PAUL ANDERSON IS PRIESTLEY MEDALIST
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CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING WWW.CEN-ONLI NE.ORG C&EN / JUNE 13, 2005 5 NEWS OF THE WEEK JUNE 13, 20Q5 - Ε D Τ ED BY WILLIAM G.SCHULZ & STEPHEN TRZASKA AWARDS PAUL ANDERSON IS PRIESTLEY MEDALIST Former ACS president is honored with highest award for serving chemistry P AUL S. ANDERSON, RETIRED pharmaceutical industry chemist and former presi- dent of the American Chemical Society, has been named the 2006 Priestley Medalist. The annual award, which dates back to 1923 and recognizes distin- guished services to chemistry, is ACS's highest honor. "I was obviously deeply hon- ored and very surprised," Ander- son says. The 67-year-old chemist is also appreciative, knowing the award acknowledges "all the very talented, very hardworking peo- ple I have had the privilege of working with" in his career and at ACS. "People are the essence of what makes ACS a very vital and important organization in the world of chemistry and for all of society" Anderson's professional career spanned nearly 40 years in the pharmaceutical industry, prima- rily at Merck and later at DuPont- Merck Pharmaceutical and Bris- tol-Myers Squibb. He and the collaborators whose work he di- rected designed and synthesized numerous compounds that went on to become leading pharma- ceutical products. At Merck, for example, Anderson was involved in projects that led to the H I V protease inhibitor Crixivan and the HIV reverse transcriptase in- hibitor Sustiva. Anderson's scientific work "combines the highest levels of cre- ative, synthetic organic chemistry with an insightful approach to me- dicinal chemistry," says Ralph F. Hirschmann, a professor of bioor- ganic chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and a former col- league at Merck. "His work stands out for the creative way in which he reflects on the stereochemical significance of structure-activity relationships, and he deserves the highest praise for his scholarship, logic, and directness of approach." Anderson has long been a leader in the medicinal chemistry and broader chemistry communities. He has chaired the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry and the Gordon Research Conference in the field, and served on related Na- tional Institutes of Health and Na- tional Research Council boards. In 1997, Ander- son became ACS presi- dent, after having served on numerous society committees and boards, which he continues to do. For his contributions to medicinal chemistry and leadership in drug dis- covery, he also received the 2002 Perkin Medal, one of the U.S. chemical industry's highest honors. In recognition of his broader contributions, Anderson received, in 2003, the National Academy of Sciences Award for Chemistry in Service to Society, which is awarded every two years. He was chosen "for his scientific leadership in two drugs approved for the treatment of AIDS and for his widely cited basic research re- lated to the glutamate receptor." His peers consider him a remark- ably productive chemist and a uniquely respected leader who has served the biomedical sciences in m a n y ways.—ANN THAYER Anderson VOLUNTEER AWARD E. Gerald Meyer Honored For Service To ACS A n active ACS member for more than 66 £ years, E. Gerald Meyer, emeritus profes- ° sor of chemistry and dean of arts and sci- \ ences at the University of Wyoming, will receive > the 2006 ACS Award for Volunteer Service. The " award, created in 2001, recognizes individuals = who have contributed significantly to the goals and objectives of ACS. "To be recognized is a very high honor in view of having had the privilege and honor of working with so many people who have done so many great things in this society," Meyer says. "Over all these years, what impresses me most are the dedication and the caliber of those who lend a hand." Noted for his energy and enthusiasm, Mey- er, 85, has been active on local, regional, and national levels. He was a founder and chairman of the ACS Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting Meyer and also twice chaired and served as councilor for the ACS Wyoming Section. He continues to serve on ACS commit- tees. This week he will ride his motorcycle 360 miles in Alaska to pres- ent a paper in Fairbanks at the ACS Northwest Re- gional Meeting. Meyer received B.S. and M.S. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. degree from the University of New Mexico. He has worked for the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and was on the faculty of the University of Albuquerque and New Mexico Highlands University, before moving to Wyoming in 1963.—ANN THAYER
Transcript of PAUL ANDERSON IS PRIESTLEY MEDALIST
CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING
W W W . C E N - O N L I N E . O R G C & E N / J U N E 13, 2005 5
NEWS OF THE WEEK JUNE 13, 20Q5 - Ε D Τ ED BY WILLIAM G.SCHULZ & STEPHEN TRZASKA
A W A R D S
PAUL ANDERSON IS PRIESTLEY MEDALIST Former ACS president is honored with highest award for serving chemistry
PAUL S. ANDERSON, RETIRED
pha rmaceu t i ca l i ndus t ry chemist and former presi
dent of the American Chemical Society, has b e e n n a m e d t h e 2 0 0 6 Priest ley Medal i s t . T h e annual award, which dates back to 1923 and recognizes distinguished services to chemistry, is ACS's highest honor.
"I was obviously deeply honored and very surprised," Anderson says. The 67-year-old chemist is also appreciative, knowing the award acknowledges "all the very talented, very hardworking people I have had the privilege of working with" in his career and at ACS. "People are the essence of what makes ACS a very vital and impor t an t organizat ion in the world of chemistry and for all of society"
Anderson's professional career spanned nearly 4 0 years in the pharmaceutical industry, primarily at Merck and later at DuPont-Merck Pharmaceutical and Bristol-Myers Squibb. H e and the collaborators whose work he directed designed and synthesized numerous compounds that went on to become leading pharmaceutical products. At Merck, for example, Anderson was involved in projects that led to the H I V protease inhibitor Crixivan and the H I V reverse transcriptase inhibitor Sustiva.
Anderson 's scientific w o r k "combines the highest levels of creative, synthetic organic chemistry with an insightful approach to me
dicinal chemistry," says Ralph F. Hirschmann, a professor of bioor-ganic chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and a former colleague at Merck. "His work stands out for the creative way in which he reflects on the stereochemical significance of structure-activity relationships, and he deserves the highest praise for his scholarship, logic, and directness of approach."
Anderson has long been a leader in the medicinal chemistry and broader chemistry communities. He has chaired the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry and the Gordon Research Conference in the field, and served on related National Institutes of Health and Na
tional Research Council boards. In 1997, Anderson became ACS president, after having served on numerous society committees and boards, which he continues to do. For his contributions to medicinal chemistry and leadership in drug discovery, he also received the 2 0 0 2 Perkin Medal, one of the U.S. chemical industry's highest honors.
In recognition of his broader contributions, Anderson received, in 2 0 0 3 , the National Academy of Sciences Award for Chemistry in Service to Society, which is awarded every two years. He was chosen "for his scientific leadership in two drugs approved for the treatment of AIDS and for his widely cited basic research related to the glutamate receptor." His peers consider him a remarkably product ive chemis t and a uniquely respected leader who has served the biomedical sciences in many ways.—ANN THAYER
Anderson
V O L U N T E E R A W A R D
E. Gerald Meyer Honored For Service To ACS
An active ACS member for more than 66 £
years, E. Gerald Meyer, emeritus profes- ° sor of chemistry and dean of arts and sci- \
ences at the University of Wyoming, will receive > the 2006 ACS Award for Volunteer Service. The " award, created in 2001, recognizes individuals =
who have contributed significantly to the goals and objectives of ACS.
"To be recognized is a very high honor in view of having had the privilege and honor of working with so many people who have done so many great things in this society," Meyer says. "Over all these years, what impresses me most are the dedication and the caliber of those who lend a hand."
Noted for his energy and enthusiasm, Meyer, 85, has been active on local, regional, and national levels. He was a founder and chairman of the ACS Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting
Meyer
and also twice chaired and served as councilor for the ACS Wyoming Section. He continues to serve on ACS committees. This week he will ride his motorcycle 360 miles in Alaska to present a paper in Fairbanks at the ACS Northwest Regional Meeting.
Meyer received B.S. and M.S. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. degree from the University of New Mexico. He has worked for the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and was on the faculty of the University of Albuquerque and New Mexico Highlands University, before moving to Wyoming in 1963.—ANN THAYER
