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Philadelphia's 76 Smartest People
Edited by Sarah Jordan Cynthia Kuper-Rockman age: 29 Nanotechnologist; President, Versilant Nanote Technologies While some visionaries are lauded for "thinking big," it's the opposite mind-set that has taken Cynthia Kuper-Rockman to the fringes of modern science. After earning her B.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry at Temple, this Central High grad worked side by side with a Nobel laureate at Rice University, pioneering the field of nanotechnology — the manipulation of matter at a molecular level to create raw materials that could lead to a computer 1,000 times faster than your home PC and the size of a credit card. Kuper-Rockman moved back home to launch Versilant Nanotechnologies, a start-up headquartered at Penn that's dedicated to research and practical application. Lauded by Bill Clinton in his 2000 State of the Union address and trumpeted in Fortune and Forbes, nanotech is no pipe dream. Just talking about Versilant's potential to develop superbatteries and high-strength aircraft parts brings a broad smile to Kuper-Rockman's face. Transforming Philadelphia into a beachhead for the New Industrial Revolution won't be easy, but she remains confident about nanotech's future. What's the dumbest thing you've ever done? "While touring Fox Chase Cancer Center before starting a job there, I asked how they managed to shave the tiny lab mice — not realizing that they were genetically bred not to have hair." Sock, sock, shoe, shoe? or sock, shoe, sock, shoe? sock˛ + shoe/1x. Source: Philadelphia Magazine Date: November, 2001 Author: Unknown |