Carlo Montemagno (August 7, 1956 – October 11, 2018) was an American engineer and expert in

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

and

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

, focusing on futuristic technologies to create interdisciplinary solutions for the grand challenges in health, energy and the environment. He has been considered one of the pioneers of

bionanotechnology Nanobiotechnology, bionanotechnology, and nanobiology are terms that refer to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology. Given that the subject is one that has only emerged very recently, bionanotechnology and nanobiotechnology serve as blan ...

. Some of his fundamental contributions include the development of biomolecular motors for powering inorganic nanodevices while at

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

and muscle-driven self-assembled nanodevices while at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Academic career

Montemagno received his bachelor's degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in New York, his master's degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

, and his doctoral degree in Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in Indiana. Montemagno died in office while serving as the Chancellor of

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University (SIU or SIUC) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Founded in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. The university enrolls students from all 50 s ...

. Right before moving to SIU, he directed the interdisciplinary Ingenuity Lab at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Canada. He also served as the Director of the Biomaterials Program for the Canadian Research Council's National Institute for Nanotechnology as well as a Strategic Research Chair in Intelligent Nanosystems for the

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

. Before joining the University of Alberta, he was the Founding Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

. His previous academic appointments include being the Founding Chair of the Department of Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, Co-Director of the NASA Center for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration, and Associate Director of the

California Nanosystems Institute The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) is an integrated research center operating jointly at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. Its missions are to foster interdisciplinary collaborations for discoveries in nanosystems and nanotechnology; train the ...

at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, the Director of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program at

and the Group Leader in Environmental Physics at the

Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory is a science and engineering research United States Department of Energy National Labs, national laboratory operated by University of Chicago, UChicago Argonne LLC for the United States Department of Energy. The facil ...

in Chicago. He also served in the U. S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps for nine years, leaving with the rank of lieutenant.

Awards and honors

Throughout his career, Montemagno received many awards for his scientific innovations, including the

Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology The Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology is an award given by the Foresight Institute for significant advances in nanotechnology. Two prizes are awarded annually, in the categories of experimental and theoretical work. There is also a separate chall ...

(for creating single molecule biological motors with nano-scale silicon devices), the Earth Award Grand Prize (for cell-free artificial photosynthesis with over 95% efficiency) and the CNBC Business Top 10 Green Innovators award (for Aquaporin Membrane water purification and desalination technology). He was named a Bill & Melinda Gates Grand Challenge Winner for his development of an oral vaccine delivery system that increased vaccine stability. He was a Fellow for the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering, the American Academy for Nanomedicine and the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts.

Personal life

Carlo Montemagno was born in 1956 to Gasper Patrick and Jacqueline Ann (Graham) Montemagno in Bronx, NY. He married Pamela Ann LaCava in 1976, and they remained married until his death. He was an avid reader and collector of books and an aerobatic and commercial pilot. He also enjoyed dog sports, falconry, ice climbing, science fiction, war movies and disco. Montemagno died in 2018 in St. Louis due to complications arising from cancer.

References

External links

Obituary at meredithfh.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montemagno, Carlo Penn State College of Engineering alumni Cornell University College of Engineering faculty American expatriates in Canada American people of Italian descent University of California, Los Angeles faculty American expatriate academics American bioengineers American chemical engineers 1956 births 2018 deaths Cornell University alumni University of Alberta faculty 20th-century American engineers Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering University of Notre Dame alumni Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty 21st-century American engineers University of Cincinnati faculty Argonne National Laboratory people Scientists from the Bronx