May 19, 2010Scientific instrument maker Agilent Technologies Inc. said Friday it had completed its $1.5 billion all-cash acquisition of Varian Inc. Agilent CEO Bill Sullivan said in a statement the acquisition "furthers our evolution toward becoming a global leader in bio-analytical measurement." In January, Agilent won approval from European Union regulators for the deal, on the condition that it must sell off units from both companies to eliminate antitrust worries. Scientific instrument maker Bruker Corp. said in March it would buy Varian's Australia-based inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments business, its Netherlands-based laboratory gas chromatography instruments business and its California-based gas chromatography triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry instruments business. The deal was originally announced last July. Agilent shares rose 4 cents to $33.90 in after-hours trading, after closing down 92 cents, or 2.7%, at $33.86 on Friday.Source: The Associated Press
Michelle LongoAsst. Managing Editor
Slow and Steady Wins the RaceIn the 100 years since Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, women have made leaps and bounds in science and engineering. Following the extreme example of Madame Curie, women have exponentially raised their position in S&E in the last few decades. In a field previously (and traditionally) dominated by men, women seem to be slowly but surely taking over—or at least leveling the playing field. ...continue