One of Penn's top scientists received the Engineering School's most prestigious award last week.
Thomas Cech, president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute and winner of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was given the Berger Award for not only his engineering expertise, but also for his ability to integrate engineering with other fields of science in some of the medical field's most innovative multidisciplinary research.
The honor is given every two years to an innovator in engineering and the applied sciences. Cech was the featured speaker at the Harold C. Berger Lecture last Thursday afternoon at Skirkanich Hall, after which he received the award.
He has made what Engineering school leaders call "pivotal discoveries" in the fields of chemistry and engineering, including findings about how RNA can catalyze reactions - a major breakthrough for medical research.
Both Cech and Berger, now a U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge, brought creativity to the field, Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt said.
Cech said he was thrilled to receive the award, having already received prior recognition from the Penn Chemistry Department.
"We are finding that the opportunities in today's science are found when boundaries between the fields are not so strong," he said. "We have to find ways to encourage productive collisions between people in different fields."
His speech focused on the details of his chemical discoveries, his experience in breaking down barriers between the sciences and his personal sentiments on the matter.
He criticized several common elements of University education, including the tenure system and rules limiting undergraduate opportunities.
He also described his efforts at Hughes to increase collaboration by limiting the size of research teams and manipulating the architecture of the buildings there to bring people together.
"There are a lot of institutional boundaries to collaboration," he explained. "We want to make some pathways."
The lecture attracted an overflow crowd which Engineering School Dean of Special Projects and Communications Joan Gocke estimated was comprised of about 400 people.
"I was expecting a big crowd," explained Engineering junior Kevin Rakszawski, who attended the lecture. "But it was packed."
Rakszawski described Cech as an "engaging" speaker.
"He really gave a lot of insight on how to implement interdisciplinary work," he said.
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