Dr. Maxwell Robinson

Dr. I. Maxwell Robinson '40
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Maxwell Robinson was born in Lakeville, Nova Scotia where his father operated the general store.He accepted a position with DuPont on graduating from Purdue in 1949 and remained with that company until his retirement in 1981.While at DuPont, his work resulted in more than sixty patents, including those for such well-known products as Typar and Tyvek, Vespel, Kapton, and Lycra.His group at DuPont developed coordination catalysts which were used to produce a number of very important polymer materials including linear polyethylene and high molecular weight polypropylene.
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The impact of Dr. Robinson's work can be easily appreciated when one notes that just three of the materials he invented provided the base for subsequent research that has generated more than 2000 additional patents, many dated in the 21st century.In 2000, the DuPont Corporation presented Dr. Robinson with its Lavoisier Medal, its highest mark of recognition, for his enormous impact on the economic progress of that company.

Dr. Maxwell Robinson will also be receiving an honorary Doctor of Science on May 16. This Acadia alumnus received a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Science with Honours from Acadia University in 1940 and 1941 respectively. After obtaining his Masters, he served with the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Second World War. When he returned, he acquired his Ph.D., and joined the DuPont Company as a research chemist. More than 60 patents resulted from his discoveries and DuPont awarded him the Lavoisier Medal for Technical Achievement in 2000, which has only been presented to 40 scientists and engineers in the company's history.