Baekeland Lecture
Baekeland Lecture – Established 1943
The only chemist in Time magazine's list of the 20 greatest scientists and thinkers of the 20th century, Baekeland's name and contribution to society is highlighted amongst the likes of Einstein, Freud and the Wright brothers.
Baekeland's practical creativity had a massive impact on the industries covered by SCI, leading to the development of the vast polymeric materials sector. Inexpensive to produce and versatile, Bakelite, the world's first synthetic plastic, revolutionised the development and manufacture of many products, and made a range of durable household items widely accessible.
Baekeland's industrial application of scientific research and his use of SCI connections to arrange world-wide manufacture and distribution of the resulting products are examples of the ethos at the heart of SCI. In 1943, shortly before his death, his company endowed this lecture to perpetuate his memory and promote his visionary approach.
Nominated By: Any SCI Member or Committee, but in particular from SCI Groups related to materials development
Qualification: Authority on Polymeric materials
Description: Lecture and presentation of a scroll
Presented At: An SCI event on a relevant topic
Frequency: Every four years.
Selection: SCI Groups related to materials development, Awards Committee
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