History

About Arnold Beckman

Arnold Beckman (B.S., 1922, chemical engineering; MS, 1923, chemical engineering) was a famed inventor, business man, and advocate for scientific research.

His accomplishments include:

  • Inventing a portable pH meter, the Helipot, a precision electrical resistance device and the DU spectrophotometer
  • Founding National Technical Laboratories, which exists today as Beckman Coulter Life Sciences
  • Contributing, with wife Mabel, nearly $350 million to the advancement of research and education
  • Founding the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, as well as:
    • Beckman Institute at the California Institute of Technology
    • The Beckman Laser Institute at the University of California at Irvine
    • Stanford University's Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Engineering
    • The Center for the History of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania
    • The Beckman Research Institute at the City of Hope, an institute dedicated to the prevention and cure of life-threatening diseases
Arnold Beckman stands at a podium, speaking into three microphones, when announcing his $40 million gift to found the Beckman Institute.

Notable events in the Beckman Institute's history

Zhi-Pei Liang demonstrates what is considered an important advance in ultrafast magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI), known as SPICE. This technique can accelerate spectroscopic imaging experiments, making high-resolution metabolic imaging possible.

Dec. 3, 1993
mri_nancy

Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology

405 N. Mathews Ave. M/C 251

Urbana, IL 61801

217-244-1176

communications@beckman.illinois.edu

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