Prized Science American Chemical Society

Organic chemistry: It’s among the most feared courses undergraduate science students take. Whether you call it “orgo” or “o-chem,” it has reduced many hopeful scholars to tears. One professor thinks he has a solution. William Dichtel, Ph.D., of Cornell University shares his thoughts on making organic chemistry classes more interesting and relevant to students.

Stephen J. Lippard is the winner of the 2014 American Chemical Society Priestley Medal, the highest honor given by ACS. Lippard helped create the field of bioinorganic chemistry, which explores the crucial role of metals in biology. His work also led to a better understanding of the mechanism of cisplatin — sometimes termed "the penicillin of cancer" for its wide-ranging effects — and opened the door to efforts to develop more effective anti-cancer medications.

The engineering feat that enables a device to jolt a dangerously misbehaving heart back to its normal rhythm and save millions of lives is featured in our last Prized Science episode of 2013. The video features renowned inventor Esther S. Takeuchi, Ph.D., this year's winner of the E. V. Murphree Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. The award recognizes Takeuchi's work on a battery that powers implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). These devices monitor patients' heartbeats continuously. When the beats go haywire, it can deliver a life-saving shock to help the heart resume a normal rhythm.

A group of nanoparticles called “GUMBOS” is as varied as their culinary namesake implies, with a wide range of potential applications from cancer therapy tosensors. Isiah Warner, Ph.D., won the ACS Award in Analytical Chemistry for his work on GUMBOS and other innovative research.

Imagine creating something completely new — something improbable and provocative that has never existed on Earth before. This kind of unconventional science is the focus of Gregory H. Robinson, Ph.D., winner of the 2013 F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry. The Cotton Award recognizes Robinson’s success harnessing finicky, unstable elements.

One of Shirley O. Corriher’s first lessons on how chemistry meets cooking came in the form of scrambled eggs stuck to a frying pan. That experience set the former biochemist on a journey to become an award-winning food writer. For her success in bringing science in the home, Corriher was awarded this year's James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public.