AsianScientist (Sep. 3, 2014) – Professor John F. Hartwig from the University of California, Berkeley and Professor Itaru Hamachi from Kyoto University have been awarded the Gold and Silver Nagoya Medals of Organic Chemistry, respectively.
First established in 1995 by Professors Ryoji Noyori and Hisashi Yamamoto from Nagoya University, the Nagoya Medal of Organic Chemistry celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The Gold Medal is awarded to an outstanding organic chemist who has made significant and original contributions to the field. The Silver Medal, founded in 1999, honors up-and-coming Japanese scientists in the field of synthetic organic chemistry.
Prof. Hartwig’s research focuses on the use of transition metal complexes for cataylsis. In particular, he has developed methods for the selective catalysis of alkyl and aryl C-H bonds. Prof. Hamachi and his research group have been working on developing live-cell organic chemistry as well as supramolecular biomaterials.
The award winners will be presented their medals at an awards ceremony on October 27, 2014, at the Noyori Conference Hall at Nagoya University in Japan. The medals are designed in the shape of a sword guard decorated with lilies, which are the city flower of Nagoya City and have the meaning of “a kind heart and competitiveness”.
At the awards ceremony, Profs. Hartwig and Hamachi will also give lectures covering not only their scientific output but also their research philosophy. The organizers envision that these lectures will be a source of encouragement and inspiration to other aspiring scientists both inside and outside of Japan.
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Source: Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules, Nagoya University.
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