Awards

• Crans Receives Vanadis Award
• Summers Garners Maryland Award
• Oklahoma Sections Honor Resasco
• San Diego Section Award Winners
• History Of Chemistry Fellowship
• Nominations Are Sought For Three Awards

Crans Receives Vanadis Award

Debbie C. Crans, a professor of chemistry at Colorado State University, is the winner of the first Vanadis Award, presented on Sept. 4 at the 4th International Vanadium Symposium in Szeged, Hungary. The Vanadis Award recognizes an outstanding contributor to the advancement of vanadium science who has displayed innovative research that has had a documented impact on the direction of the field.

Crans was cited for her work on the fundamental chemistry and biochemistry of vanadium. Her group has synthesized a number of new compounds, including vanadium alkoxides, vanadium amino alcohol complexes, and vanadium amino acid complexes. She has also studied the coordination chemistry of vanadium and other transition-metal compounds in aqueous solution and other environments that can serve as model systems for what might occur in biological systems. Additional research focuses on the effects of vanadium compounds on biological systems ranging from isolated proteins to animals, including the interactions of vanadium compounds in enzymes.

Crans completed her early studies at the University of Copenhagen and then received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Harvard University in 1985, advised by George M. Whitesides. She joined Colorado State after a postdoc at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Summers Garners Maryland Award

The ACS Maryland Section will present Michael F. Summers, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with the 2004 Maryland Chemist Award on Dec. 8.

Summers is being cited for his research work in biological chemistry and molecular biophysics. His noteworthy achievements include insights into retrovirus binding, nuclear magnetic resonance methodologies, and structural RNA switches.

Summers received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of West Florida in 1980 and his Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry from Emory University, Atlanta, in 1984. He performed postdoctoral work in Maryland at the National Institutes of Health and the Food & Drug Administration before joining the faculty of the University of Maryland in 1987.

Oklahoma Sections Honor Resasco

The five ACS Sections based in Oklahoma honored Daniel E. Resasco, George Lynn Cross Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, with the 2004 Oklahoma Chemist Award. The $1,000 prize and a plaque were presented to Resasco in Tulsa on Oct. 16.

Resasco was cited for his research into catalysis, including metal oxide support interaction for rhenium on TiO₂. He also developed new technology to produce single-walled carbon nanotubes that is being developed commercially.

Resasco finished his bachelor's work in 1975 in Argentina and then received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Yale University in 1983. He joined the University of Oklahoma faculty in 1993.

San Diego Section Award Winners

The ACS San Diego Section presented four awards on Oct. 18 at the University of California, San Diego, as part of its annual awards banquet.

Thomas R. Beattie, an independent consultant, received the Outstanding Service Award for his history of contributions to the section. In addition to serving as chair of the awards nomination and selection committee and the educational minigrants award committee, he was co-organizer of the San Diego Medicinal Chemistry/Combinatorial Chemistry Symposium and helped San Diego win the National Large Local Section Outstanding Performance Chemluminary Award in 1999 as section chair.

Rose Hanscom won the Outstanding High School Teacher Award for her 24-year career teaching chemistry at Francis Parker School in San Diego. She has also served as a science Olympiad coach and is part of the SAT II Chemistry Test Development Committee.

William H. Rastetter, executive chairman of Biogen Idec, received the Distinguished Scientist Award for a long career in academia and industry. Rastetter received a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1975, and then held positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Genentech. He joined Idec Pharmaceuticals in 1986, where his roles included chief financial officer, president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board of directors. He became executive chairman in 2003 after the merger of Idec and Biogen.

Anthony Tong, a research scientist at Nanogen, won the Achievement Award for work on the section's Younger Chemists Committee.

History Of Chemistry Fellowship

The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) is now receiving applications for fellowships at its Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry. Applications for the 2005–06 academic year are due by Jan. 15, 2005. The fellowships include the Gordon Cain Fellowship, for historical research on the development of the chemical industries; two John C. Haas Fellowships, for projects that will enhance public understanding of the chemical industries; and the Charles C. Price Fellowship, for scholars pursuing research on the history of the chemical sciences and technologies, especially polymers.

Applications for the summer of 2005 are due by Feb. 15, 2005. The fellowships include two Roy G. Neville Fellowships, for historians, bibliographers, or librarians to study the Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library (C&EN, May 10, page 49); the Société de Chimie Industrielle (American Section) Fellowship, for writers, journalists, educators, or historians to spend three months in residence at CHF; and the Glenn E. & Barbara Hodsdon Ullyot Scholarship, supporting historical research that promotes public understanding of the chemical sciences.

Applications must include a research proposal of fewer than 1,000 words, a curriculum vitae, and two letters of reference. All material should be sent to Fellowship Coordinator, Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106-2702, (215) 925-2222, fax (215) 925 1954, e-mail: fellowships@chemheritage.org.

The Beckman Center also offers travel grants for research in CHF's Othmer Library of Chemical History and CHF's historical archives and instrument and art collections. More information about all of CHF's fellowships can be found at http://www.chemheritage.org.

RECOGNITIONS

Nominations Are Sought For Three Awards

MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY AWARD

The ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry is accepting nominations for the David W. Robertson Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry, which recognizes seminal contributions by young scientists to the field. The awardee will receive a plaque and an honorarium and will be invited to present his or her research at an award symposium organized by the division at the 2005 ACS fall national meeting.

Nominees, who must be no older than 40 at the time of nomination, must be engaged in the research of biologically active substances in academia, industry, government, or a private research organization. The nominee should have played a primary role in the discovery of novel therapeutic agents, targets, or theoretical concepts in medicinal chemistry or drug discovery, or should have made a significant scientific discovery that enhances the field of medicinal chemistry. The award is given out annually in memory of medicinal chemist David W. Robertson and is supported by Pfizer.

Nomination packages should include a current curriculum vitae, a primary letter of recommendation that describes the contributions and accomplishments of the nominee and the role the individual played in the discovery or discoveries for which he or she is being nominated, and a supporting letter from someone familiar with the work being recognized. Send four copies by Feb. 18, 2005, to Bharat Trivedi, Director, Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Global R&D, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105; e-mail: Bharat.Trivedi@pfizer.com.

PATTERSON-CRANE AWARD

Nominees for the 2005 Patterson-Crane Award are being sought by the ACS Dayton and Columbus Sections. The biennial award, which consists of a $2,000 honorarium and a personalized commendation, is given in honor of Austin M. Patterson and E. J. Crane, previous editors of Chemical Abstracts. The award will be presented in the spring at an awards dinner to be held in Dayton, Ohio.

The Patterson-Crane Award acknowledges outstanding contributions to the field of chemical information, including the design, development, production, or management of chemical information systems or services; electronic access and retrieval of chemical information; critically evaluated data compilations; information technology applications in chemistry; or other significant chemical documentation.

Nominations must be in writing and should discuss the nominee's contributions to the field and provide an evaluation of accomplishments. Materials supporting the nomination should include a biography and bibliography of publications and presentations relevant to the award. Seconding letters are required.

Send one copy of the nomination materials to Melinda Greer, Chair of the Patterson-Crane Award Committee, Raymond Walters College, 9555 Plainfield Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236, for receipt by Jan. 31, 2005. To receive an informative brochure about the award, contact Greer at (513) 936-7165 or melinda.greer@uc.edu.

LINUS PAULING AWARD

Nominations are solicited for the Linus Pauling Award, which is given annually by the ACS Puget Sound, Oregon, and Portland Sections. The award is named after Linus C. Pauling, a native of the Pacific Northwest, because of the inspiration of his example. Recipients have made outstanding contributions to chemistry of a character that merits national and international recognition. This Pauling Award will be presented in Portland, Ore., in the fall of 2005.

Nominations should include the nominee's name, current position, and address; a résumé of the nominee's professional career; a narrative summary of the scientific achievements that form the basis for the nomination, including explanations of the importance of the work; a listing of honors, awards, and medals, with the dates and conferring organizations; and a bibliography of significant publications (reprints are not desired). Additional supporting letters are encouraged.

Scientists of all nationalities are eligible for the award. The award is not given for work for which the nominee has already received the Nobel Prize.

Seven collated copies of all nomination materials must be received by Feb. 28, 2005. A previous nomination may be reactivated by specific request. Please mail all materials to Robin Terjeson, Pauling Award Chair, Engineering & Science Institute, Washington State University, 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., Vancouver, WA 98686-9600. For additional information, please contact Terjeson at (360) 546-9122 or terjeson@vancouver.wsu.edu.