AWA RDS
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY DIVISION ANNOUNCES 2013 AWARDS The American Chemical Society Division of Physical Chemistry (PHYS) has announced the winners of its 2013 awards. Gregory A. Voth, Haig P. Papazian Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago and a researcher at Argonne National Laboratory, is the winner of the 2013 Physical Chemistry Division Award in Theoretical Chemistry, cosponsored by PHYS and Colorado’s Telluride School on Theoretical Chemistry. Voth’s research focuses on the development and application of new theoretical and computational methods in the study of biomolecules, liquids, materials, and quantum mechanical systems. He will receive the $2,000 award at the Telluride School in July. Dana D. Dlott, the William H. & Janet G. Lycan Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is the winner of the 2013 Physical Chemistry Division Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry. His research group is interested in experimental techniques and measurements that advance the understanding of vibrational energy in molecules and materials. He will receive the $2,000 award at the fall ACS national meeting in Indianapolis. Alán Aspuru-Guzik, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University, is the recipient of the inaugural Early-Career Award in Theoretical Chemistry for his pioneering contributions at the intersection of quantum information and chemistry, especially his achievements in quantum computing for chemistry and ultrafast quantum process tomography. Liberato Manna, the director of the nanochemistry department at the Italian Institute of Technology, is the recipient of the inaugural Early-Career Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry for his research on the use of physical chemistry tools and approaches to create and control the properties of inorganic nanocrystals. The early-career awardees will receive $1,500 to attend and present a lecture at the fall ACS national meeting in Indianapolis.
RUBBER DIVISION PRESENTS 2013 AWARDS ACS’s Rubber Division has presented five scientists with its 2013 Science & Technol-
ogy Awards, which honor contributions and innovations in the rubber and elastomer industries. The winners received their awards during the Rubber Division’s 183rd Technical Meeting in Akron, Ohio, in April. Russell A. Livigni, who retired from GenCorp as vice president of corporate technology, is the winner of the Charles Goodyear Medal, given to scientists or engineers responsible for an outstanding invention, innovation, or development that results in a significant change or contribution to the rubber industry. William L. Hergenrother, a research fellow at Bridgestone Americas Center for Research & Technology, is the winner of the Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award, which honors individuals who have exhibited exceptional technical competency by making significant and repeated contributions to rubber science and technology. Wilma K. Dierkes, an associate professor of elastomer technology and engineering at the University of Twente, in the Netherlands, is the winner of the Sparks-Thomas Award, which recognizes and encourages outstanding scientific contributions and innovations in the field of elastomers by young scientists, technologists, and engineers. Stuart L. Cooper, the chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State University, received the Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award, which recognizes significant contributions of scientists in the advancement of the chemistry of thermoplastic elastomers. Particular emphasis is placed on innovations that have yielded significant new commercial or patentable materials. Ali Dhinojwala, the H. A. Morton Professor of Polymer Science at the University of Akron, was awarded the George Stafford Whitby Award for Distinguished Teaching & Research, which honors teachers and academic scientists for distinguished innovative and inspirational teaching and research in chemistry and polymer science.
TUSHAR CHOUDHARY WINS OKLAHOMA CHEMIST AWARD Tushar Choudhary, director of the hydro-
processing R&D group at the Phillips 66 research center in Bartlesville, Okla., is the recipient of the 2013 Oklahoma Chemist Award. The award, given by Oklahoma’s ACS local sections, honors contributions CEN.ACS.ORG
50
JU LY 1 , 2013
to chemistry in the state and consists of a plaque and $1,000. Choudhary, who has spent more than a decade conducting clean fuels optimization research, is being recognized for enhancing the understanding of heavy petroleum hydroprocessing chemistry. His work, which included developing the first reactivity scale for sulfur molecular groups in heavy gas oils, has enabled advanced optimization of clean fuels production at oil refineries.
AUTHOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS TO DALE BOGER AND DENNIS HALL Organic Letters and the Journal of Organic Chemistry have selected the winners of their Outstanding Author of the Year Lectureship Awards. Dale L. Boger, Richard & Alice Cramer Professor of Chemistry and chair of the chemistry department at Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif., is the recipient of the inaugural Organic Letters Outstanding Author of the Year Lectureship Award. Boger was cited for his development of a new method for the direct hydrofunctionalization of alkenes (Org. Lett. 2012, DOI: 10.1021/ol300173v). The award, given by Organic Letters and the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry (ORGN), will be presented to Boger during the fall 2013 ACS national meeting in Indianapolis. Dennis G. Hall, a professor of chemistry at the University of Alberta, is the winner of the inaugural Journal of Organic Chemistry Outstanding Author of the Year Lectureship Award. Hall was cited for his work on the direct synthesis of amides by condensation of amines and carboxylic acids (J. Org. Chem. 2012, DOI: 10.1021/ jo3013258). The award, given by the Journal of Organic Chemistry and ORGN, will be
presented to Hall during the ACS national meeting in Indianapolis.
ESSELEN AWARD TO ˆ GELB AND TURECEK University of Washington, Seattle, chemistry professors Michael H. Gelb and František Tureˆ cek are the recipients of the 2013 Esselen Award for Chemistry, presented by the ACS Northeastern Section in honor of outstanding scientific achievement that contributes to the public well-being and communicates positive values of the chemical profession. The award consists of a medal and a $5,000 prize. The researchers were cited for their work in developing a sensitive, specific, and inexpensive technique for detecting genetic diseases in newborns. The Esselen Award honors the memory of Gustavus John Esselen, a past chair of the Northeastern Section and founder of Esselen Research.
LAWRENCE WILKINSON WINS CHARLES COATES AWARD Lawrence E. Wilkinson, an analytical chem-
ist at ExxonMobil Refining & Supply’s Baton Rouge Refinery Quality Assurance Laboratory, has received the Charles E. Coates Memorial Award for 2013. Wilkinson was honored for his professional achievements as a chemist and a high school teacher and for his many service and outreach activities. The award is jointly sponsored by the Baton Rouge Sections of ACS and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. It is given for outstanding service to chemistry or chemical engineering, the corresponding professional society, and the community.
THREE SCIENTISTS AWARDED RUSS PRIZE Three scientists have been named winners of the 2013 Fritz J. & Dolores H. Russ Prize, awarded by the National Academy of Engineering. The $500,000 prize recognizes
engineering achievement in a contemporary discipline of critical importance. The winners are the late Samuel E. Blum, a researcher at Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio; Rangaswamy Srinivasan, president of UVTech Associates in Ossining, N.Y.; and James J. Wynne, a senior member of the staff at IBM’s T. J. Watson Research Center. They were cited for their contributions to the development of laser ablative photodecomposition, which enables laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) eye surgery. Srinivasan discovered ablative photodecomposition in synthetic organic polymers in 1979 and extended it to biological tissue in 1981. From 1983 to 1991, he and Wynne collaborated extensively with surgeons and discovered potential applications of the technique in eye surgery. He is a recipient of the National Medal of Technology & Innovation, as are Blum and Wynne. Srinivasan is a 54-year member of ACS. Wynne and two IBM colleagues discovered excimer laser surgery in 1981, which laid the foundation for the development of techniques such as LASIK and PRK. Blum’s patent on the ultraviolet excimer laser, which is used in surgical and dental procedures, was a significant contribution to the development of LASIK eye surgery. The award ceremony took place in February in Washington, D.C.
REMSEN AWARD TO ERIC JACOBSEN Eric N. Jacobsen, the Sheldon Emery Pro-
fessor of Chemistry at Harvard University, is the recipient of the 2013 Remsen Award, presented by the ACS Maryland Section for outstanding achievement in chemistry. The award is named after Ira Remsen, Johns Hopkins University’s first professor of chemistry and second president. Jacobsen’s research focuses on selective catalysis, especially in the design, discovery, and study of systems that mediate fundamentally interesting and useful organic reactions. He presented the 68th Remsen Lecture to the Maryland Section during an award ceremony at Johns Hopkins in May. CEN.ACS.ORG
51
JU LY 1 , 2013
BUCK-WHITNEY AWARD SEEKS NOMINATIONS The ACS Eastern New York Section is soliciting nominations for the Buck-Whitney Award. The award, named after late section members Johannes S. Buck and Willis R. Whitney, recognizes original work in either experimental or theoretical aspects of pure or applied chemistry. Nominees must have made outstanding contributions to chemistry and be residents of North America. Chemists whose work has not yet received a significant national or international award and whose careers would be advanced by such recognition are especially encouraged to apply. The award includes a bronze medal and citation, an honorarium of $1,000, and travel expenses to deliver an award address to the section. Nominations should include the nominee’s name and affiliation and a detailed description of his or her accomplishments in chemistry. Mail nominations by Aug. 15 to Michael Hagerman, Buck-Whitney Award Committee Chair, Department of Chemistry, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308.
GREEN CHEMISTRY GRANTS AVAILABLE The ACS Green Chemistry Institute Pharmaceutical Roundtable is accepting research proposals for the following grants: A $100,000 grant is available for supporting research that targets the identification and development of non-preciousmetal catalysis alternatives for widely used transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, with a focus on substrates that are widely applicable to the pharmaceutical industry. This grant is intended for a student within the selected principal investigator’s research group. A $50,000 grant is available for supporting research on developing greener and safer methods, reagents, or engineering solutions (such as flow chemistry) for the selective fluorination of pharmaceutically relevant organic molecules. For more information, visit www.acs. org/gcipharmaroundtable. Both proposals are due by 5 PM ET on Aug. 21. LINDA WANG compiles this section.
Announcements of awards may be sent to
[email protected].
