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About the Awards Presented at 2008 Heritage Day

The AIC Gold Medal
First awarded by the American Institute of Chemists (AIC)* in 1926, the Gold Medal is the AIC's highest award. It recognizes service to the science of chemistry and to the profession of chemist or chemical engineer in the United States. Previous winners include Nobel laureates as well as other renowned researchers and engineers representing many facets of the world of chemistry. Medalists include Alfred Bader, Arnold O. Beckman, Herbert C. Brown, F. Albert Cotton, Carl Djerassi, Harry B. Gray, Roald Hoffmann, Ralph F. Hirschmann, Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Glenn T. Seaborg, Max Tishler, and George M. Whitesides. (A complete list is available here on the AIC Web site.)
The Richard J. Bolte, Sr., Award for Supporting Industries
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) established the Award for Supporting Industries in 2006. In 2007 the award was renamed the Richard J. Bolte, Sr., Award for Supporting Industries in honor of its inaugural recipient. The award is presented annually by CHF to recognize outstanding contributions by a leader who provides products or services vital to the continuing growth and development of the chemical and molecular sciences community. (A list of previous winners is available here on our Web site.)

The Chemists' Club's Winthrop-Sears Medal
The Chemists' Club's* Winthrop-Sears Medal was established in 1970 to recognize individuals who, by their entrepreneurial action, have contributed to the vitality of the chemical industry and the betterment of mankind. Named in honor of two of colonial America's earliest chemical entrepreneurs, John Winthrop, Jr., and John Sears, the medal is presented by The Chemists' Club in association with the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Previous recipients include Sol J. Barer, Herbert Boyer, Robert L. Gore, Jon M. Huntsman, Ralph Landau, James Mack, George Rosenkranz, Phillip A. Sharp, Harold A. Sorgenti, and Alejandro Zaffaroni.

The Othmer Gold Medal
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) established the Othmer Gold Medal in 1997 to honor outstanding individuals who have made multifaceted contributions to our chemical and scientific heritage through outstanding activity in such areas as innovation, entrepreneurship, research, education, public understanding, legislation, or philanthropy. The medal is presented annually and cosponsored by CHF and four affiliated organizations: the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, The Chemists’ Club, and the Société de Chimie Industrielle (American Section). The medal commemorates Donald Othmer (1904–1995), noted researcher, consultant, editor, engineer, inventor, philanthropist, professor, and coeditor of the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. CHF gratefully acknowledges John Wiley & Sons, Inc., for donating a set of the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology each year to the institution chosen by the Othmer Gold Medal recipient. (A complete list of previous Othmer Gold Medalists is available here on our Web site.)

*The AIC and The Chemists' Club are CHF affiliates.