has shared his love of chemistry with an audience of hundreds of thousands of viewers. Through these outreach activities, he boosts science literacy so the public can make better-informed decisions based on an appreciation of the benefits science brings to their lives.”—Glenn Ruskin, American Chemical Society
Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry: Suresh C. Srivastava Sponsor: ACS Division of Nuclear Chemistry & Technology Citation: For his outstanding accomplishments in the production and development of many radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals that have and continue to provide medical benefit to patients worldwide.
Current position: senior medical scientist emeritus and research adviser in the Collider-Accelerator Department and Medical Isotope Research & Production Program, Brookhaven National Laboratory Education: B.S., chemistry and biology, Agra University; M.S., organic chemistry, Agra University; Ph.D., nuclear and biological chemistry, University of Allahabad
Srivastava on what he is most proud of: “In the late ’70s, I developed the very difficult chemistry behind the medical Tc ‘kits’ (shake and bake), which continue to be used widely for diagnostic medical imaging. This achievement has saved millions of lives and is still going strong. The most common radioisotope used in diagnosis is technetium-99m, with 40–50 million procedures per year, accounting for about 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures worldwide. There are over 20 million nuclear medicine procedures per year in the U.S.” What his colleagues say: “Srivastava’s contributions to radiochemistry and nuclear medicine, and to radiochemistry education, are outstanding. For three decades he has headed the Medical Isotope Research & Production Program at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he has been instrumental in the introduction and/or development of many important radionuclides and radiolabeling methodologies.”—Leonard Mausner, Brookhaven National Laboratory (retired)
ACS Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry: Brian M. Stoltz Sponsor: MilliporeSigma Citation: For the development of efficient methods, particularly cascade reactions, that allow for the efficient synthesis of complex organic molecules.
Current position: professor of chemistry, California Institute of Technology Education: B.S., chemistry, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; B.A., German, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; M.S., organic chemistry, Yale University; Ph.D., organic chemistry, Yale University
Stoltz on what gets his creative juices flowing: “Creativity is the beauty that underscores the science. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have had a number of critically important mentors throughout the course of my scientific development. Additionally, I have benefited from exceedingly talented and quite brilliant students and colleagues in my 17 years at Caltech. It is the collective of these individuals that inspires and pushes me to a higher level.” What his colleagues say: “He is well recognized as one of the young leaders in organic synthesis and is one of the few who not only develop both new catalytic methodology but also demonstrate the methods in complex total synthesis.”— Robert H. Grubbs, California Institute of Technology
ACS Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science & Technology: Barbara J. Turpin Sponsor: ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Science & Technology, and Environmental Science & Technology Letters Citation: For revealing the importance of aqueous-phase chemistry in the formation of atmospheric secondary organic aerosol.
Current position: professor and chair of environmental sciences and engineering, Gillings School of Global Public
ACS NEWS
Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Education: B.S., engineering and applied science, California Institute of Technology; Ph.D., environmental science and engineering, Oregon Health & Science University
Turpin on what gets her creative juices flowing: “My students will tell you that I can get overly excited during group meetings—brainstorming, daydreaming, and hypothesizing—feeding off the energy that they bring to the room. I love fieldwork, especially in beautiful places. When I go to the field for six weeks, I am able to focus on one thing without interruption. We work in teams helping each other. The camaraderie, beauty, and singleness of mission lead to reflection and creative ideas.” What her colleagues say: “Barbara’s creative scientific and technological advances impact even further than air pollution, climate, and human health by contributing to our understanding of how humans are changing the natural cycles of nutrients and thus ecosystems’ functioning.”—Maria Kanakidou, University of Crete
George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education: Pratibha Varma-Nelson Sponsor: Cengage Learning and the ACS Division of Chemical Education Citation: For work on face-to-face and cyber versions of Peer Led Team Learning that has facilitated understanding of smallgroup chemistry learning in the two environments. Current position: professor of chemistry and founding executive director, STEM Education Innovation & Research Institute, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Education: B.Sc., chemistry, University of Pune; Ph.D., organic chemistry, University of Illinois, Chicago
Varma-Nelson on her biggest research challenge: “There were two challenges. First, I started my career at a small institution not known for attracting much external funding, so it was difficult for me to get support for my work. We didn’t even have local administrative expertise for how to pursue or manage grants. JANUARY 8, 2018 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
49
