James Tour: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 17:09, 19 January 2011
James M. Tour is a synthetic organic chemist, specializing in nanotechnology. He is well-known for his work in molecular electronics and molecular switching molecules. He has also been involved in other work, such as the creation of a nanocar and NanoKids, an interactive learning DVD to teach children fundamentals of chemistry and physics. Dr. Tour was also a founder of the Molecular Electronics Corporation. He holds joint appointments in the departments of chemistry, computer science, and mechanical engineering and materials science at Rice University. Dr. Tour received degrees from Syracuse University (BS, 1981), Purdue University (PhD, 1986) and completed postdoctoral work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1986–1987) and Stanford University (1987–1988).[1]
In the Scientific American article "Better Killing Through Chemistry",[2] which appeared a few months after the September 11 attacks, Tour is credited for highlighting the issue of the ease of obtaining chemical weapon precursors in the United States.
Tour is one of the signatories of the Discovery Institute's "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism", a controversial petition which the intelligent design movement uses to promote intelligent design by attempting to cast doubt on evolution.[3][4] To those who "are disconcerted or even angered that I signed a statement back in 2001" he responded "I have been labeled as an Intelligent Design (ID) proponent. I am not. I do not know how to use science to prove intelligent design although some others might. I am sympathetic to the arguments on the matter and I find some of them intriguing, but the scientific proof is not there, in my opinion. So I prefer to be free of that ID label."[5]
A February 2006 New York Times article described Tour as saying that he felt the explanations offered by evolution are incomplete, and he found it hard to believe that nature can produce the machinery of cells through random processes.[3] On his website, he writes that "From what I can see, microevolution is a fact" and "there is no argument regarding microevolution. The core of the debate for me, therefore, is the extrapolation of microevolution to macroevolution."[5] On another personal page in 2003 Tour described himself as a Messianic Jew and covered his personal religious beliefs in detail in order to "qualify my academic treatment of students ... lest some accuse me of bias."[6]
References
- ^ James Tour's Bio at James M Tour Group website
- ^ Musser, George (2001). "Better Killing through Chemistry: Buying chemical weapons material through the mail is quick and easy". Scientific American. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b Kenneth Chang (2006-02-21). "Few Biologists but Many Evangelicals Sign Anti-Evolution Petition". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Signatories of 'A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism'" (PDF). The Discovery Institute. 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b Layman’s Reflections on Evolution and Creation. An Insider’s View of the Academy
- ^ Personal Statement from J. M. Tour
External links
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