It might be hard to imagine that Tony Beugelsdijk '71 spends his spare time surrounded by planes, saws, hammers and nails in his workshop in Los Alamos, N.M. He does, after all, spend the majority of his time working with robots and other high-tech equipment at the prestigious Los Alamos Research Institute and with Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical in Ann Arbor, Mich. But then again, both woodworking and science require precision — and the same may also be said about Tony Beugelsdijk.
Beugelsdijk joined the team at Los Alamos in the early 1980's and quickly became an innovator in the field of laboratory robotics. Since then he has become ensconced in work with the Human Genome Project, which he describes as "a 15-year project funded by the U.S. government to determine the human genetic code."
He also focuses on the use of computers to aid in identifying and containing infectious diseases and biological weapons. One of his current professional goals is to help build consensus on the need for updated research labs. "Chemistry is a dynamic field and continues to grow," he explains. In chemistry, like woodworking, finding the right tool for the task is vital.
— Jedd Beaudoin
