Alum donates $1M to Biochemistry Dept

Edward R. Kane, who graduated first in his class from Union in 1940, recently made a generous one million dollar donation that will support the Chemistry and Biochemistry department, funding state-of-the-art facilities and further enriching departmental programs. As a student at Union, Kane received the Steinmetz Scholarship and played varsity tennis. His degree in chemistry helped ensure his consequent success and prominent life-long career as president of one the nation’s largest science-based products companies, DuPont.

“My Union experience and education gave me the skills I needed to be an innovative thinker and doer, and a lifelong learner, who could thrive in the competitive, challenging environment of DuPont,” said Kane in an interview for a Union Notables feature.

Kane’s influence on the industry has been widespread, having served as the head of the Mechanical Engineering Committee at MIT and participating as a member of various engineering societies.

Upon retiring from his executive position at DuPont, Kane received a prestigious international honor, the Palladium Medal, for his contributions to the corporation.

“We are extremely proud of Dr. Kane’s many accomplishments as a Union College chemistry alumnus and we appreciate tremendously Dr. Kane’s gift in support of the Chemistry Department and the Biochemistry Program,” said Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department Mary Carroll.

The Kane endowment will fund a biochemistry teaching laboratory and research instrumentation. The gift will thus replace a facility that was over 40 years old and will enhance the program, which has been one of Union’s largest for over ten years.

“As a direct result of the strength of the Chemistry Department’s undergraduate programs, two-thirds of Union chemistry and biochemistry majors enter graduate or professional schools within five years of graduation,” stated Carroll.

“Having a home for the program in the Wold Center should make it even more successful,” said Fox, adding that the new laboratory will serve biology, chemistry, and neuroscience students as well.

“I’m really excited to start having classes in the new facilities,” said chemistry major and member of the Leadership in Medicine program Cara Zimmerman ’14.