Aja Romano, a culture staff writer for Vox, joins Tim to discuss the impact AOL Instant Messenger had on the way we communicate and on many peoples’ formative years. The two talk about those colors, those sounds, the dos and don’ts of AIM ands the legacy it left for social media habits we carry on today.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/AOL_Instant_Messenger_Episode_46.mp3

Last year, AOL decided to retire its Yellow Running man after 20 years since it first started to transform the way we communicate on the Internet.

The operative word in the name was “instant.” AOL launched Instant Messenger in 1997. It was one of the fist widely used, free, instant chat services online.

It became the most famous instant chat services, and even had a starring role in the 1998 romantic comedy, “You’ve Got Mail” that starred Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

AIM is credited with igniting a cultural shift in the way we communicate, popularizing instant, live, real-time texting online.

AOL Instant messenger paved the way for the evolution of instant messaging on social media and through texting. Long before Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, there was AOL Instant Messenger.

Someone who knows something about AIM is Aja Romano.

Links

* Saying Goodbye to AIM, the Instant Messenger that Changed How We Communicate, Vox

* AOL Instant Messenger is Shutting Down After 20 Years, TechCruch

* So Long, AIM, We'll Miss You, The Verge

* AOL Instant Messenger Made Social Media What it is Today, MIT Technology Review

About this Episode's Guest Aja Romano

Aja Romano is a culture staff reporter for Vox with a special focus on Internet Culture.

In this episode of the Shaping Opinion Podcast, we’re doing something different. This is our Year in Review episode. 2018: Moments to Remember. We’ll go back and highlight some of the great moments we’ve had so far in our first year.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/2018_Shaping_Opinion_-_Year_in_Review_auphonic.mp3

 

2018 was a great year for the Shaping Opinion podcast. We were new. We knew what we wanted to do, but we didn’t know what to expect.

We started out with the tagline, we talk about people, events and things that have shaped the way we think. And that’s exactly what we did.

We’ve produced 45 episodes, including this one. We’ve captured first-person stories of history. Fun stories, interesting stories, and we learned a lot along the way.

This podcast is nothing without its guests. So, we would like to thank each and every one of them who graced us with their time, their thoughts and their stories.

Here’s what we discussed. We’ve broken this hour into three chapters. We’ve decided to call the First Chapter Memorable Moments. The Second Chapter is called Things You May Not Have Known. And the Third Chapter is all about You and Me.

Chapter One. Memorable Moments.

Fallingwater

Lynda Waggoner

In every episode we strive to capture a moment the was so immersive, that you feel like you were there. You can’t expect it to happen every time, but if you want an idea of one of those moments, listen to Fallingwater’s former director give us a closed-eyes tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece home.

Sheila Tate on the Day Ronald Reagan was Shot

While some moments can be mesmerizing, others can be sobering. Sheila Tate was press secretary for First Lady Nancy Reagan on the day President Reagan was shot.

 

Flight 93

We had a similar reminder of how precious life is when we talked to Bill Crowley. He was the FBI agent who served as lead crisis communicator on site in Somerset after Flight 93 crashed in a field on September 11th, 20011. We asked Bill where he was when he first heard of the terrorist attacks on the United States.

Regis McKenna, Apple's First Marketing Visionary

Regis McKenna

We’ve talked to people who had a front row seat to history. We also talked to people who helped make history. Regis McKenna is the marketing man Steve Jobs turned to to help let the world know of Apple Computer when Apple was still based in his parents’ garage. Regis tells the story of when he met Jobs and how he knew the company would be successful from the earliest stages.

Frances Arnold: The Nobel Prize

Another history-maker in California was Frances Arnold. Just this year, the Nobel Prize committee honored Frances with the Nobel Prize for Chemistry because she figured out a way to harness the power of evolution to help solve some of society’s biggest problems. What it took nature to do in millions of years, Frances found a way to accomplish in weeks. She told us her story and more.

Andy Masich Sings

Some of our best moments have been when guests surprise us. The head of the John Heinz History Center in Pittsburg talked to us about the Battle of Little Bighorn. That’s a topic he knows well. He’s written books about the American West. And when he talked to us, he allowed his childhood exuberance to re-emerge.

Chapter Two. Things You May Not Have Known.

Scott Fahlman

The Man Who Created the Emoticon

Did you ever use an emoticon in one of your emails? :-)  Millions of people do this every day, and most have no idea of where it came from. We had the chance to talk to its inventor, Scott Fahlman. He’s a researcher and professor at Carnegie Mellon who fo...

Alexis McCrossen, a professor at SMU and an expert on how cultures have marked time in history, Joins Tim to talk about our New Year’s Eve traditions with a special focus on the story behind that Times Square Ball Drop.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/New_Years_Eve_auphonic.mp3

If you plan to watch the Times Square ball drop at Midnight on New Year’s Eve, you’re not alone.  New York City expects to play host to over 2 million people for the festivities.

* Over 175 million across the United States will watch the ball drop on TV.

* And around the world, over 1 billion people will watch.

* 103 million said they will travel 30 miles or more to celebrate

* 93.6 million will drive

When we think of New Year’s Eve, we often think of Times Square and parties at organized events, bars and restaurants, but I have some interesting statistics, thanks to WalletHub from last year:

* 49% celebrate the holiday at home

* 9% at a bar, restaurant, or organized event

* 23% don’t celebrate New Year’s Eve

* 30% said they fall asleep before Midnight

* 61% said they say a prayer on New Year’s Eve.

Rankings

* Christmas 78%

* Thanksgiving 74%

* Independence Day 47%

* New Year’s Eve 41%

Most Popular New Year’s Eve Destinations

* Las Vegas

* Orlando

* New York City

More Times Square Stats

* 7,000 police officers in Times Square

* 1.5 tons of confetti dropped

* 280 sanitation workers will clean up 40-50 tons of trash.

* The ball itself – Waterford Crystal Triangles – 11,875 pounds

That’s today. Let’s talk about the history:

* For 4,000 years people have marked a New Year

* Public bells would herald the New Year since the Middle Ages

* Theaters, taverns and other places would be very busy on the night

* Rituals meant to augur good fortune.

* 1900 or so, the moment of Midnight became the focus because cities were illuminated with gas and electric lights. (Times Square)

* Installation of public clocks and bells

The Countdown

* 1907/08 was the first year to drop an illuminated time ball at the moment of the New Year’s arrival.

* Uses a flag pole atop One Times Square.

* First one was made of iron and wood and had 25-watt light bulbs. 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds.

* When radio and television media emerged, New Year’s Eve was a made for broadcast media event. Live coverage.

Links

* Counting Down to a New Year: The History of Our Joyful Celebration, We're History

* For Better or Worse, The New Year is Time's Touchstone, Dallas Morning News

* A Ball of a Time: A History of the New Year's Eve Ball Drop, The New Yorker

* How Times Square Became the Home of New Year's Eve, History.com

About this Episode's Guest Alexis McCrossen

Alexis McCrossen is a professor of history at Southern Methodist University and has devoted her career as a cultural historian to studying how Americans observe the passage of time. She is the author of Holy Day, Holiday: The American Sunday; and

Author Gerry Bowler joins Tim to discuss the story of Santa Claus. Gerry is the author of the book entitled, “Santa Claus: A Biography.” He talks about everything from Santa Claus’s birth and evolution over the centuries, to his role in modern day culture. Santa Claus the philanthropist, Santa Claus the gift giver, and Santa Claus the ad man.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/True_Story_-_Santa_Claus_auphonic.mp3

 

In his book Gerry details the birth of Santa Claus and his” character development.” Santa is described him as an advocate, an adman, a warrior, and of course his role in entertainment, from movies, television shows and in music, books and literature.

St. Nicholas died in December 343 AD. By 1100, he was the most powerful saint on the Catholic Church’s calendar.

The St. Nicholas legend: One father who was down and out couldn’t provide for his three daughters, so he decides to sell them into slavery. So, Nicholas would sneak bags of gold through the father’s window, saving the girls from a live of oppression.

By the Middle Ages, with gift-giving a part of the Christmas season, different customs emerged. One that grew in popularity was the legend of St. Nicholas coming through a window or down a chimney to leave gifts in stockings and shoes by the fire, by a window or by a bed.

By the 16th century, protestant reformers depicted medieval cult of saints. They did not readily embrace St. Nicholas.

There was tension between the Protestant and Catholic sects and St. Nicholas was at the center of it. The controversies usually centered over how the communities marked Christmas.

St. Nicholas was venerated throughout Europe but debate on whether he ever made it across the Atlantic to North America with gusto.

The Feast of St. Nicholas is December 6, most notably marked by the Dutch, which paves the way for the modern celebration of Christmas.

The earliest mention of Santa Claus was 1773 in Rivington’s Gazetteer, a New York Newspaper.

* On December 15, 1810, the New York Spectator published a poem about Sancte Claus – a good holy man who brings gifts to good children.

* The first picture of Santa Claus was published in 1821 when William Gilley of New York published a book of lithographed images with one of Santa Claus. “The Children’s Friend: a New Year’s Present, to Little Ones from Five to Twelve.”

* In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore was credited for authoring the classic poem, “The Night Before Christmas.”

Other topics we discuss:

* Santa Claus in Books and Literature

* Santa Claus in Music

* Santa Claus in Advertising (We address the Coca-Cola Santa myth)

* Santa Claus in Motion Pictures and Television

Links

* Santa Claus: A Biography, by Gerry Bowler (Amazon)

* A Visit from Saint Nicholas (Night Before Christmas), Clement Clarke Moore

* Saint Nicholas, Biography.com

* Coca-Cola and Santa Claus, Coca-Cola Company

* Saturday Evening Post and Santa Claus, Saturday Evening Post

* Miracle on 34th Street Motion Picture, IMDb

*

Writer, editor, producer and actor Jason Liebig joins Tim to talk about the Sears Wishbook. Jason is the creator of a website called WishbookWeb.com, which has archived complete, high-quality scans of Sears Wishbooks and other holiday catalogues going back to 1933. In this episode, we talk about a holiday tradition sure to bring a smile to your face.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/The_Sears_Wishbook_auphonic.mp3

The very first Sears Wish Book was published in 1933. It featured dolls, a Mickey Mouse Watch, Lionel electric trains, fruitcakes, chocolates and even live, singing canaries. The store catalogue was 87 pages long, and featured 25 pages of toys for kids and 62 pages of gifts for adults.

The Sears Wish Book grew over the decades, so that by 1968, it totaled 605 pages.  And in 1998, it went online with Wishbook.com

This year, Sears will not publish a Wish Book, but that is not stopping many from revisiting their childhoods through a website called WishbookWeb.com. Jason Liebig is the man behind it.

Sears Wish Book History

The first Sears Wish Book came out in 1933. Prior to that, in 1896 the Sears general catalogue included wax candles for Christmas trees. But 1933 was the first year Sears devoted a full catalogue to Christmas.

The term Wish Book was an informal name. The real name was Sears Christmas Book Catalogue.

The company made it a tradition to put colorful, warm Christmas scenes on the cover. The company published the book annually from 1933 until 1993.

The Chicago Tribune once described The Wish Book as, “so central to holiday expectations it read like a catalog of middle-class American Aspiration … To flip through one today is to see what we thought our homes and holidays should look like.”

The Wish Book was delivered early. It would usually appear in mailboxes during the late summer right when the school year started.

Links

* WishbookWeb.com

* CollectingCandy.com

* The Sears Christmas Wishbook, A Holiday Tradition, Sears

* Unsung: The Sears Wish Book, a Ghost of Christmas Past, The Chicago Tribune

* Sears' Wish Book Shown Through the Years, Business Insider

About Wishbook Web

WishbookWeb.com first launched in 2006, with the initial scanning project having started a year earlier in 2005. From the outset, the goal of the WishbookWeb project has been to archive, preserve, and share the wonderful holiday gift catalogs of the past – making them freely-available to anyone with a web browser. Inspired by the pioneering work of websites like Plaidstallions and MegoMuseum, who had already been sharing select pages of vintage catalogs online, our goal was to build upon that idea by sharing entire volumes, every section and every page. As you see it now, WishbookWeb represents the product of hundreds of hours of work to create the current archive.

About this Episode's Guest Jason Liebig

Jason Liebig is a New York City based writer, editor, producer, actor and host. After spending much of his early career in the comic book business, most notably as an editor for Marvel Comics’ X-Men, he has since split his time between developing his own properties while still consulting and working on others.

In addition to his work with WishbookWeb, Jason is one of the country’s premier candy collectors and historians with his discoveries appearing in countless blogs, magazines,

Author Danny Graydon joins Tim to talk about the classic cartoon The Jetsons and how a children’s television program from the 60s could have had such staying power after only one season, and some of the many visions of the future depicted in the show. What’s our progress been towards becoming the world of The Jetsons?

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/The_Jetsons_auphonic.mp3

Danny Graydon is an academic, journalist and author who specializes in Film and Comics. He is also the author of a book called The Jetsons: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic.

In this episode, we talk with Danny about The Jetsons. Things you may remember, some things you didn’t know, and how a kids’ cartoon could shape the way we once thought about the future.

On Sunday, September 23rd, 1962, ABC Television launched its first program ever to be broadcast in color, and that show was The Jetsons.

The Jetsons were a children’s cartoon broadcast in prime time.  At a time when America was engaged in a space race with its arch-enemy the Soviet Union, and in the post-war boom, these were the Kennedy years. It was all about optimism for the future.

The Jetsons featured a future with flying cars, cities in the sky, robots and space ships, and all of the promise of automation. The Jetsons didn’t come up with these ideas, but they presented so many of them in an entertaining and relatable way. As the “norm.”

The Jetsons only lasted one season, 24 episodes on ABC.

Some have speculated the reason is the Jetsons were in color. The show did not look the same in black and white, but most Americans only had black and white TVs at that time. Less than 3% of American homes had a color TV set then. Many local affiliates didn’t even broadcast in color at that time.

While it is never said within the show, publicity materials and news articles have the show set 100 years into the future, which would be 2062.

The Jetsons debuted during a period of American history where there was renewed hope, the beginning of the 1960s when Kennedy was in power and very popular.

Some Jetsons Trivia

* The voice for Astro was the same voice for Scooby Doo (another Hanna-Barbera classic) – Don Messick, who did many voices for other Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

* The Jetsons theme song hit the Billboard charts in 1986 at #18.

* Jane Jetson was once Miss Solar System.

* George Jetson is a drummer.

* George only starts work at 11 a.m., (to 3 p.m.) but he’s always late.

* George’s computer is called RUDI – Referential Universal Digital Indexer

The Jetsons’ Innovations

* Robots and robot servants

* Rosey the Robot only appeared in 2 of the 24 episodes

* Moving Sidewalks

* Talking Alarm Clocks

* Jet Packs

* Dog treadmills

* Flat screen TVs – Very first episode there is mention of such a thing

* Video phones or video screen chats

* Smart watches (Dick Tracy, too)

* Roomba – vacuum cleaner robot

* Video newspaper (George reads the news on a TV screen in his living room)

* Smart Phones (opening credits, one guy is looking at a tablet)

* Pill Camera (George gets a physical by swallowing a robotic pill called a Peekaboo Prober. The prober does an internal checkup inside George’s body and sends images of his system to a TV screen).

* A drone – flying photo robot Mr. Spacely uses to spy on people

* Retractable beds

Links

* The Jetsons: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic,

John Chamberlin joins Tim to talk about something we may take for granted, that is until we need it. It’s the story behind those helicopters that swoop in to take critically injured or sick people to the hospital care needed to save their lives. John is a co-host at the popular Pittsburgh podcast called YaJagoff, and over the years has served as an emergency medical responder. He remains an active advocate for that community.  In short, this episode is about hope that didn't exist before, all thanks to a wingless aircraft.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/Some_Angels_Dont_Have_Wings.mp3

In this episode, we talk about how it wasn’t that long ago, that a health crisis too far away from a hospital meant a death sentence. But thanks to the deployment of helicopters nationwide, countless lives have been saved. In the process, this has changed the way we now think about our chances in some of the worst situations we can face in life.

The term “Medical evacuation” is often shortened to medevac, which is a term used to describe the transport and care provided to patients en route to a hospital or care center. The term is rooted in military terminology when describing moving wounded soldiers away from the battlefield.

There are two kinds of vehicles used in medevac situations. Ambulances and aircraft.

Air medical services have a very long tradition, rooted in battlefield deployments.

* In 1926, the U.S. Army Air Corps used a converted airplane to get patients from Nicaragua to an Army hospital in Panama 150 miles away.

* Planes were used to get wounded soldiers from one hospital to another in World War II.

* Helicopters made their medical debut during the Korean War in the 1950s. That was because the roads weren’t usable in Korea, so the military decided to use helicopters for the rapid and gentle evacuation of troops to field surgical units. Do you remember the TV show MASH?

* Over 22,000 troops were evacuated by helicopter during that war.

* In Vietnam, helicopters played a major role in the movement of wounded troops. Over 800,000 troops were evacuated from the field by helicopter.

* The advantages of helicopters are that they are quick, they could land and take off from almost anywhere, and medical personnel could start working on patients while in flight.

* By 1970, more and more military medical helicopter pilots had been discharged and returned to civilian life, often working in law enforcement or as first responders. Their influence helped lead to the creation of the Military Assistance to Safety & Traffic (MAST) program.

* That served as the catalyst for civilian programs.

* In 1972, St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver became the first to have a civilian, hospital-based medical helicopter service in place.

* By 1980, the country had roughly 32 helicopter emergency medical service programs in operation, transporting over 17,000 patients a year.

* By 1990, those numbers grew to 174 services that transported 160,000 patients a year.

* In 2000, 231 services flew over 203,000 patients each year.

* Today, there are over 500,000 medical transports by air each year.

Facts

* An average response time to the scene of a trauma is about 10 minutes.

* There are 9% fewer wound infections.

* A major reduction in the number of deaths during transport to the hospital.

* Head injury mortality has been reduced by 15%.

Links

* YaJagoff - Pittsburgh Podcast

* Modern EMS Practices have their Roots in Vietnam Medical Rescues,

Author Robert Grippo joins Tim to discuss the story of the most famous parade in the world, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Robert and Tim talk about the parade’s history, its role as perhaps one of the most notable PR events ever, and how the event has become ingrained in America’s consciousness and the official kick-off of the nation’s celebration of the Holiday Season.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/Macys_Thanksgiving_Day_Parade_auphonic.mp3

 

Bob Grippo is the author of the book entitled, “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.” He’s also the moderator of a popular Facebook Page called The Big Parade History Project.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a New York City and an American tradition since 1924.

Today it draws more than 3.5 million spectators to the streets of New York City each year.

On television, 50 million viewers across the country watch the parade as they gear up for a day with their families, enjoying turkey, stuffing, cranberries and football.

When we think of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, we think of balloons, and maybe our favorite balloon. We think of our television hosts, and the bands, the celebrities, all of the excitement kicking off the holiday season.

It appears the parade was first used to draw attention to the expansion of the Macy’s flagship store.

We talk about:

* How those famous balloons became a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade staple.

* About how the floats evolved.

* The role of the motion picture Miracle on 34th Street.

* The role of the NBC telecasts.

* The key players in the evolution of the parade, notably the late Macy’s PR executive Jean McFaddin.

* Letting the balloons go free – in 1932 a young student pilot actually collided with a parade balloon in the sky.

Links

* Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, by Robert Grippo (Amazon)

* Jean McFaddin, Who Made the Macy's Parade What It Is, Dies at 75, New York Times

* The History of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in History, Town & Country Magazine

* Top 10 Moments in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade History, New York Post

* 16 Fun Facts about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, MentalFloss.com

About this Episode's Guest Robert Grippo

Robert M. Grippo grew up on Long Island, New York, and spent 20 years in the credit card industry. His earliest childhood memories include watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and enjoying the classic film Miracle on 34th Street. This led to a lifelong avocation as a Macy’s historian, and even to brief stints as a Macy’s parade balloonist and clown. Robert is a writer whose works include Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Macy's: The Store. The Star. The Story.

John Wall, marketing veteran and co-host of the popular podcast Marketing Over Coffee joins Tim to discuss the story behind Black Friday and Cyber Monday and their impact on the holiday shopping season, marketing and the economy. Where did Black Friday get its name? How much do people spend on the first weekend of the holiday season? Find out.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/Black_Friday-Cyber_Monday_auphonic.mp3

 

The term “Black Friday” was first used after September 24, 1869 when two investors – Jay Gould and Jim Fisk – drove up the price of gold and caused a market crash that day. The stock market dropped 20%, and foreign trade stopped. Investors and famers were devastated.

The second time it was used was in Philadelphia in the 1950s when local police used the term to describe the misery they would experience trying to control the large crowds and traffic because of the shopping, and the tourists in the city for the annual Army-Navy game.

By 1961, Black Friday became a thing in Philadelphia. Retailers tried to change it to “Big Friday,” but that never caught on.

The term didn’t spread to the rest of the country until the 1980s. That was when retailers redefined the term into something more positive.

The concept was “red to black” in an accounting sense. That was when America’s retail stores “finally” turned a profit.

Retailers used to have Christmas Parades around Thanksgiving which marked the official kickoff of the holiday season. Thanksgiving was always on November 30th until President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (with Congressional approval) changed it in the early 1941 to the last Thursday in November to help retailers following the Great Depression. That provided retailers a shopping day on Friday.

Black Friday Weekend Stats

* BlackFriday.com says most of the deals are on tablets/laptops/PCs and TVs (27%); clothing (24%); smart home gadgets (15%); gift cards (11%); and travel (8%).

* In 2017, 11% of Black Friday Shoppers started their shopping prior to 5 p.m. on the Thanksgiving holiday. (Source National Retail Federation - NRF)

* Another 11% started at 6 p.m. on the holiday. (Source NRF)

* 25% started their shopping at 10 a.m. or later on Black Friday. (Source NRF)

* 2017 holiday sales (November and December) totaled $691.9 billion, an increase of 5.5% over 2016.  (Source NRF)

* Black Friday 2017 (counting Thanksgiving Day) was responsible for $7.9 billion in online sales ($7.9 billion on Thanksgiving Day; $2.87 billion spent on Black Friday). This was an increase of 17.9% over 2016. (Source Adobe Analytics)

* 174 million Americans shopped on Black Friday weekend in 2017 (Source NRF)

* 77 million Americans shop on Black Friday Itself (Source NRF)

* Average per-person spending on Thanksgiving Weekend 2017 - $335.47, most of which was for gifts. (Source NRF)

* Older millennials (25-34) spent $419.52 per person. These numbers are higher than 2016. (Source NRF)

Cyber Monday

National Retail Federation coined the term in 2005 through its division called Shop.org. In a news release issued a few days before Thanksgiving, they used the term “Cyber Monday” to tell the story of how 77% of online retailers had seen their sales increase substantially on “Cyber Monday” the previous year (2004).

The story goes that they considered calling it “Black Monday” but there already was one associated with a previous stock market crash.

The theory behind the plan was the assumption that people had faster internet connections at work, and kids couldn’t see what parents were doing, so parents waited until Monday to do holiday shopping online from work.

Cyber Monday Stats

* In 2017,

Nobel Prize recipient Frances Arnold joins Tim to talk about winning a Nobel Prize honor for her pioneering work in “directed evolution,” which harnesses the power of evolution to enhance products throughout society - from biofuels and pharmaceuticals, to agriculture, chemicals, paper products and more. We talk with Frances about her journey and her work that is changing the world for the better.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/The_Nobel_Prize_-_Directed_Evolution_auphonic.mp3

Since the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was first awarded in 1901, 117 years ago, only four women had won the honor, and in October, American Frances Arnold became the fifth.

The professor of chemical engineering, bioengineering and biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, received the honor for her pioneering work in “directed evolution.”

Frances’s work centers on the directed evolution of enzymes, proteins that serve as catalysts for chemical reactions that take place in living organisms, animals and people. In its most simple form, the process focuses on harnessing the power of natural evolution to solve problems for society.

Frances is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at Caltech.

Today, directed evolution is used in research laboratories around the world to create things from laundry detergents to biofuels to pharmaceuticals.

Enzymes created with through this process have been able to replace some toxic chemicals traditionally used in industry.

Frances shares the prize with George Smith of the University of Missouri, who created a "phage display" process for protein evolution, and Gregory Winter of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the United Kingdom, who used phage display for antibody evolution.

Arnold was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her undergraduate degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering is from Princeton University. Her graduate degree in chemical engineering is from UC Berkeley.

She has been at Caltech since 1986, first as a visiting associate, then as an assistant professor, and progressing to professor in 1996. In 2017, she became the Linus Pauling Professor. She became the director of the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center at Caltech in 2013.

Frances is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

How Directed Evolution Works

Directed evolution is similar to how animal breeders mate cats or dogs to create hybrids or new breeds of animal.

To conduct directed evolution mutations are induced to DNA, or a gene, which “encodes” a particular enzyme. That mutated enzyme, along with other thousands, are produced and tested to what Frances calls a desired trait. The preferred enzymes are selected, and the process continues until the enzymes are working to achieve a desired outcome or solution.

“I copy nature’s design process. There is tremendous beauty and complexity of the biological world, but it all comes about through this one, simple, beautiful design algorithm.” - Frances Arnold

Links

* Frances Arnold Wins 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Caltech

* Frances H. Arnold Group

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