Fall 2007 issue of Horizons

programming and research projects. More recently, with the support of groups such as the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, St. Louis Regional Business Council and Civic Progress, our higher education institutions have adopted the cooperative model seen in the Silicon Valley. Several area universities and corporations and foundations are at the forefront of making St. Louis a leader in the life sciences industry. A primary example is the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, where several universities have faculty and students working on projects to improve the environment and sustainability of crops and wildlife. This concept has obvious implications to enhance our lives and the regional economy in general as corporations such as Monsanto commercialize these discoveries. The Center for Emerging Technologies in mid-town St. Louis is another fineexampleof nurturingandcooperation. The center is an incubator for individuals developing high- tech products and services. It’s jointly operated by UMSL and the state Department of Economic Development, but many of the tenants originated their ideas and findings at other universities. When the second largest corporation in Missouri, Express Scripts Inc., needed to create a new headquarters for about 1,400 employees, it decided to do so on the UMSL campus. The deciding factor, according to ESI President and CEO George Paz, was the knowledge connection. “Our expansion to UMSL aligns Express Scripts and our employeeswith thebusiness, researchandcivicresources that will help strengthen and grow our company,” Paz said in announcing the company’s move. “The move to UMSL will facilitate an unprecedented opportunity for employee education and growth. It will enhance our position as an employer of choice for a diverse and best-in-class work force.” Knowledge Counts. While the fad phases – knowledge economy, information economy, and global economy – will continue to change, a simple truth will endure: knowing things and knowing how to get things done can be complementary skills. That’s why it’s important to this region and nation that our universities, corporations and governmental entities continue working together to connect and reward and nurture the pursuit of knowledge. Putting knowledge to work benefits us all. Several area universities and corporations and foundations are at the forefront of making St. Louis a leader in the life sciences industry.

Thomas F. George , Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry and Physics at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

As chancellor, Thomas oversees all academic and administrative operations of a campus with 2,500 faculty and staff members, 40 academic buildings and a $178 million annual budget. In addition to his role as campus and community leader and fund-raiser, George is an active researcher in chemistry and physics, specializing in chemical/materials/laser physics. His work has led to 620 articles/chapters, two co-authored textbooks and 14 co-edited books, and he has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences worldwide. His research, including innovations in teaching, has been funded for more than 30 years from a number of federal agencies and private foundations (totaling nearly $5 million). His scientific achievements have garnered prestigious awards such as the Marlow Medal and Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry inGreat Britain and fellowships from the Guggenheim, Sloan and Dreyfus foundations. He has been named a fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences, American Physical Society, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers and American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has been elected to membership in the Korean Academy of Science and Technology

20 u winter 2007 issue