Chemical Heritage Foundation to Present Othmer Gold Medal to George M. Whitesides

Whitesides will be honored at Heritage Day 2010, a two-day celebration beginning with the 13th annual presentation of the Othmer Gold Medal.

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) has named George M. Whitesides, winner of the Kyoto Prize and the National Medal of Science, recipient of the 2010 Othmer Gold Medal. The Othmer Gold Medal ceremony and dinner will open the eighth annual Heritage Day on Wednesday, 7 April 2010.

"George Whitesides is a man of immense skills and accomplishments—just what an Othmer Gold Medalist should be," said Thomas R. Tritton, president and CEO of CHF. "We are honored to award him the medal in recognition of his truly outstanding work all across the scientific spectrum."

About George M. Whitesides

George M. Whitesides is the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University. His work encompasses nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, organometallic chemistry, applied enzymology, molecular self-assembly, organic surface science, and nanotechnology. His current research interests include physical and organic chemistry, materials science, biophysics, complexity and simplicity, tools for biology, technology for developing economies, and the origin of life.

Whitesides received an A.B. from Harvard and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. A member of the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1963 to 1982, he joined the Harvard faculty in 1982 as the Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry. He is the author of over 1,100 scientific articles, and he is listed as an inventor on more than 90 patents.

Whitesides has served on advisory committees for the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Defense. He has also served on the National Research Council in various capacities since 1984, including roles with the Committee on Science and Technology for Counterterrorism and the Committee on Nanotechnology for the Intelligence Community, and his current position as chairman of the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy.

The many awards and honors bestowed on Whitesides include the U.S. National Medal of Science, the Kyoto Prize in Materials Science and Engineering, the Welch Award in Chemistry, the Dan David Prize in Future Science, the American Chemical Society Priestley Medal, the Prince of Asturias Award in Science and Technology, and the Dreyfus Prize in Chemistry.

He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering. He is also a foreign associate of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Indian Academy of Science, and the French Academy of Science.

About the Othmer Gold Medal

The Chemical Heritage Foundation established the Othmer Gold Medal in 1997 to honor outstanding individuals who have made multifaceted contributions to our chemical and scientific heritage through outstanding activity in such areas as innovation, entrepreneurship, research, education, public understanding, legislation, or philanthropy. Previous honorees are John D. Baldeschwieler, Arnold O. Beckman, Ronald C. D. Breslow, Thomas Cech, Carl Djerassi, Mary Lowe Good, George S. Hammond, Jon M. Huntsman, Ralph Landau, Robert S. Langer, Yuan T. Lee, Gordon E. Moore, P. Roy Vagelos, James D. Watson, and Ahmed Zewail.

About the Chemical Heritage Foundation

The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) fosters an understanding of chemistry's impact on society. An independent nonprofit organization, we strive to inspire a passion for chemistry; highlight chemistry's role in meeting current social challenges; and preserve the story of chemistry across centuries.  

CHF maintains major collections of instruments, fine art, photographs, papers, and books. We host conferences and lectures, support research, offer fellowships, and produce educational materials. Our museum and public programs explore subjects ranging from alchemy to nanotechnology.  For more information, please visit www.chemheritage.org.

SOURCE Chemical Heritage Foundation