The Barnett Institute feted its 35'th anniversary on October 18 with a dinner celebration in the Raytheon amphitheater, attended by Louis and Madlyn Barnett and many members of the extended Barnett family, President Joseph Aoun, Provost Steven Director, the Advisory Board with their wives, Institute Faculty, and many other friends of the Institute.  

35 years is a long time, and we first acknowledge over 300 alumni who made  the breakthroughs and did the real work to follow through on them.  The continuing success of the Institute is a testament to something in the human spirit -- how bright young people will rise to the challenge of real-world problems that are important to solve, and flourish in an entrepreneurial environment that does not limit their innovation.  Our alumni are our most important product, and we are more than proud of each of them. 

Professors Karger, Giessen and Vouros reflected on how the Institute established itself in 1973, and has reinvented itself in the decades since.  From its initial focus in forensics, the Institute has responded to problems, in turn, in environmental analysis, biotechnology, and genome sequencing, to its current focus on systems biology and clinical science.  In parallel, over those years, we have made significant technological advances in GCMS, HPLC, capillary electrophoresis, microfluidics, LC-MS, and bioinformatics, and other fields.  (see Professor Karger's address.)

President Joseph Aoun reminded us how in reflection and celebration it almost sounds easy.  "A university bets on a lot of people; some pay off, but none have paid off again and again like Barry and the Barnett Institute.  Institute faculty have  many successes of the caliber most academics would rest a leisurely career on",   Aoun also observed how the institute starts, "not with an idea or with a solution, but with an important problem", emphasizing "Leadership.  And it's not easy ... Barry, you are a a role model.  When a young person looks at Manny Ramirez and at you, he wants to be like you."  

 Louis Barnett also stood, to remind us how Northeastern has earned its just distinctions  "In 1937 it was a 'subway' engineering school that you went to if you couldn't afford one of the real schools.  But Northeastern made it possible for a lot of people.  And they did a good job."  Eliot Barnett, in his turn, spoke of being at once humbled and honored by the fruits and accomplishments of his father's legacy in the Institute, joking that he was "a research scientist stuck in a businessman's body."  Madlyn Barnett stood to thank the assembled institute for fulfilling her husband's greatest wish.  Lori Werner, daughter of  Louis and Madlyn Barnett, expressed how their recent pledge reaffirms the link the between the Barnett family and Barnett Institute. As she presented the first installment to Prof. Karger and President Aoun, the celebration turned joyfully from our past to our future.  

A toast to Lou Barnett:

"Money has wings, as every patriarch knows.  But yet we choose:

  The common man gives it the wings of a moth, just competing with his neighbors; 
  From a kind man it has the wings of a butterfly, the beauty of a spontaneous act of charity; 
  A good banker imparts it wings of the honeybees that bring the year's crop to fruition; 
  But only a wise philanthropist can give it the wings of an angel, to bless and endow his people.  "