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The numbers 6-6-66 bring to mind a certain wariness for many people. But for Ed Jeram, the date of June 6, 1966 wasn't anything ominous. Instead, it was quite auspicious, marking much more than the start of his working life after college. In fact, it became a landmark date in the development of one of the world's most versatile, useful and ubiquitous products, found in everything from baby bottles and toys to kitchen utensils, computers and medical devices. That date is significant because it marks the start of Ed Jeram's 40 years as one of the pioneers of silicone science. Since 2001, he has been the senior technical consultant and a key member of Rhodia's (NYSE:RHA) silicones team. Ed was there in the labs and in countless strategy sessions for the beginning of an industry that has grown from accidental discoveries in the laboratory, to a key business of some of the world's best-known corporate names and countless smaller ones, too. "So much of the discovery process happens by accident, or as a result of looking for something quite different than a 'Eureka' discovery," Ed explains. "For me, I'm always interested first in technology, and second in products. "When we develop technological breakthroughs, it's just a matter of time--and sometimes marketing--before the new technology provides something useful or convenient and penetrates society." Are silicones useful and convenient? Judge for yourself: silicones are widely accepted for their many applications in medical equipment and medicine. They have many uses beyond medicine, too, as ingredients in personal care and consumer products. Silicone solvents are replacing hazardous chemicals in dry cleaning processes. Kitchen utensils, sports goggles, electronic components, healthcare devices, automotive parts, art and architecture, entertainment...the list keeps growing. And helping to compile that list has been more than just a job for Ed; it's something of a pastime, too. Indeed, outside of his wife and three grown children, silicone technology is Ed Jeram's whole life. "I don't really have many hobbies or outside interests," he admits. "When I'm not working, I'm thinking about new possibilities, new processes or new uses for this amazing technology. Silicones are really my hobby." Underscoring his intellectual and technical curiosity, he admits, "I'm bored with the known. I'm only interested in the unknown and of course there's so much of that around that I'm always pre-occupied by finding out more," to translate the unknown into something practical and useful. "There's always a continuum in technology." Today's silicone liquid injection molding (the subject of one of Ed's early patents), is just one of the technological processes that carry Ed's stamp of creativity and curiosity. And if that's not enough, he's got 35 patents to document his role in bringing silicones into the consumer and industrial mainstream. "Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) started out with certain consumer products, like baby bottle nipples, medical implants and certain computer components, like the backing of keyboards," he explains. Then it evolved into more industrial markets, and now it's just about everywhere, in countless everyday applications, seen or unseen, from recreation and sporting goods to manufacturing, healthcare, automotive and consumer products. Like most inventors, Ed is curious about the world around him, how things work and how knowledge, ingenuity and imagination can be harnessed to solve practical challenges or improve daily life. He tells dozens of stories. Some describe laboratory inventions that prompted scorn or guffaws from corporate chieftains and marketers, only to be recognized later for the "gee whiz" quality that springs from an inventor's insight and persistence. "First you have to recognize what you have, then the rest is a matter of convincing people who might not have the same understanding or imagination to put the discovery to work," he notes. Ed might not have a lot of outside interests, but he's a student of invention and some of history's great scientific minds. He's read almost every biography of Benjamin Franklin, admiring the inventive genius of one of the nation's founding fathers. "Franklin was amazing because he was instrumental in solving so many different puzzles, in different disciplines," Jeram observes. When he was a graduate student at Purdue University, Jeram was asked to host a visiting dignitary over dinner. The dinner turned out to be a private evening with two-time Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, one of the world's most renowned scientists of the 20th century and the only person ever to receive two unshared Nobel Prizes--one for Chemistry in 1954 and Peace in 1962. "It was truly an honor," Jeram recalls. "I never forgot this man's scientific genius and broad interest in many scientific and human endeavors." Ed's still applying scientific genius in his work for Rhodia, where he is responsible for the research and development of high quality silicone products. In addition to developing a high quality liquid silicone rubber (Silbione LSR 4300 series) for the healthcare and consumer goods market, Jeram provides technical assistance and quality assurance to a variety of Rhodia Silicone product lines. "We have what I would consider 'professional grade' silicone products," Jeram observes. "We have taken quality products and refined them to a degree where customers count on our highest grade to make their own products the best in their business." Direct contact with customers and their needs keeps Ed close to the ever-evolving needs for technology, in products and processes. He joined Rhodia in 2001 after two stints with a major silicones competitor and nearly five years with a startup company he co-founded. He launched his own company in part to pursue more scientific innovation and achievement. Considering his reputation and contributions to silicones technology, Ed could chose whatever working environment he likes, wherever he likes. "What I like about Rhodia is that they know the difference between machines and people. Rhodia values people's contributions, yet they're interested in technology and they value existing customers as well as new ones. "So many other companies only look to grab new business and treat existing customers like they're a given. People in Rhodia silicones are committed to customers and to the technology, and this is an environment that I like."