University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
The Messenger
Vol. 6, No. 1/1996
Recognition: A Special Report
W.M. Keck Foundation Gift Supports Biomedical Research

     A  $250,000 gift from the W.M. Keck Foundation will make it
possible for Mary Wirth, professor of chemistry and biochemistry,
and others to study the surface behavior of individual molecules.
In addition to safer medical implants, Wirth says, the research
might someday result in more cost-effective filtering techniques
for purifying pharmaceuticals. By improving catalytic membranes,
she adds, it might also be possible to eliminate harmful waste by-
products associated with the production of various industrial
materials.
     "The W.M. Keck Foundation grant may ultimately support new
biomedical technologies, as well as improved materials for an
array of globally competitive industries," Wirth says.
     The 1,000-square-foot W.M. Keck Foundation Laboratory,
located in Drake Hall, is being stocked with instruments for
probing the submicroscopic chemistry of surfaces. A near-field scanning 
optical microscope, for example, allows researchers to examine objects 
1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.
     Established in 1954 by the late William M. Keck, founder of
the Superior Oil Co., the W.M. Keck Foundation is one of the
nation's largest philanthropic organizations, with a special
interest in science, engineering and medical research.
     "The University has been the recipient, over the years, of
generous support from national and regional foundations," reports
Elizabeth E. Neary, the University's director of corporate and
foundation relations. "These gifts are crucial to the whole
spectrum of our academic programs, from engineering to the
humanities."
     During F.Y. 1994-95, the University received $4,765,183 in
gifts from foundations. For more information on foundation
giving, call Neary at (302) 831-2104.