David A. Edwards, a writer and professor of biomedical engineering at Harvard Univ., has been elected to the Order of Arts and Literature of France. He will receive the knighthood desigation Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, recognizing his contributions to the arts and literature and their propagation.
As an author, Edwards has been involved in the translation of ideas from the university through novel medical technology, performing and visual arts. His work gained recognition in France through his creation of Le Laboratoire (www.lelaboratoire.org), which he describes as "the first experiment-driven art and science incubator." The center aims to give scientists a venue for creative thinking outside the constraints of specialization and grant applications.
Edwards's scientific research concerns the mathematical design of novel physical parameters that allow nanostructured materials to efficiently deliver drugs and vaccines to the lungs and other human organs, with a special focus on infectious diseases in developing nations.
Aside from his research, he has written several fiction and nonfiction books, most recently "ArtScience: Creativity in the Post-Google Generation" (Harvard Univ. Press, 2007), which examines the intersection of the arts and sciences in culture, education, industry and society.
Edwards is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and received AIChE's Professional Progress Award in 2002.
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres was established by France's Minister of Culture and confirmed as part of l'Ordre National du Merite by President Charles de Gaullein 1963.
Edwards's investiture will take place in Paris on Sept. 24, 2008.
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