Welcome to the Recognition Subcommittee!
Our Vision:
Publicizing important chemical innovations in intellectual property
Our Mission:
Enabling recognition of landmark contributions of chemistry to the world, addressing one of ACS’s strategic goals (Communicate chemistry’s value)
Our Goals:
Equitably increase recognition for chemical innovators
This committee will identify and recommend distinguished scientists and engineers for recognition via national awards programs, within ACS and outside ACS, for their contributions / achievements as evidenced by the intellectual property they have created.
Our focus areas:
- Highlight and acknowledge the intellectual property contributions of chemists
- Make ACS-endorsed nominations for the National Inventor Hall of Fame, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, and other awards as appropriate
- Make nominations for ACS national awards pertaining to intellectual property
- Cooperate with other ACS committees, including Professional and Member Relations, ComSci, WCC, CMA, and CWD
DISTINGUISHED AWARDS
THE ACS COMMITTEE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY NOMINATES FOR
1. National Inventors Hallo of Fame
Recognizes a living or deceased inventor who holds US patent of significant contribution to US welfare, including novelty, societal impact, economic impact.
Technological areas:
- thiazide diuretics
- polyethylene
- superglue
- HeNe laser
2. ACS Award for Creative Invention
Recognizes a single inventor for the successful application of research in chemistry and/or chemical engineering.
- Ted Johnson – Lorlatinib
- Scott Culler – ceramic abrasives
- Anil Kumar – photochromic eyeglass lenses
- Jonathan Vennerstrom – antimalarial drug Synriam
- Robert Kania – Axitinib
- Richard Silverman – Lyrica
- Antonio Facchetti – organic electronic materials
- Jotham Coe – Chantix (varenicline)
- Marvin Caruthers – phosphoramidite DNA synthesis
3. National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Recognizing contributions of living US citizens or teams to technological innovation and workforce, including economic contributions through patents.
- Adam Heller, electrochemistry
- Helen Free, diagnostics
- Edith Flanigan, zeolites
- Ralph Landau, petrochemicals
- Frances Arnold, synthetic biology
Past successes
Common Inventorship and Patent Ownership Questions
Frequent questions among potential inventors relates to who should be considered an inventor on a patent application and who owns the invention—especially if their invention is in a different field from their work-related research, or [...]
Equitable Recognition: Celebrating Innovators in Chemistry
The the importance of equitable recognition in the field of chemistry, why it matters, and the ways in which the ACS is working towards this goal.