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.