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Instrumentation for a Better Tomorrow:
A Symposium in Honor of Arnold O. Beckman

Caltech professor of chemistry John D. Roberts, Institute of Systems Biology president Leroy Hood, and Chemical Heritage Foundation president Arnold Thackray are among the distinguished scientists, engineers, and researchers who will participate in a symposium on November 15, 2004 to honor famed inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Arnold O. Beckman. The special event will be hosted by UC Irvine chancellor Ralph Cicerone at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California. The symposium will focus on the role of instrumentation in scientific research and the important influence Arnold Beckman had on the development of laboratory instrumentation. Speakers will discuss the evolution of instrumentation in several fields of research and how historical trends position us for the future. The symposium will be free and open to the public; advance registration is requested.

(Courtesy Beckman Coulter, Inc.)

The legacies of Arnold O. Beckman are innumerable and valuable beyond measure. His contributions to scientific laboratory instrumentation, his philanthropy, his understanding of the importance of education and training, and his careful attention to family, honor, and courtesy are all legendary.

The purpose of this symposium is to discuss the relationship between research and laboratory instrumentation and the role of the theme “simplify, innovate, automate” in its evolution. This theme characterized Arnold Beckman’s contributions to the development of scientific instrumentation, and the symposium will trace out how it has influenced the evolution of the instrumentation--research relationship.

The symposium will be held at the Beckman Conference Center of the National Academies in Irvine, California on November 15, 2004. Advance registration is encouraged.

The interaction between scientific research and instrumentation development is dynamic and complex. Scientific advances have led to new instruments, and important problems in scientific research have stimulated new instrumentation developments in order to further enable the research. Instruments developed for other purposes have found application in research and have enabled new research paths. Likewise, instruments developed to take advantage of new scientific findings and to enable new research often find application in other areas (test instruments, clinical laboratories, etc.); the ubiquitous and unplanned opportunities enabled by instrumentation can be one of the principal benefits of fundamental scientific research. At the symposium, the following questions will be addressed from the perspective of several individual fields of research as well as more generally across all fields.

What has been the relationship between instrumentation and research? What are some examples of research that has been enabled by laboratory instrumentation?
How did Beckman embrace the theme of “simplify, innovate, and automate”? How did this business model lead to transformations in both research and instrumentation?
How have instrumentation and research co-evolved along the theme of “simplify, innovate, automate?” What are some examples? How does the theme of “simplify, innovate, automate” drive research and instrumentation?
What are some examples of where instrumentation has been transformative? What are some of the recent trends? What are some emerging research areas that are currently being transformed by instrumentation? Where could the next transformations occur?
What is the current state of the relationship between instrumentation and research? How will the relationship between instrumentation and research evolve in the future? Where is it headed within certain areas and in general? Is the future interaction between instrumentation and research different in different fields of research?
How do the dynamics of “simplify, innovate, automate” play into the relationship between instrumentation and research? What are some of the challenges and tradeoffs? How does the theme of “simplify, innovate, automate” constrain or encourage modern-day instrument-builders and researchers?

The one-day symposium will be organized into several sessions held primarily in the Auditorium of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center.

8:00 am Registration (Breakfast available in Dining Room)

9:00 am WELCOMING REMARKS
Ralph Cicerone, Chancellor, University of California at Irvine and
Patricia Beckman

9:30 am KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Setting the Agenda: Arnold Beckman, Innovation, and Electronics
Arnold Thackray, Chemical Heritage Foundation

10:30 am Break

10:45 am THE ROLE OF LABORATORY INSTRUMENTATION IN RESEARCH I
Chemistry — John D. Roberts, California Institute of Technology
Condensed Matter and Materials Physics — Gabrielle Long, Argonne National Laboratory
Molecular Biology — Leroy Hood, Institute for Systems Biolog

12:45 pm Break (Adjourn to Huntington Room)

1:00 pm LUNCHTIME ADDRESS
Forefronts of Chemistry — Chad Mirkin, Northwestern University

2:00 pm Break (Return to Auditorium)

2:15 pm THE ROLE OF LABORATORY INSTRUMENTATION IN RESEARCH II
Nanoscale Science and Engineering — Michael L. Roukes, California Institute of Technology
Forensic Science and Technology — Robert E. Gaensslen, University of Illinois at Chicago
Clinical Medicine — T. Vincent Shankey, Beckman Coulter, Inc.

4:15 pm Break

4:30 pm PANEL DISCUSSION
The Evolving Relationship Between Instrumentation and Research
—Plenary session speakers and William F. Ballhaus, Sr.

5:30 pm CONCLUDING REMARKS
—Wm. A. Wulf, National Academy of Engineering

5:45 pm Reception (Adjourn to Atrium)

Free advance copies of the Symposium proceedings will be reserved for all registered participants.