Category: Lamar Dodd Award

Lamar Dodd Award 2002

Clifton A. Baile, a Professor in the Departments of Animal and Dairy Science and Foods and Nutrition and the Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of Agricultural Biotechnology, is a productive scientist who understands how to transfer research findings to industry. His many accomplishments demonstrate his ability to coordinate and advise University faculty on research findings that have economically viable applications. His leadership has helped advance biotechnology and its economic potential for Georgia.

Dr. Baile has helped recruit high-caliber faculty to UGA and has improved UGA biotechnology research facilities through collaborations and successful grant writing. Since coming to UGA in 1995, he has helped procure a $38 million investment for new facilities, laboratories, and equipment. Dr. Baile has served in management roles in several Athens-area biotechnology start-up companies including Abeome, Inc., Aureozyme, Inc., AviGenics, Inc., Oncose, Inc. and ProLinia, Inc. These companies, which have raised more than $75 million during the past four years, encompass a range of technologies from animal cloning and human cell therapies to the development of cancer diagnostics and the mass production of monoclonal antibodies.

Key to Dr. Baile’s success in promoting biotechnology and its economic potential is his 35 years in academia and industry. His research at universities such as Harvard, Penn State and UGA has resulted in more than 275 scientific papers on such topics as the control of feed intake and the regulation of energy balance, and the regulation of animal growth and lactation. During his tenure at the Monsanto Company, he led his department in the discovery of a biotechnology-based process to produce a dairy cattle somatotropin and developed its delivery formulations, manufacturing systems, and marketing programs. Somatotropin sales now yield more than $400 million annually. Dr. Baile’s “success in bringing university research to industry has been so great that it has been cited in Nature as a model for others to emulate,” wrote C. Michael Cassidy, president of the Georgia Research Alliance.

Lamar Dodd Award 2000

Andrew Granville had made important contributions to mathematical research in number theory. He is also known for his ability to communicate complicated mathematics to wider audiences. His research encompasses computer science, harmonic analysis, combinatorics and algebraic geometry, of interest for both theoretical and applicable reasons.

Since ancient times, mathematicians have wanted to tell whether a number is prime; that is, whether the number can be divided only by itself and one. The RSA method of encryption relies on prime numbers to safeguard confidential information transmitted electronically such as Internet credit card purchases. In January 1992, Dr. Granville along with Drs. Carl Pomerance and William “Red” Alford, showed that there are infinitely many “Carmichael numbers”, which are composit numbers that masquerade as primes.

One of his research papers contained a question of such popular interest that a Dallas banker has now offered a $75,000 prize for its solution.

His contributions include the development of a graduate number-theory program at UGA. Among his numerous prestigious awards, is a Presidential Faculty Fellowship from President Clinton, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Canadian Number Theory Associations’ inaugural Ribenboim Medal for contributions to research and the Mathematical Association of America’s Merten M. Hasse prize for expository writing.

Previous Award

Creative Research Medal 1994