Gardea-Torresdey receives Distinguished Scientist Award from SACNAS
10.1021/es9032259
2009 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 10/28/2009
according to Garcia. There are some 20,000 members and affiliates from diverse disciplines, institutions, ethnic backgrounds, and levels, with SACNAS chapters at 49 universities and colleges. The organization itself has received national awards for mentoring and promoting diversity, including the National Science Board’s Public Service Award and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Mentoring, Garcia adds. Gardea was born in Mexico, but both of his parents were students at the University of Southern California. His mother is of French descent and his father a Mexican businessman. Gardea, who is fluent in English, Spanish, and Frenchs“each with an accent,” he sayssgrew up shuttling between Los Angeles and northern Mexico with his parents. After attending the University of California Los Angeles and graduating from the University of Chihuahua (Mexico), he obtained his doctorate at New Mexico State University under Joseph Wang, who is currently at the University of California San Diego, and the late Dennis Darnell. Gardea did postdoctoral research in environmental remediation at Los Alamos National Laboratory and then joined the faculty of UTEP. He recently received a $24 million grant, in conjunction with colleagues at the University of California to study the effects of nanoparticles in the environment. “Jorge is widely recognized as an international leader in the biogeochemistry and remediation of toxic metals in the environment. We are very fortunate to have Jorge as a member of the Advisory Board to ES&T,” comments ES&T Editorin-Chief Jerry Schnoor. —BARBARA BOOTH COURTESY OF JORGE GARDEA-TORRESDEY
our mentees by virtue of having ES&T Editorial Advisory Board distinguished him- or herself in member Jorge Gardea-Torresdey, research at the national level,” says chair of the Department of ChemSACNAS President J. D. Garcia. istry at the University of Texas El At the award ceremony, Ph.D. Paso (UTEP), has been awarded student Milka Montes gave a movthe 2009 Distinguished Scientist ing speech on behalf of all of Award by SACNAS, the Society for Gardea’s students. When it was the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. The award was presented at the society’s annual convention in Dallas, Texas, on October 15, 2009. Gardea published his first research paper in ES&T (1985, DOI 10.1021/ es00137a004) and subsequently published hundreds of papers in this journal and others. He has been instrumental in promoting scientific careers among Hispanics and Native Americans, while mentoring dozens of minority students himself. It is his dream to persuade more minority students to go into science and engineering. “We especially need more female Jorge Gardea-Torresdey displays his award. minority students in science,” he says. Gardea’s turn on the podium, seeES&T Associate Editor Pedro Aling 5000 peoplesincluding scienvarez, who gave a keynote speech tists, representatives from the at the SACNAS convention, says, White House, and the presss“my “Jorge is highly deserving of this knees started shaking, I was so recognition, both for the high qualproud,” he says. Although people ity and volume of his research now recognize that environmental contributions as well as his outresearch is vital, as a student he standing efforts to recruit and eduwas told that the environmental cate women and minorities. He is a field was not important. “Now I am recognized leader in environmental being recognized for work in enviinorganic chemistry and has pioronmental chemistry, and I am neered the field of nanophytotechhappy that I am being recognized nology, using plants not only to in this instance by Hispanics and remove hazardous wastes but also Native Americans in the U.S.,” he to synthesize metal-based nanomacomments. terials. Jorge is very well known by SACNAS has a 36-year history of the environmental science commufostering the success of Hispanic/ nity as the kind of mentor that is Chicano and Native American scialways concerned about the perentists and science students in sonal and professional situation of attaining advanced degrees, cathe students.” reers, and positions of leadership The Distinguished Scientist and in increasing diversity in the Award is given annually to “one scientific workforce and academia, scientist who is a role model for
December 1, 2009 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 9 8711
