Brent Lane, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chemical Heritage Foundation, Brown Bag Lecture
Time: 12:00 to 1:00pm
Location: Chemical Heritage Foundation
Between 1540 and 1620 European efforts to settle North America progressed slowly from the first failed colony by the French in Canada to the eventual success of the English at Jamestown, Virginia. Over the same period the young science of chemistry—still emerging from the mysticism of alchemy—was becoming increasingly important in those settlement enterprises. Brent Lane will describe how the evolving commercial nature of those settlement efforts and a growing reliance on private investors elevated chemistry and its practitioners to a primary role in the founding of America.
Lane is a professor of heritage economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also directs an economic strategy research center at the Kenan Institute, part of the UNC School of Business. Lane works with several national and international organizations on the importance of natural and cultural heritage in conservation, education, and the economy. Beyond the academy his professional life bridges venture capital, research, and entrepreneurial development. He brings these perspectives together in his scholarly research to understand how the forces of commerce, science, and finance combine to support exploration and discovery.