3/7/01

Mark Shwartz, News Service (650) 723-9296;
e-mail: mshwartz@stanford.edu

Brauman receives National Academy of Sciences award

John I. Brauman is this year's recipient of the National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences.

Brauman, the J.G. Jackson and C.J. Wood Professor of Chemistry and associate dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, was chosen "for his wide-ranging contributions to the fundamental understanding of chemical reactivity, especially the acid-base, nucleophilic and hydrogen-bonding properties of ions and molecules," according to NAS.

By challenging the conventional wisdom of the day, Brauman led the science of chemistry to a new level of understanding of broad classes of chemical reactions, the NAS statement added.

Brauman joined the Stanford faculty in 1963 after receiving his doctoral degree in organic chemistry from the University of California-Berkeley. He has received numerous awards, including the American Chemical Society Award in Pure Chemistry and the Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching at Stanford. He also chairs the senior editorial board at Science magazine.

The NAS Award in Chemical Sciences is given annually for innovative research that contributes to a better understanding of the natural sciences and to the benefit of humanity. The award, which includes a medal and a $20,000 prize, is supported by The Merck Company Foundation.

Brauman is one of 18 individuals honored by the Academy this year for major contributions to science. The awards will be presented at the NAS annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 30.

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By Mark Shwartz