Obituaries

W . D. NIEDERHAUSER DIES AT 87

Niederhauser, who became president in 1984 after seven years on the ACS Board of Directors, aimed to develop society programs that would increase the professional value of chemists. He supported tax incentives for scientific research and urged ACS to take a more active role in monitoring federal R&D funding decisions. He also encouraged accountability in industry by convincing the Committee on Public Relations to publish the records of employers that breach ACS guidelines.

In addition to the presidency, Niederhauser was active in a variety of ACS national committees. He was Region III director from 1976 to 1984, chair of the Committee on Professional & Member Relations in 1979, chair of the ACS Award for Creative Invention canvassing team from 1978 to 1980, and secretary of the Committee on Committees in 1975. He also served for several years as a congressional science counselor.

Born in Akron, Ohio, and raised in Gadsden, Ala., Niederhauser received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Oberlin College, in Ohio, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After graduation, Niederhauser joined Rohm and Haas, where he enjoyed a 31-year career. He led research divisions in both Huntsville, Ala., and Spring House, Pa., before retiring in the early 1990s.

Niederhauser held more than 50 patents and, in 1977, was coeditor of a book on the legal rights of chemists and engineers. He was a member of the Philadelphia Organic Chemists' Club, the American Institute of Chemists, the Society of Chemical Industry, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Niederhauser was preceded in death by his first wife, Floris. He is survived by his second wife, Esther Mae; a daughter; three stepsons; and three grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1942.--VICTORIA GILMAN

Om P. Bahl, a biology professor at the University of Buffalo whose research led to development of the first home pregnancy test, died on Dec. 10, 2004, following a stroke. He was 77.

Bahl conducted research in the 1970s that elucidated the structure of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone associated with pregnancy. At-home tests used today detect hCG in urine. His later research involved using the hormone to find safer methods of contraception and to investigate the relationship between abnormal hCG production and certain cancers.

Born in Lyallpur, India, Bahl earned an undergraduate degree in organic chemistry from Lahore Government College and a graduate degree in biochemistry at Punjab University, Chandigarth, India. He went on to receive a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and did postdoctoral work at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Bahl joined the faculty at the University of Buffalo in 1966 as an assistant professor and became a full professor in 1971. He was chair of the biological sciences department from 1976 to 1983. In addition to his university work, Bahl served on the editorial boards for a variety of journals and was an adviser to the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health.

For his achievements, Bahl received a Dernham Fellowship in 1965 from the American Cancer Society and the 1978 Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal from the ACS Western New York Local Section. He was also awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's highest civilian award, by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Bahl is survived by his wife, Nirmal; two daughters; a son; three grandchildren; and six siblings. He joined ACS in 1974.

Conrad J. Kowalski, senior director of worldwide chemical development for Cephalon, died on Dec. 11, 2004, after a prolonged battle with melanoma. He was 57.

Kowalski was born and raised in Chicago and earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1968. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in organic synthesis from California Institute of Technology in 1974. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University, he joined the faculty of Notre Dame University as an assistant professor in 1976.

Kowalski left academe in 1982 to join Smith Kline & French Laboratories (now GlaxoSmithKline) as assistant director of synthetic chemistry. During his 19-year career there, he rose to the rank of vice president and director of process chemistry and was responsible for process development and production of investigational new drugs up to commercialization. He helped implement the firm's merger with Beecham Pharmaceuticals in 1989. He also oversaw creation of a physical forms group and the transfer of a dozen development projects to the manufacturing division for commercialization.

In 2001, Kowalski became an independent consultant helping small companies solve problems related to chemical scale-up, process troubleshooting, purification, and outsourcing of production. He joined Cephalon in 2003.

Kowalski was a 3M Corp. Young Faculty Fellow from 1981 to 1983 and was awarded the 1993 Philadelphia Organic Chemists' Club Award and the 1993 SmithKline Beecham "Simply the Best" Award. He held offices for a number of professional associations, including chairman of the Philadelphia Organic Chemists' Club in 1988 and chair of the ACS Organic Division executive committee in 1998.

Kowalski is survived by his wife, Marcia; two sons; and a sister. He joined ACS in 1970.