Chemists Receive Presidential Honors

Six chemical professionals were among the 85 researchers President Barack Obama selected to receive the 2009 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists & Engineers, the highest honor given by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers at the beginning of their careers.

Awardees were chosen for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and for their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach. The winners received research grants for up to five years to further their studies in support of critical government missions.

The chemical professionals who received awards are Virginia A. Davis, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Auburn University; Jayne C. Garno, an assistant professor of chemistry at Louisiana State University; Caryn E. Outten, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of South Carolina; De-en Jiang, a member of the R&D staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Elena V. Shevchenko, a scientist in the NanoBio Interface Group at Argonne National Laboratory; and Martin T. Zanni, Meloche-Bascom Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.