. Barry is the author of nearly 100 publications, and holds 14 patents.

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New Beinecke archive reveals changing role of women in the 1500s
Yale affiliates honored for their contributions to science
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Professor elected to National Academy of Engineering
Student stories focus on people buried in historic cemetery
Authors' readings help support fight against illiteracy
Campus Notes