2006 Recipients

In 2006, SBE honored the team of   Robert Langer, Edwin Lightfoot, and Nicholas Peppas with the James E. Bailey Award for their pioneering work in the field of biomedical engineering. Professor Langer delivered the Bailey Award Lecture on "The Evolution of Chemical Engineering in the Last 60 Years" on behalf of the team at the AIChE meeting in San Francisco, CA.    Dr. Langer hails from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he is one of only 13 Institute Professors, the highest honor awarded to an MIT faculty member. His findings in the field of biomedical engineering have been licensed or sublicensed to over 180 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies.  Dr. Langer has revolutionized the delivery of drugs and the engineering of human tissue.  His work in drug delivery technologies led to controlled release drug implants, ultrasound drug delivery, and the use of computer chips for drug delivery.  In 2007, Professor Langer received the country’s highest recognition, the National Medal of Science. He joins a list of prestigious chemical engineers that have received the award that include Warren K. Lewis, Manson Benedict, John Sinfelt, Donald Katz, Robert Bird, Harry Drickamer, Eli Ruckenstein, Andreas Acrivos, John Prausnitz, and Edwin Lightfoot.

The Hilldale Professor (emeritus) at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Lightfoot joined the faculty in 1953 and was one of the first biochemical engineering professors in the United States. In 2004, he was awarded the National Medal of Science for his work in biochemical and biomedical engineering. Dr. Lightfoot has made great strides in the areas of blood oxygenation, oxygen diffusion into tissue, mathematical modeling of biological pathways, bioseparations and studies of diabetic responses.

Dr. Nicholas A. Peppas is the Fletcher S. Pratt Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He was recognized this year for his pioneering work on sustained and controlled release systems by his induction into the National Academy of Engineering, the nation’s highest honor for engineering professionals. Peppas and his team are currently utilizing a four-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to perfect his oral insulin medication, which could end the need to treat diabetes with daily injections.