Tolman Medal To Joan Valentine Chemistry Awards

Joan S. Valentine, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, has won the Richard C. Tolman Medal for outstanding contributions in chemistry. The medal is awarded annually by the ACS Southern California Section.

Valentine’s research has focused on the role of metal ions in biological oxidation and in naturally occurring biological antioxidant systems. Her work has played a major role in characterizing the properties of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase and the role of mutations in the enzyme in causing familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.