Gordon L. Nelson Health Sciences Fund

Purpose

To support innovation grants for health science research at Florida Tech. (GF000464)

Description

This gift supports the university’s strategic investment in health sciences research and education.  The gift resulted in the naming of the 61,000-square foot Gordon L. Nelson Health Sciences building which opened in early 2022.  The majority of Dr. Nelson’s gift establishes an endowment “to fund awards for advancing research projects proposed by Florida Tech faculty in the multiple health sciences disciplines based upon competitive proposals.”  The gift is the largest individual donation to Florida Tech in its 65-year history.  The funds already used and the endowment in perpetuity will contribute to keeping up with high-tech demands.  The program, Dr. Nelson says, is meant to “catalyze research innovation.”

History

Dr. Nelson’s background is in physical organic chemistry, the how and why of organic reactions. Much of his research has been in the area of polymer flammability. His more than 200 publications are principally in the area of the flammability of polymers; particularly engineering plastics. His early contributions included extension of the oxygen index test as a tool to elucidate the effect of chemical structure on flammability. In industry (General Electric Company) he developed a major multidisciplinary laboratory devoted to fire and plastics. Over 500 large-scale simulations of fires in plastics products were conducted with considerable new understanding attained. He conducted some of the early industrial animal toxicity studies on products of combustion of burning polymers.

He was the first to recognize the importance of CO2 in more fully accounting for toxicity of CO in small-scale toxic potency tests. As a result of this extensive experience, he has participated extensively in the standards process for fire safety.

Dr. Nelson received the Society of the Plastics Industry Structural Foam Division’s Man of the Year Award for 1979. The Mississippi Legislature passed a Concurrent Resolution in his honor in 1987. He was the American Institute of Chemists Members and Fellows Lecturer in 1989. Nelson was also the 1992 chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents and was 1988 President of the American Chemical Society. He was the 1998 recipient of the Charles Holmes Herty Medal presented by the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society.  From 2013-2015 he was President of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents.  On 2015 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.

Dr. Gordon L. Nelson has had a front-row seat to Florida Tech’s growth and evolution over the last three decades, as well as key roles in pushing the university to the top reaches of higher education. He was heavily involved with the construction of the F.W. Olin Physical Sciences and F.W. Olin Life Sciences buildings. Already a renowned chemist and past president of the 160,000-member American Chemical Society, Nelson came to Florida Tech in 1989 to serve as dean of the College of Science and Liberal Arts. He remained dean of the college, which later became the College of Science, for 22 years. From 2011 to 2012, he was vice president for academic affairs. He was then named university professor of chemistry, the position he holds today.

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