Caltech Cuts the Ribbon on Schlinger Laboratory

March 9, 2010

"This is a milestone in the history of our division," said Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Chair Jacqueline (Jackie) Barton, speaking before a large audience that had gathered outside the handsome, glass-enclosed, state-of-the-art laboratory on the west side of campus. It is the first laboratory intended exclusively for chemistry and chemical engineering research to be built at Caltech in at least 50 years, Barton said, adding, "When you bring chemists and chemical engineers together in one laboratory, the results will be far greater than the sum of the parts."

Barton thanked her predecessor as division chair, McCollum-Corcoran Professor and Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering David Tirrell, for taking the initial steps toward the laboratory's creation nearly a decade ago. and applauded the generosity and foresight of the Schlingers, whose lead gift made the building's construction possible.

Addressing the couple, Barton said, "We want to thank you so much for your vision—it is because of that vision and your efforts that we now have this extraordinary laboratory. Your efforts have made such a difference," Barton said. "Now it's our turn to go out and make a difference and to push back the frontiers."

In his remarks, Schlinger recalled arriving on campus as a Caltech freshman in 1941. At that time, said Schlinger, who went on to earn both his BS and PhD in chemistry and chemical engineering from the Institute and to teach on its faculty for several years, "the chemical engineering faculty at Caltech had a department made up of two professors and a secretary"—Katharine Stewart, whom the young graduate student would marry in 1946. "Since then," he noted, "our association with Caltech has been continuous."

Schlinger eventually left Caltech for a career with oil giant Texaco, where he made key R&D; contributions to the field of petroleum engineering, ultimately writing 65 patents and winning election to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on an American engineer. He is also a recipient of Caltech's highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Alluding to the Schlingers' longstanding relationship with Caltech, President Jean-Lou Chameau said, "It is hard to imagine two more gracious and generous friends of the Institute. Over the years, they have supported not only this beautiful new building, but a professorship, two graduate fellowships, and major lab renovations," among many other initiatives.

During construction of the Schlinger Laboratory, said Chameau, "no detail was too small to attract Warren's eye or his interest. On one of his tours a month or so ago, we stood in a lab looking toward the mountains. Warren said it reminded him of one day in the 1940s when he and Linus Pauling had stood in much the same way, looking at the sky and trying to identify the various chemical components of the smoggy air! I had a clear sense then of how the knowledge and discoveries of Caltech scientists and engineers have been passed from generation to generation, and I was reminded again of what great contributions friends like Warren and Katie have made to that legacy."

Reinforcing Caltech's commitment to eco-conservation and sustainability, the Schlinger Laboratory is on target to receive Gold certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, which requires projects to meet stringent energy- and water-efficiency standards.

In addition to the major support from the Schlingers, funding for the new building was also provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Will and Helen Webster, Victor and Elizabeth Atkins, the John Stauffer Charitable Trust, Barbara Dickinson, and the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation.

For more information on the Schlinger Laboratory, its architectural design, and the science that will be carried out in the new facility, please visit "Adaptable, New Building is Catalyst for Discovery."