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The Root of the University of Michigan's Hub of Chemical Innovation
The Root of the University of Michigan's Hub of Chemical Innovation
Willard Henry Dow Lab. Photo courtesy UM
by Shivam Diora
Modern humanity: the era born too early to explore the stars and too late to discover the world. From electricity to computers, many of the world’s quintessential inventions are well-established, raising the question of what’s left to uncover. To places like the Science Learning Center (SLC) at the University of Michigan, the answer is more, as evident by their recent Interconnected project that fused together art and human diversity to produce four PIXEL-based art pieces geared towards comforting an audience of… scientists (“Connect the Dots…”). This beauty represents the tip of the iceberg of revolutions occurring at the SLC’s homebase, the Willard Henry Dow Laboratory, named after UM alumnus and leader of The Dow Chemical Company.
The building was completed in 1989, serving as a $45 million (“University of Michigan…”) and 107,803 square feet (Green Building profile) addition to the original chemistry building. Its purpose was to reignite the decaying chemistry department, which faced a massive shortage of laboratories and teaching resources (due to the rise in student enrollment) alongside a gradual decline in research activities, a result of the University’s post-WW2 policy that prohibited the recruitment of senior faculty (“University of Michigan…”). Ultimately, UofM’s plan was successful, leading to the recruitment of numerous talented assistant professors and senior professors that were “considered the best in the nation” (“University of Michigan…”). That success continues to pursue today, as the Dow Laboratory is a hub of innovation and cunning-edge research on campus. For instance, the lab hosts the Stephenson Group, which works to harness the power of visible light to mediate reactions that aid in the synthesis of biologically active molecules.
Willard H. Dow. Photo Courtesy: ourmidland.com
Willard’s youth overflowed with chemistry, whether it was fidgeting with the chemical modeling set he received at 10 years olds, conducting his own experiments by “searching a pail of brine for new riches locked within salt water,” or working various jobs at his father’s company, the Dow Chemical Company (McFayden). Unsurprisingly, after graduating from the University of Michigan with a chemical engineering degree, he began working under his father, becoming the Dow Director and General Manager of the Plant at only 29 years old and gaining a world-wide reputation for his “industrial know-how, his business acumen and brilliant scientific mind” (Andrick). After taking control of the company in 1930, Willard led it to unfathomable heights, even amidst the Depression. His research into and mass-scale synthesis of magnesium, STYROFOAM™, synthetic rubber, ETHOCEL™ (Dow’s first plastic), ARAN resins, and silicone not only grew the company seven-fold by the time of his death in 1949 but also played a significant role in the Allies’s victory in WW2 (“A Son Takes…”).
The meaning behind Dow’s name correlates to the morals that guided not only his life but also the building named in his honor. Ancestry.com states “Willard” is of Old French descent, meaning “will desire” and “hardy brave.” The Collins Dictionary says “Dow,” in Scottish and Northern English, means “to be able to thrive.” Indeed, through his unconquerable will and conviction that “there is always room out in front [for chemical innovation]- room for all without crowding and work for generations to come,” he thrived, building a company that was a national leader in product synthesis and chemical research (McFayden). His name on U.M’s chemistry laboratory serves as a reminder to the professional and inspiring chemists that even amidst such an advanced society, a boundless world of innovation rests, waiting to be explored.
Works Cited
Andrick, Floyd. “70 Years Later: Remembering the Tragic Loss of Willard Dow.” Midland Daily News, 14 Mar. 2019, www.ourmidland.com/news/article/70-years-laterRemembering-the-tragic-loss-of-13687300.php.
“A Son Takes the Lead during Demanding Times.” Willard H. Dow | History | Dow Corporate, corporate.dow.com/en-us/about/company/history/willard-dow.html.
“Bentley Historical Library: University of Michigan.” A Historical Tour of the University of Michigan Campus, bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/campus_tour/chronology.php.
Connect the Dots: Collective Interpretations of the U-M Library Collections. Omeka RSS. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/connect-the-dots
“Dow Definition and Meaning: Collins English Dictionary.” Dow Definition and Meaning | Collins English Dictionary, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/dow#:~:text=dow%20in%20American%20English,-(dau%2C%20dou)&text=1.,to%20thrive%3B%20prosper%3B%20do%20well.
“Early Years: U-M LSA Chemistry.” LSA, lsa.umich.edu/chem/about/department-history/early-years.html.
McFadyen, Aubrey D. Willard Henry Dow Chemical & Engineering News Archive 1948 26 (25), 1840 DOI: 10.1021/cen-v026n025.p1840
“University of Michigan. Dept. of Chemistry.” University of Michigan. Dept. of Chemistry. - Social Networks and Archival Context, snaccooperative.org/view/44248235.
“Welcome to the Stephenson Group.” www.thestephensongroup.org/.
“Willard Family History.” Willard Name Meaning & Willard Family History at Ancestry.com®, www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=willard.
“Willard Henry Dow Laboratory Overview :: Green Building Information Gateway.” GBIG, www.gbig.org/buildings/819797.
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