CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING
NEWS OF THE WEEK JUNE 13, 20Q5 - Ε D Τ ED BY WILLIAM G.SCHULZ & STEPHEN TRZASKA
AWARDS
PAUL ANDERSON IS PRIESTLEY MEDALIST Former ACS president is honored with highest award for serving chemistry
P
AUL S. A N D E R S O N , R E T I R E D
pharmaceutical industry chemist and former presi dent of the American Chemical Society, h a s b e e n n a m e d t h e 2 0 0 6 Priestley M e d a l i s t . T h e annual award, which dates back to 1923 a n d recognizes distin guished services t o chemistry, is ACS's highest honor. "I was obviously deeply hon ored and very surprised," Ander son says. T h e 67-year-old chemist is also appreciative, knowing the award acknowledges "all the very talented, very hardworking peo ple I have h a d t h e privilege of working with" in his career and at ACS. "People are t h e essence of what makes ACS a very vital and i m p o r t a n t o r g a n i z a t i o n in t h e world of chemistry and for all of society" Anderson's professional career spanned nearly 4 0 years in t h e pharmaceutical industry, prima rily at Merck and later at DuPontMerck Pharmaceutical and Bris tol-Myers S q u i b b . H e a n d t h e collaborators whose work he di rected designed and synthesized numerous compounds that went on t o b e c o m e leading p h a r m a ceutical products. At Merck, for example, Anderson was involved in projects t h a t led t o t h e H I V protease inhibitor Crixivan and the H I V reverse transcriptase in hibitor Sustiva. A n d e r s o n ' s scientific w o r k "combines the highest levels of cre ative, synthetic organic chemistry with an insightful approach to me W W W . C E N - O N L I NE.ORG
dicinal chemistry," says Ralph F. Hirschmann, a professor of bioorganic chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and a former col league at Merck. "His work stands out for the creative way in which he reflects on the stereochemical significance of structure-activity relationships, and he deserves the highest praise for his scholarship, logic, and directness of approach." Anderson has long been a leader in t h e medicinal chemistry and broader chemistry communities. H e has chaired the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry and t h e Gordon Research Conference in the field, and served on related Na tional Institutes of Health and Na
VOLUNTEER
tional Research Council boards. In 1997, Ander son became ACS presi dent, after having served o n n u m e r o u s society committees and boards, which he continues to do. For his contributions to medicinal chemistry and leadership in d r u g dis covery, h e also received the 2 0 0 2 Perkin Medal, one of the U.S. chemical industry's highest honors. In recognition of his broader contributions, Anderson received, in 2 0 0 3 , t h e National Academy of Sciences Award for Chemistry in Service to Society, which is awarded every two years. H e was chosen "for his scientific leadership in two drugs approved for the treatment of A I D S and for his widely cited basic research re lated to the glutamate receptor." His peers consider him a remark ably p r o d u c t i v e c h e m i s t a n d a uniquely respected leader who has served the biomedical sciences in many ways.—ANN THAYER
Anderson
AWARD
E. Gerald Meyer Honored For Service To ACS
A
n active ACS member for more than 66
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and also twice chaired and served as councilor for the ACS Wyoming Section. He continues to serve on ACS commit tees. This week he will ride his motorcycle 360 miles in Alaska to pres ent a paper in Fairbanks at the ACS Northwest Re gional Meeting.
years, E. Gerald Meyer, emeritus profes° sor of chemistry and dean of arts and sci- \ ences at the University of Wyoming, will receive > the 2006 ACS Award for Volunteer Service. The " = award, created in 2001, recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the goals and objectives of ACS. Meyer "To be recognized is a very high honor in view of having had the privilege and honor of Meyer received B.S. and M.S. degrees from working with so many people who have done Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. degree so many great things in this society," Meyer from the University of New Mexico. He has says. "Over all these years, what impresses worked for the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the me most are the dedication and the caliber of U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and was on those who lend a hand." the faculty of the University of Albuquerque Noted for his energy and enthusiasm, Mey and New Mexico Highlands University, before er, 85, has been active on local, regional, and moving to Wyoming in 1963.—ANN THAYER national levels. He was a founder and chairman of the ACS Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting C&EN
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