UPTAM (Undergraduate Projects in Technology and Medicine) was once dubbed as “an incubator of scientists” by the New York Times, and was founded by Dr. Ajay K. Bose, George Meade Bond Professor of Chemistry in 1972 and lasted until the early 2000s. Over the years a lot of different academic, medical and pharmaceutical companies supported the program. For example, in 1995, UPTAM was supported by institutions such as Schering-Plough Corporation, Gow-Mac, New York Cardiac Center, Ortho Biotech, Perkin-Elmer and Stevens Institute of Technology, which helped to sustain this valuable educational and research effort.
The UPTAM program provided enhanced career opportunities in chemistry, medicine, and biosciences for hundreds of talented students since the program started in 1972 and until it ended in the early 2000s. The pre-college version, pre-UPTAM, was initiated in 1990 as a high school outreach component of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant to Stevens Institute of Technology. This grant ($1 million, 1989-1993) under the direction of Professor Ajay Bose was for the enhancement of chemical biology education and biosciences research. Project SEED of the American Chemical Society, which provides research opportunities for disadvantaged students, was a major supporter of pre-UPTAM. For over a decade, this program provided excellent educational opportunities and access to quality college education to hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds.
In 1997, the Chemical Manufacturers’ Association presented Professor Bose with the National Catalyst Award for Excellence in Chemistry teaching. The 1999 Dreyfuss Award of the American Chemical Society for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in Chemical Sciences was given to Dr. Bose. In December 1999, Professor Bose received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) at an impressive ceremony in the White House Complex. These awards gave recognition to the UPTAM program that Dr. Bose had sustained and directed for nearly three decades.
For more information on UPTAM please search the digital collections. In addition, there are great photographs to view from the Chemistry department and UPTAM.
Dr. Ajay Bose (1925 - 2010)
Ajay K. Bose was a professor at Stevens in Chemistry from 1959 – 2007 and was internationally known for his work and research on beta -lactam antibiotics, steroid drugs, and the treatment of arthritis and infertility. Bose outlined a method of using common commercial chemicals to synthesize new penicillin structures; new penicillin's were constantly and urgently needed because of allergies that were being developed in patients. Bose held several patents in this area, which improved the field of chemistry and medicine.
Bose Patent Examples:
Beta-Lactams (1974) https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/7d/a9/23/3ddad5b89a342f/US3943123.pdf
Preparation of β-lactam (1981): https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/6e/da/81/22b7f596d7fd73/US4260743.pdf
Steroid Compounds (1967): https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/c0/09/f9/300585023dc8ec/US3337590A.pdf
198 Research papers by Bose: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Ajay-K-Bose-53544348
Use Google Patents to search for more of Dr. Bose's patents.
Dr. Ajay K. Bose biography.
Irving Langmuir (b. 1881 - d. 1957)
Irving Langmuir was one of the most important American Chemists and only the second American to earn the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1932 for his discoveries and investigations in surface chemistry. His scientific research into chemical reactions, thermal effects, electric discharges in gases, atomic structure, surface phenomena in a vacuum, and atmospheric sciences spanned over 50 years.
He spent the earlier part of his career at Stevens teaching chemistry from 1906-1909, but in pursuit for more research opportunities he left this position to work for General Electric in their research laboratory, also known as the “House of Magic.” General Electric allowed Langmuir complete research freedom, and later in his career he would become the Director of General Electric. In 1934, two years after receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Langmuir returned to Stevens to give a lecture to students attending the Stevens Engineering Camp in Johnsonburg, New Jersey.
Video on the two Nobel Prize winners from Stevens:
