FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | October 6, 2010
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2010 — Joseph S. Francisco, Ph.D., president of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, and a colleague of one of the new Nobel laureates, comments on today’s award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Richard F. Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki. They shared the prize for developing new, more efficient ways of linking carbon atoms together to build the complex molecules that become new medicines and other products.
“It’s a wonderful selection. The winners are among the foremost scientists of our era. Their research has led to creation of new molecules and compounds that have improved the lives of millions of people. It gave us revolutionary new medicines, plastics and other products that improve the lives of people everywhere. Coming as it does on the eve of the International Year of Chemistry in 2011, this Nobel Prize showcases the global reach and universal impact of chemistry. As President of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest Scientific Society I am delighted to congratulate the new laureates on behalf of our more than 161,000 members. Both Drs. Negishi and Suzuki are among those members.”
Heck has published almost 70 articles in ACS peer-reviewed journals, Negishi more than 60, and Suzuki almost 40. News media can arrange telephone interviews with Francisco through the ACS Office of Public Affairs contacts listed at the top of this page.
Joseph S. Francisco, Ph.D., is 2010 President of the American Chemical Society and William E. Moore Distinguished Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Science and Chemistry at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Francisco’s laboratory focuses on basic studies in spectroscopy, kinetics, and photochemistry of novel transient species in the gas phase. President Obama in September announced his intent to appoint Francisco to the 12-member committee that selects recipients of the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest scientific honor. Francisco served as President of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers from 2005 to 2007. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow. Francisco received a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983 and his B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1977. The ACS President has published more than 400 journal articles, written nine book chapters and co-authored the textbook, Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics. He and his wife, Priya, reside in Zionsville, Ind.
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The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
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