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ACS 1996 National Award Winners ollowing is the fourth group of vi- dicinally active natural products—and gnettes of recipients of awards admin-not just in the fields of steroids and istered by the American Chemical So-prostaglandins. For example, he has successfully isolated, synthesized, or ciety. Winners will receive their awards during the 211th ACS national meeting in Neiuelucidated the structure of carbohydrates, alkaloids, lactam antibiotics, Orleans, with the exception of the Cope Medpeptides, cancer-causing hydrocarbons, alist and the Cope Scholars, who will receive their awards at the 212th ACS national thromboxanes, and leukotrienes. meeting in Orlando, Fla., during the Arthur The field of prostaglandins, howevC. Cope Symposium. The awards in Nezu er, may best illustrate his range of sucOrleans will be presented at a banquet oncess. Fried was the first to successfully Tuesday, March 26. synthesize selective prostaglandin inVignettes of the remaining awardees willhibitors. He devised a total synthesis of appear in successive February issues of all prostaglandins and of analogs showing selective action at specific C&EN. prostaglandin receptors. Fried's prodigious output as both an industrial and academic researcher is Alfred Burger Award in manifest in more that 170 published Medicinal Chemistry papers. He holds nearly 200 U.S. and foreign patents. Sponsored by SmithKline Beecham His patent on 9-fluorosteroids, now Are you taking a steroid hormone to expired, covered or dominated generiease a nagging inflammatory disorder? cally all the 9-fluorocorticoids marketIf so, you probably have JOSEF FRIED ed globally, a market of more than $1 billion annually. Fried's patent on trito thank for its enhanced efficiency. It was medicinal chemist Fried who amcinolone acetonide covers some of synthesized the first fluorine-contain- the most effective anti-inflammatory ing steroid hormones. Satisfying as this steroids for topical use available; total accomplishment was, Fried, along with sales exceed $75 million a year. his more biology-oriented colleagues, Born in Poland, Fried studied at the was even more gratified to discover University of Leipzig and the Universithat fluorination boosted the biological ty of Zurich. He received a Ph.D. deactivity of steroid hormones 10-fold. gree from Columbia University in 1941. Today, nearly all steroids prescribed by In 1944, he joined the Squibb Institute physicians contain at least one fluorine for Medical Research where he became substitution. director of the division of organic It seemed natural to extend his fluo- chemistry in 1959. In 1963, he moved to rine research to another key class of the University of Chicago where, 10 bioregulators: prostaglandins. Fried years later, he became Louis Block Prosoon discovered that he could use the fessor in the biological sciences division small size and high electronegativity of and, from 1977 to 1979, served as chairfluorine to modify in a predictable way man of the department of chemistry. the chemical and biological properties At 81, Fried still enthusiastically pracof prostaglandins. He has, for example, tices his science at the University of Chisynthesized highly stable fluorinated cago. But he is also an executive member prostacyclins and thromboxanes with- of the Council of the International Orgaout loss of biological activity. These de- nization for Chemical Development, and rivatives have helped to clarify the bio- is actively working on development of logical function of prostacyclins and the elusive male contraceptive. thromboxanes, both members of the To honor his major contributions to arachidonic acid cascade. both the pharmaceutical industry and to The inquisitive Fried has exploited the development of fundamental organhis insights into structure and reactivi- ic chemistry, in 1990, Bristol Myers ty in his work on a wide variety of me- Squibb and the University of Chicago
F
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launched the annual Josef Fried Symposium of Bioorganic Chemistry. In 1992, Fried received the Roussel Prize from the Roussel Scientific Institute in Paris. In 1994, he received the Gregory Pincus Medal from the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, Mass., for Ms work in the field of steroid hormones. Twenty years earlier, he received the ACS Medicinal Chemistry Award, a harbinger of his current honor.
James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry Sponsored by the Northeastern Section, ACS The 40 years of THOMAS C. BRUICEs research is remarkable in its diversity as well as in its depth and influence. From the mid-1950s, when he started to use the techniques of physical organic chemistry to investigate biochemical problems, to his current work on the design and synthesis of agents complementary to DNA, Bruice has been a prolific, intuitive force in bioorganic reaction mechanisms. He is recognized as one of the founders of this field. The term bioorganic was first used in the 1966 two-volume book, "Bioorganic Mechanisms," which Bruice coauthored with his former student Stephen Benkovic. Bruice's interests span the entire field of bioorganic reaction mechanisms, says a colleague, and Bruice has frequently been the first to open important new areas of investigation. In 1956, he showed that linear free-energy correlations could be used in the explanation of biological activities. That finding became the basis for the now commonly used correlative method of drug design known as QSAR—Quantitative Structure-Reactivite Relationship. A single paper from Bruice's laboratory was seminal in the creation of the field of micellar catalysis. His studies of the reactions of epoxides and arene oxides are of historical and practical importance. The award winner has made important contributions to the knowledge of the mechanisms of coenzymes or cofactors, organic compounds essential to the
catalytic ability of certain enzymes. He has investigated nicotinamide, biotin, and methoxatin, and he determined the currently accepted mechanisms for pyridoxal (vitamin B6) catalysis. Notable is his discovery of 4a-hydroperoxy flavins and the establishment of the mechanisms of formation and reaction, which are vital to the understanding of the mechanism of mixed-function oxidases. During the past 10 years, Bruice has focused on the oxygen chemistry of metalloporphy rins. Through model studies, he showed in 1958 that proper conformations in intramolecular reactions can result in rate enhancements of 108. This experimentally based finding was not generally accepted for 10 years. Although now considered as common knowledge, the reason for these rate enhancements has been debated (entropy and transition states versus enthalpy and ground-state conformations). Recent work from Bruice's laboratory employing a combination of kinetics and computational tools provides convincing evidence for the importance of groundstate conformations controlled by enthalpic forces in determining these rate enhancements. One colleague remarks on Bruice's "genius for creating just the right system for explaining a key phenomenon/' and calls his investigations of the relationship between structure and reactivity in chemical mechanisms "a part of the fabric of bioorganic chemistry." Another notes that Bruice's papers provide not only detailed theory but specific knowledge that practitioners can put to use in their work. Bruice studied at the University of Southern California, where he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1950 and a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry four years later. After a postdoctoral year at the University of California, Los Angeles, he joined the chemistry department of Yale University. Bruice moved to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1958, then to Cornell University's chemistry department in 1960. He has been with the chemistry department at UC Santa Barbara since 1964. He has published more than 440 scientific papers. Among Bruice's awards are first recipient of the Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic or Bioorganic Chemistry (1988) and second recipient of the Repligen Medal (1987) for chemistry of bio-
Fned
Bruice
Gomer
logical processes. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He has received Guggenheim and Arthur C. Cope Scholar awards and is a fellow of England's Royal Society of Chemistry.
gas multilayers on metallic substrates. He developed cryogenic methods for measuring accurate values of sticking coefficients and surface coverages of single-crystal planes. With his colleague Mark G. Inghram, Gomer elucidated field ionization, explaining the mechanism of the field ion microscope and laying the basis for field ion sources in mass spectrometry. Arthur W. Adamson Award Gomer and Inghram also developed the theory of field desorption. for Distinguished Service in With his colleague Dietrich Menzel, the Advancement of Surface Gomer developed the theory of elecChemistry tron-stimulated desorption from surface, a theory put forth almost simultaSponsored by Occidental Petroleum Corp. neously by Paul A. Redhead. ROBERT GOMER, C. W. Eisendrath Gomer also developed a method for Distinguished Professor at the Univer- measuring absolute half-cell electrosity of Chicago, is credited for his pio- magnetic fields and found the absolute neering contributions to surface sci- value of the hydrogen electrode to be ence, including definitive studies on -4.73 ± 0.05 volts. His work on field field ionization, field desorption, elec- emission and field ionization in liquids tron-stimulated desorption, and the established the mechanism of electric theory and application of field emis- breakdown in insulating liquids. sion techniques to the study of surface He developed the field emission midiffusion. croscope as a quantitative tool for For more than 40 years, Gomer has studying diffusion of adsorbates on taught at the university's James Franck metal surfaces via the field emission Institute, starting as an instructor in fluctuation method. Gomer's current 1950. He is the author of more than 225 projects include the study of metal publications dealing with chemisorp- overlayers separated from substrate tion, field emission, field ionization, metals by spacer layers. surface diffusion, and electron-induced Gomer was born in Vienna, Austria. processes. He received a bachelor's degree from Gomer's early contributions and Pomona College, Claremont, Calif., in principal scientific accomplishments in- 1944, and a Ph.D. degree in chemistry clude determination of the gas-phase from the University of Rochester, N.Y., free-radical recombination rate con- in 1949. He has served as associate edstant CH 3 + CH 3 -> C2H6. This permit- itor of the Journal of Chemical Physics ted the determination of absolute rate and the Journal of Applied Physics. constants for numerous other CH 3 radHe is a member of ACS, Sigma Xi, ical reactions and was the first absolute Phi Beta Kappa, the National Academy measurement of a free-radical recombi- of Sciences, the Leopoldina German nation rate constant. His work with Academy of Reserchers in Natural Scirare gases demonstrated visually—for ences, and the American Academy of the first time—the occurrence of inert Arts & Sciences. JANUARY 29, 1996 C&EN
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Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management Sponsored by Dow Chemical Co.
A colleague caUs MARY L. GOOD, "a Renaissance woman, demonstrating uncommon leadership skills and vision in academia, government, and industry. Combining these characteristics with a keen sense of strategy, she has established strong research organizations and demonstrated outstanding leadership and creativity in promoting the sciences of chemistry and chemical engineering through her research management/' Now, in the highly visible position of undersecretary for technology at the Department of Commerce, Good is once again mustering all the creativity and leadership at her disposal as she attempts to implement the mission of developing and advocating national policies to maximize technology's contribution to U.S. competitiveness. As president of ACS in 1987, Good is well known to most society members, but she is probably best known for her work at AlliedSignal and its predecessor companies. Prior to joining the Clinton Administration in August 1993, Good was the senior vice president of technology at AlliedSignal, where she was responsible, since 1988, for the centralized research and technology organizations with facilities in Morristown, N.J.; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Des Plaines, 111. According to one colleague, Good kept those facilities viable and in the corporate mainstream during a period of acquisitions, mergers, and divestitures. Her approach to management, the colleague says, was "based on the simple principle that the corporation and its business units are the customers of research and that the goals of the corporation are best served when these customers are provided consistently with credible research and with marketable products/ 7 Her position as senior vice president followed assignments as president of AlliedSignars Engineered Materials Research Center (EMRC), president-director of research at Signal Research Center (now AlliedSignal Research & Technology Laboratory), and vice president-director of research at 70
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UOP Research Center. Under Good's direction, the UOP Research Center developed forefront processes for petroleum refining and petrochemical production. She also spearheaded efforts to extend chemical process technologies to aerospace applications. As president of EMRC, she rejuvenated research efforts directed at AlliedSignal's traditional products, including carpet yarn, high-density polyethylene, and chlorofluorocarbons. She also strengthened the research thrust in specialty polymers, including new optically responsive molecular systems which have now been commercialized. Good's achievements in industrial research management came after a highly successful teaching and research career in the Louisiana State University system. Before joining AlliedSignal in 1980, she spent 25 years as both a professor of chemistry and professor of materials science at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and at the University of New Orleans, where she achieved the highest professional rank, Boyd Professor. Good, a native of Texas, received a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Central Arkansas, Conway, in 1950, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1953 and 1955. She served on the National Science Board under former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush, who, in 1991, appointed her to the President's Council of Advisers on Science & Technology. Good was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1987 and was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1986. She is a member of the American Institute of Chemists and has
Hoffmann
received numerous awards, including the National Science Foundation's Distinguished Public Service Award, the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award, and the American Institute of Chemists' Gold Medal in 1983.
Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic or Bioorganic Chemistry Hugh Stott Taylor Professor of Chemistry JOHN T. GROVES of Princeton University is recognized as an international leader in bioorganic and bioinorganic chemical research with a remarkable record of interesting findings. Most notable are his contributions to the delineation of the mechanism of oxygen activation and transfer mediated by heme proteins, especially cytochrome P450. Starting early in his career at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Groves has worked to elucidate the mechanism of iron porphyrin complexes in hydroxylation and epoxidation reactions. Among his significant discoveries is the demonstration that the ultimate stereoselection of hydroxylation in P450 enzymes and the porphyrin complexes was higher than that of the initial hydrogen removal because there was a caged radical intermediate. The conclusions from working with natural enzymes and synthetic metalloporphyrins have led to the "oxygen rebound" paradigm for biological oxidation reactions and has resulted in much research to develop catalytic processes based on this mechanism. Groves's extensive work with metalloporphyrin models has been fruitful as well. For example, his research group
has discovered that both manganese(IV) and manganese(V) porphyrins are involved in the catalytic oxidation of hydrocarbons. Most significant might be the discovery that a dioxoruthenium(VI) porphyrin could be a complete catalyst for aerobic epoxidation of olefins at ambient temperature and pressure. This was an interesting finding because the reaction does not have the characteristics of a free-radical autoxidation process and it does not require a sacrificial reducing agent. In addition to its fundamental importance, this system has broad practical applications; a large-scale application of the system is being investigated by several corporations. Most recently. Groves and his colleagues have been working to understand metalloporphyrin catalysts designed to self-assemble into phospholipid bilayers. They have shown that these assemblies can be highly selective catalytic systems for epoxidation of olefins. Groves received a Ph.D. degree from Columbia University, where he studied with Ronald C. Breslow, in 1969. In 1969, he moved to the University of Michigan, where he taught chemistry until 1985. Since then, Groves has been at Princeton University, where he was chairman of the chemistry department from 1988 to 1993. The award winner serves on the board of editors of several publications, including Bioorganic Chemistry, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, and Inorganic Chemistry. In 1993, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Research is not Groves's only strong feature. Colleagues make special mention of the impact of his lectures at major symposia and conferences. One colleague says Groves is a born teacher with a remarkable knack for presenting complex subjects simply and enthusiastically.
George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education Sponsored by Union Carbide Corp. ROALD HOFFMANN, Nobel Laureate and John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science at Cornell University, considers his major career contribution to be his teaching. Almost every year since 1966, he has taught the first-year general chemistry course at Cornell. He
has also taught chemistry courses to nonscientists as well as graduate courses in bonding theory and quantum mechanics. And beyond that, "to my fellow scientists, I have tried to teach 'applied theoretical chemistry'—a special blend of computations stimulated by experiment and coupled to the construction of general orbital models," Hoffmann says. Hoffmann is perhaps best known to chemists for his contributions to theoretical chemistry, including the Woodward-Hoffmann rules and their sequels that have brought the insights of quantum theory to generations of organic chemists and, more recently, to inorganic and organometallic chemists. Hoffmann is convinced that it is because of his abilities to teach what he learns that his theoretical insights have had such impact. He seamlessly blends teaching and scholarship in his scientific writing, making his papers a delight to read, says one colleague. His style is informal and engaging, his logic transparent, and the symmetry analysis of his problems always beautiful. "His arguments are never obscured by calculational details. Calculation remains the apprentice to understanding," the colleague says. In recent years, Hoffmann has taken on the challenge of teaching solid-state physics to chemists and bringing chemical thinking to physicists. At the same time, he brings his sense of the elegance, beauty, and importance of chemistry to a broad range of nonscientists. He was the presenter of the first television course in introductory chemistry, "The World of Chemistry," developed by the University of Maryland, College Park, and broadcast since 1990 on PBS. His most recent book, "The Same and Not The Same," published by Columbia University Press in 1995, argues to a general audience that chemistry is interesting both to its practitioners and to thoughtful consumers of its products. The polarities of substances and the way they can be transformed resonate with forces deep within the human psyche, Hoffmann maintains. Hoffmann is also a poet who has published two collections of poetry. One of his poems—about glass—was included in "Best American Poetry 1994," an anthology of 100 poems. He has been honored with most of the ma-
jor awards in chemistry, including the ACS Award in Pure Chemistry in 1969 and the Priestley Medal in 1990; the National Medal of Science in 1983; and, with Kenichi Fukui, the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public The craft of writing about, and thus interpreting, science for the public requires a depth of knowledge and skill with words that few writers and fewer scientists can claim. ELIZABETH PENNISI, however, has proven for more than a decade that she can blend scientific research with reporting to give results that are clear to the nontechnical reader. The titles of just a few of the Science Nezus articles the award winner has written offer a glimpse into the range of her writing. In "Prying into Prions/7 she covers the discovery that prions are proteins—and that they are involved in neurological disorders; "Natureworks: Making Minerals the Biological Way," tells how research on seashells by materials scientists may lead to improved synthetic materials; and "Twirling Ribbons, Billowing Bubbles," explains how computer graphics help researchers visualize complex data and substances. Currently a freelance writer, Pennisi's byline is on numerous news and feature articles, many of which show the role of chemistry in everyday life. She did her first chemistry stories while a writer for the University of Kansas, Lawrence. In 1984, she moved to New York City, where she wrote about health and science for United Press International (UPI) and later for Discover magazine. She also covered chemistry and chemical engineering briefly for Industrial Chemical News. While living in Tucson, Ariz., during the late 1980s, Pennisi wrote articles for Nature, National Wildlife, Bioscience, Arizona Highways, The Scientist, and UPI. In 1989, she joined the Washington bureau of The Scientist and covered science policy until joining the staff of Science News as the chemistry/materials science editor from 1991 to early 1995. Science journalist Tom Siegfried of the Dallas Morning News says Pennisi "writes with verve and versatility. She JANUARY 29, 1996 C&EN
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finds exciting chemistry to explore within cells, buckyballs, and even in computer software. Her scope is tremendous with no sacrifice of depth. She brings passion and enthusiasm to both reporting and writing, with the result that readers are rewarded, entertained, and informed by her work." Consistent with her flare for finding—and sharing—the excitement of chemistry, Pennisi enjoys the outdoors and spends most of her free time kayaking. When not running rapids, she races Olympic flatwater sprint kayaks. Her most unusual paddling sport is racing dragon boats—heavy teak canoes that require 20 paddlers. She has traveled to Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore to represent the U.S. in this popular Asian sport. Pennisi received a B.S. degree in biology from Cornell University in 1977, and a Master of Science Communication degree from Boston University in 1982. In 1987, she worked at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., under a science writing fellowship. In 1995, Pennisi received a secondplace Sigma Tau Award for coverage of Alzheimer's disease, as well as an honorable mention writing award from the Soil & Conservation Society. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and the D.C. Science Writers Association.
James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching Sponsored by Albemarle Corp.
With great enthusiasm, but little school district funding, chemistry instructor DAVID PYSNIK has marshaled the re72
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Pysnik
Richmond
sources to give "all students, regardless of ability, the opportunity to experience the excitement of chemistry through discovery/' one colleague says. As a staff member for nearly 24 years at Sidney Senior High School in New York State's rural Delaware County, Pysnik has encouraged his students to conduct independent chemical research. To further their efforts, he has acquired corporate donations of sophisticated analytical instruments. And to boost students with a special zeal for science research, he has arranged for summer internships in collegiate settings. Pysnik has also made a wider contribution to the teaching profession through his efforts to outfit a donated trailer as a mobile research facility, as well as by his development of widely used chemical education curricula and teaching protocols. Pysnik's enthusiasm for science has led 40% of Sidney High's collegebound students during the past 10 years to become science majors. When Pysnik's students needed analytical equipment to further their studies, he solicited and received donations from Perkin-Elmer Corp., Kraft Foods, and Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals, as well as Cornell University and Indiana University, Bloomington. The value of the donated equipment exceeds $1.5 million. Pysnik has also raised grant money from such donors as the New York State Energy & Research Development Authority, the Catskill Regional Teacher Center, and Hewlett-Packard to fund student research projects in the school labs at Sidney. Projects have included studies on the use of photosynthesis for the production of electrical energy, investigations of the critical temperatures of ceramic superconductors, and using
Clarke
polyether ketone resin composite materials in electrochemical cells. Students with a particular interest in chemistry have benefited from the summer intern programs Pysnik helped arrange. Funding for one such program came from ACS's Project SEED (Summer Educational Experience for the Economically Disadvantaged). It has allowed students to spend summers at Cornell University. Pysnik's efforts have also allowed nearly 170 Sidney High students to attend summer science programs at settings as diverse as Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y.; the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, Portland, Ore.; the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.; Roswell Park Cancer Research Center, Buffalo, N.Y.; and Ithaca College, Ithaca, N.Y. More than 90% of students who participated in the summer programs have gone on to scientific careers. Pysnik makes "the world of chemistry real for his community, and he does it with genuine concern for students who cross his path," comments one former student. Pysnik "inspires his students and gets them excited about chemistry," says another, by getting them "out of the books and into the lab." For example, with the help of Cornell University Professor Bruce Ganem, Pysnik acquired a 45-foot tractor-trailer from Ciba-Geigy and has outfitted it with used equipment donated by Perkin-Elmer. The trailer visits other schools in the region to encourage students to learn from their own research. Pysnik received a B.S. degree in chemistry from Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pa., in 1968, and an M.S. degree in science education from Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1972. He has taught at Sidney High School since 1972 and has been an adjunct instructor of data processing at the State Univer-
sity of New York, Delhi, since 1977. He has taught adult education at Sidney High since 1982. Pysnik has received other awards, including the 1992 Chemical Manufacturers Association Catalyst Award, the 1993 Tandy Technology Scholars Award, the 1994 ACS Northeast Regional Award in High School Chemistry, and the 1994 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science & Mathematics Teaching.
Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal Sponsored by Olin Corp. GERALDINE L. RICHMOND, professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon, Eugene, "stands out as an example of how much fun chemistry can be," one colleague says. "Her interest in all aspects of science is contagious." Young researchers who try to emulate Richmond's style recognize her as the ideal role model for students in academia today, the colleague continues. Richmond's research examines the properties of surfaces and interfaces. Bridging the fields of chemistry and physics, the award winner has applied new developments in optics to the understanding of surface processes. She was one of the pioneers in using laser, nonlinear optical methods to study solid-liquid and liquid-liquid interfaces. In probing solid-liquid interfaces, Richmond demonstrated the tremendous power of second harmonic generation in the study of surface structure and interfacial phenomena. This work has relevance to such areas as corrosion, catalysis, and semiconductor processing. In exploring liquid-liquid interfaces, her group has shown that such immiscible interfaces play a central role in many areas of biology, chemistry, and physics, including transport of chemicals across biomembranes, enhanced oil recovery, and environmental cleanup. In studies of oil-water interfaces, her team has shown the differences in the way that molecules align themselves at these interfaces. The team also has made some of the first direct measurements of ion adsorption and transport at electrified oil-water interfaces. In other studies, Richmond and her co-
can recognize isomerized and racemized derivatives of asparagine and aspartate residues. And in some cases, it can restore the damaged amino acids—and the protein—to their original functional forms. Thus, Clarke and coworkers suggest that this enzyme, which they have detected in various life forms—from bacteria to humans—is a natural protein-repairing machine. Support for this theory comes from Clarke's recent studies showing that bacterial mutants lacking the gene for this enzyme do not survive well under starvation conditions, when they are less able to make new proteins. Clarke and his collaborators are now looking at the effects of the enzyme's deficiency in eucaryotic organisms. In addition to this landmark contribution, Clarke's research has added to the understanding of the molecular basis of Alzheimer's disease, protein localization, and regulation of protein signaling functions. He has also developed methods to analyze potential methyltransferases from the output of genomic sequencing projects. Clarke received a B.A. degree in 1970 from Pomona College, Claremont, Calif., and a Ph.D. degree in 1976 from Harvard University. After stints at Harvard and the University of California, Berkehe joined UCLA as assistant profesRalph F. Hirschmann Award ley, sor in 1978 and became full professor in Peptide Chemistry in 1987. Clarke was named Miller Research Sponsored by Merck Research Laboratories Fellow by UC Berkeley in 1976 and was STEVEN G. CLARKE discovered the awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Research first known biological mechanism for Fellowship in 1982. He is author or repairing proteins damaged by the ag- coauthor of more than 120 papers and ing process. According to a colleague, is one of four coauthors of "Dynamic this finding, with its underlying pep- Models in Biochemistry," published in tide chemistry, is one of the most im- 1987. He currently serves as an associate • portant advances in protein biochemis- editor of Protein Science. try in the past few decades. For the past 16 years, Clarke, who is professor of chemistry and biochemisReminder to members try at the University of California, Los In accordance with an ACS policy on Angeles, has been studying a group of a grace period for unrenewed ACS enzymes known as protein methyljournals and C&EN, ACS cannot transferases. In 1981, his group found continue to send C&EN and journals one such enzyme that was unusual. after Feb. 29,1996, to those members Called L-isoaspartyl/D-aspartyl methylwhose 1996 dues and subscriptions transferase, this enzyme reacts only are not received by Feb. 1. If you with proteins containing altered resihave questions about your dues bill dues of asparagine and aspartate. or wish to charge your payment by These two amino acids are particularphone, call (800) 333-9511 or (614) 447-3600 in the Columbus, Ohio, ly prone to chemical change, which area. Be sure to have your credit card could result in buildup of useless protein handy for easy reference. as cells age. The unusual enzyme partly prevents such accumulation because it workers achieved the first vibrational spectroscopic measurement of simple surfactants at an oil-water interface. These studies have provided direct experimental data on how these simple soaplike molecules reside at the immiscible interface. Richmond received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Kansas State University, Manhattan, in 1975, and a Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1980. She started her academic career at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, moving to Oregon in 1985. Richmond's research honors include a Presidential Young Investigator Award (1985-90), the Coblentz Society Spectroscopy Award (1989), an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (1985-89), and the American Physical Society Fellow Award (1993). An active proponent for science education and science literacy, Richmond has also earned many awards for her teaching skills, including the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award from UC Berkeley (1977); a Camille & Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (1986-91); and the National Science Teachers Association Shell Lecturer award (1991).
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