Awards

James E. Bailey Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Biological Engineering.

In memory of Professor Jay Bailey for his many pioneering contributions to biotechnology, the award is presented to an individual who has had an important impact on bioengineering and whose achievements, either specific or general, have advanced this profession in any of its aspects. The recipient should have a distinguished record of service to the profession. They should also be involved in the direct engagement of biology with engineering.

Professor Michael Shuler, professor and director of the biomedical engineering program at Cornell University, received the inaugural James Bailey Award.  Shuler and the late Jay Bailey were considered pioneers in the area of biotechnology. Professor Shuler was a close professional colleague of Jay Bailey’s for almost 30 years. Professor Shuler acknowledged Bailey as “an articulate, visionary spokesperson for the field of biochemical engineering.  His educational legacy touched many modern biochemical and biological engineers in the profession today.” 

“Professor Shuler is universally recognized as a father of modern biochemical and bioprocess engineering,” said Daniel I. C. Wang, Chair of SBE. “His contributions to the community in research, education and service to the profession are without parallel.”  Shuler was the first to advocate explicitly integrating molecular and cellular biology into the essence of bioprocess engineering. His ideas led to better understanding of chemical reactions within the cell, cellular regulation and cellular interactions in a large population quantitatively and in a predictable fashion.  MIT’s Professor Greg Stephanopoulos, an SBE Board Member, said the work Professor Shuler has done on the single-cell model has encouraged the development of the field of metabolic engineering. 

Along with research, Professor Shuler has had a major impact on the teaching of bioprocess engineering.  His textbook, Bioprocess Engineering: Basic Concepts, has defined modern bioprocess engineering and, over the past 12 years, has been the most successful, and widely used, textbook in this area.

During the awards ceremony on November 1, Michael Shuler presented a lecture to the attendees on “Understanding and Using Microbes:  Systems via Biology and the Biochemical Engineer.”

Awards:  A plaque, a $3000 honorarium, complimentary registration for the AIChE Fall meeting, and travel expenses (up to $1000).

Endowed by:  Cytos Biotechnology, www.cytos.com.

Current members of the Managing Board of the Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) are ineligible. This award is not restricted to SBE members