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Environment

Awards

May 10, 2004 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 82, Issue 19


 

L'Oréal-UNESCO Laureates

Thomson
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Laureates of the 2004 L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards have been honored at a ceremony in Paris. The laureates, who work across the spectrum of life sciences, were selected on the basis of their groundbreaking achievements and potential contributions to scientific progress.

Chosen in recognition of exceptional achievements, one winner was named from each of five geographical areas: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America. The laureates receive individual awards of $100,000. Life sciences and material sciences are recognized in alternating years.

Previato
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Lucia Mendonca Previato, Brazil, Laureate 2004, L'Oreal-Unesco For Women in Science Awards, Latin America.
"For her achievements in the understanding, treatment and prevention of Chagas Disease."
"Pour avoir fait progresser la comprehension, le traitement et la prevention de la maladie de Chagas".

Jennifer Thomson, University of Cape Town, in South Africa, was honored in the field of molecular biology "for her development of transgenic plants resistant to viral infections, drought, and other risks."

Nancy Ip, department of biochemistry and Biotechnology Research Institute of Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, was honored "for her discoveries on the molecular control of growth, differentiation, and syn- apse formation in the nervous system."

Marrack
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Philippa Marrack, U.S.A., Laureate 2004  For Women in Science ,  North America ." For her characterization of the functions of T lymphocytes in immunity and the discovery of superantigens". "Pour la caracterisation des fonctions lymphocytes T dans l'immunite et pour la decouverte des superantigenes".

Christine Petit, Institut Pasteur, in Paris, was recognized "for her elucidation of the genetic defects in hereditary deafness and other sensory disorders."

Lucia Mendonça PreviatoBiophysics Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, was cited "for her achievements in the understanding, treatment, and prevention of Chagas disease."

Philippa Marrack, research investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, vice chair of the department of immunology and professor at National Jewish Medical & Research Center, and professor at the University of Colorado's Health Sciences Center, Denver, was honored "for her characterization of the functions of T lymphocytes in immunity and the discovery of superantigens."

 

Flanigen
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Credit: COURTESY OF INVENTORS HALL OF FAME (both)
Credit: COURTESY OF INVENTORS HALL OF FAME (both)

Chemists Enter Hall Of Fame

On May 1, seven chemical scientists were among the 20 inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio. Two of the inductees are living; their accomplishments are described here. Six of the awards are posthumous, and the accomplishments of those inductees are available on C&EN Online.

Harry W. Coover, who recognized the powerful adhesive properties of cyanoacrylates, is an inductee. While working as a research chemist at Eastman Kodak during World War II, Coover attempted to use cyanoacrylates to make an optically clear plastic for precision gunsights. These chemicals proved to be unsuited to this particular task, but he recognized their potential applications as an adhesive. These superglues opened the door to a wide range of industrial, consumer, and medical applications.

Hall of Fame Inductee Edith Flanigen began working on the emerging technology of "molecular sieves" in 1956. These crystalline microporous structures have large internal void volumes and molecule-sized pores. The compounds can be used to purify and separate complex mixtures and catalyze or speed the rate of hydrocarbon reactions. They have widespread application in the petroleum-refining and petrochemical industries. During her 42-year career at Union Carbide and UOP, Flanigen invented or co-invented more than 200 novel synthetic materials and made substantial contributions to the product development of zeolite Y, an aluminosilicate sieve used to make oil refining efficient, clean, and safe. Her work with molecular sieves also led to innovative applications in water purification and environmental cleanup.

 

New Guggenheim Fellows Announced

Results of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation's 80th annual U.S. and Canadian competition have been announced by foundation President Edward Hirsch. The 2004 fellowship winners include 185 artists, scholars, and scientists selected from more than 3,200 applicants. Decisions are based on recommendations from hundreds of expert advisers and are approved by the foundation's board of trustees. The U.S. and Canada's 2004 fellows in chemistry and related sciences and the topics of their research are listed:

Nicholas Fisher, professor, Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook: Metal biomagnification in contrasting marine food chains.

Kannan M. Krishnan, Campbell Professor of Materials Science, University of Washington, Seattle: Magnetic nanoparticles for cancer therapeutics.

Christopher Miller, professor of biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, Brandeis University: Structures of potassium and chloride channels.

Alexander V. Neimark, director of research, Center for Modeling & Characterization of Nanoporous Materials, Textile Research Institute, Princeton, N.J.: Equilibrium and phase transitions in nanoscale systems.

Tamar Seideman, professor of chemistry, Northwestern University: Current-driven dynamics in molecular-scale devices.

Veronica Vaida, professor of chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder: Molecular properties of atmospheric organic aerosols.

Gregory A. Voth, professor of chemistry and director of the Center for Biophysical Modeling & Simulation, University of Utah: Biomolecular systems over large length and time scales.

Xiao Cheng Zeng, Willa Cather Professor of Chemistry, University of Nebraska, Lincoln: Novel nanostructures of silicon.

 

Nominations For Stanley Israel Award

Nominations are sought for the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences. The award recognizes individuals and institutions that have advanced diversity in the chemical sciences and significantly stimulated or fostered activities that promote inclusiveness within ACS regions. Individuals nominated for the award may come from any professional setting. Nominees may also be organizations, including ACS local sections and divisions.

Nomination packets for individuals should include a letter of no more than three pages, a seconding letter, and a curriculum vitae or résumé; nominations for institutions should include the first two items and a brief description of the institution. Nominations are due on Jan. 15, 2005, for presentations at ACS regional meetings that year. For more information regarding the award, contact Cheryl H. Brown at c_brown@acs.org.

 

Call For Nominations For Kirkwood Award

The ACS New Haven Section and the Yale University chemistry department seek nominations for the 2004 John Gamble Kirkwood Award. The award recognizes outstanding experimental or theoretical research contributions in the chemical sciences. Nominations should include a two-page curriculum vitae noting the nominee's principal publications, awards, and experience as well as a letter of nomination highlighting the nominee's contributions. Nominations must be submitted by July 1 to Gary W. Brudvig, Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8107.

 

2004 Winthrop-Sears Medalists

Two former Syntex Corp. scientists--George Rosenkranz and Alejandro Zaffaroni--have been named corecipients of the Winthrop-Sears Medal of the Chemists' Club of New York. They will be honored at a dinner ceremony on June 17 in Philadelphia.

The Winthrop-Sears Medal was established in 1970 to recognize individuals who, by their entrepreneurial action, have contributed to the vitality of the chemical industry and the betterment of humanity.

Rosenkranz, a retired chairman of Syntex, is being recognized for his accomplishments in the steroid hormone industry, including the development of the oral contraceptive pill and the production of corticoids and other steroid drugs. Rosenkranz pioneered techniques for using plant sources as raw materials for steroid development and has published more than 300 articles on steroid hormones.

Zaffaroni was also instrumental in the development of the oral contraceptive pill at Syntex, where he was president of Syntex Laboratories and the Syntex Research Institute. He has also engaged in a variety of entrepreneurial initiatives, including the founding of Alza Corp., which is recognized as a world leader in improving medical treatment through controlled drug delivery. Zaffaroni also founded a number of other successful medical research companies, including DNAX Ltd., Affymetrix, Symyx, Maxygen, and SurroMed. He received the National Medal of Technology in 1995.

 

CASE Names Outstanding Professors

Svoronos
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Credit: QUEENSBOROUGH COMM. COLL.
Credit: QUEENSBOROUGH COMM. COLL.
Goodwin
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Credit: MICHELINE PELLETIER/GAMMA
Credit: MICHELINE PELLETIER/GAMMA

Two chemistry professors were among the four national winners of the U.S. Professor of the Year awards, given by the Council for Advancement & Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Each national winner received a $5,000 prize from Carnegie.

Paris Svoronos, professor of chemistry, Queensborough Community College, City University of New York, Bayside, was named Outstanding Community College Professor. Svoronos has been at Queensborough since 1981 and a full professor since 1991. He is known for his ardent support of frequent testing: Svoronos gives seven cumulative one-hour exams and a final for every lecture course he teaches, and he returns every graded exam with the correct answers. In 2001, his students made the first-ever presentation by a community college at the undergraduate symposium of the ACS New York Section. Svoronos' students continue to do basic research and present it at ACS meetings, where they are frequently the only community college participants.

Thomas Goodwin, professor of chemistry, Hendrix College, Conway, Ark., was named Outstanding Baccalaureate College Professor. Goodwin came to Hendrix in 1978 and has held the rank of professor since 1993. His students use chemical methodologies to unravel the secrets of chemical communication among African elephants, research for which he and two colleagues in Georgia and Oregon have received a four-year grant from the National Science Foundation's Collaborative Research at Undergraduate Institutions program. Goodwin has also implemented green chemistry concepts and practices at Hendrix.

 

Snieckus
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Credit: COURTESY OF HENDRIX COLLEGE
Credit: COURTESY OF HENDRIX COLLEGE

Snieckus Honored For Lithium Work

Victor Snieckus, Bader Chair in Organic Chemistry at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, has received the 2003 Arfvedson-Schlenk Award from the German Chemical Society. The award recognizes scientists for outstanding scientific and technical achievements in the field of lithium chemistry. Snieckus is cited as an exemplary representative of the synthetic organic community who has made fundamental contributions to the field of organolithium chemistry.

In his research, Snieckus has devised new organometallic reactions based on lithium and transition-metal catalytic reactions. Aside from having fundamental value, these reactions have had considerable impact in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries for the production of drugs, plant-protection agents, and liquid crystals.

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