The Instrumental Chemist (2018)

The Instrumental Chemist is a documentary film that presents the remarkable life and legacy of chemist, inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Arnold O. Beckman. Arnold Beckman transformed science. He created a series of brilliantly designed instruments that enabled scientists to answer old questions faster and more accurately, as well as ask brand new questions. He recognized that measurements were at the center of scientific discovery, and he worked with people across its fields and disciplines to push his ideas forward. His instruments enabled scientists to focus on discoveries rather than tinker with wires and meters. Less tangible than the instruments he left behind, but equally important to his legacy, are the vast number of students and young scientists for whom he served as an unparalleled role model of a visionary technologist. Although a list of awards and recognitions he received in his lifetime is impressive-they include three presidential awards, membership into both the National Academy of Science and the National Inventors Hall of Fame-it is perhaps the noble way Arnold Beckman conducted his everyday life that is the most telling. He was a man of humor, integrity, wisdom, and devotion. The Instrumental Chemist presents a full portrait of the man, detailing his key contributions to the world and highlighting the impact they have on our lives today.