October 15, 2021 | Eli Freund - School of Engineering

Laurencin Named 2020 Henry Brown Awardee

The University of Connecticut School of Engineering is proud to announce that Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, a University Professor, UConn Engineering Professor, and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, has received the 2020 Henry Brown Award from the Minority Affairs 30th Anniversary Committee of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

 

By: Eli Freund, Editorial Communications Manager, UConn School of Engineering 

The University of Connecticut School of Engineering is proud to announce that Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, a University Professor, UConn Engineering Professor, and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, has received the 2020 Henry Brown Award from the Minority Affairs 30th Anniversary Committee of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

The award, named after one of the three Minority Affairs Committee founders, celebrates extraordinary dedication to chemical engineering and STEM professions from members of traditionally underrepresented cultural groups. According to the AIChE website, “Henry T. Brown was one of the original advocates for minority engineers in AIChE, beginning in 1968. He co-created AIChE’s first outreach initiatives for underrepresented engineers, and held the position of AIChE’s Minority Affairs Coordinator from 1983 through 2001.  Until his passing, Henry was a guide and mentor to the committee’s leaders and active participants.”

Internationally renowned for his work in biomaterials, stem cell science, nanotechnology, drug delivery systems, and for pioneering a new field, regenerative engineering, Laurencin serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering. He is the founder of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Regenerative Engineering Society.

Laurencin is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the first individual to receive both the oldest/highest award of the National Academy of Engineering (the Simon Ramo Founder’s Award) and one of the oldest/highest awards of the National Academy of Medicine (the Walsh McDermott Medal).

Internationally, he is an elected Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, the India National Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and the World Academy of Sciences. Laurencin also is an Academician and the 45th Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Laurencin earned his B.S.E. in chemical engineering from Princeton University; his M.D., Magna Cum Laude, from the Harvard Medical School; and his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/ biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 2016, Laurencin received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama in ceremonies at the White House. It is the highest honor bestowed in America for technological achievement. In 2021, he was awarded the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the NAACP, for his work in Regenerative Engineering.