American Chemical Society Florida Section

Florida Award

Purpose

To recognize leadership and contributions toward the advancement of the profession of chemistry.

Establishment and Support

The award was established in 1952 by vote of the Florida Section of the American Chemical Society and has been given each year since then at the annual scientific meeting of the Florida Sections.

Nature

The award consists of a plaque and $500, plus hotel and registration for the purpose of attending the meeting to receive the award and to give an address. The Florida Section of the American Chemical Society will also provide up to $500 in support of the symposium centered around the award recipient’s research interests. This specially organized symposium will be part of the Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition that is held in September each year.

Rules of Eligibility

A nominee must be a resident of the Southeastern United States and must have made outstanding contributions to teaching, research, publications or service in advancing the profession. The award recipient gives an address at the Annual Meeting.

To Submit a Nomination

The nominator should obtain the consent of the nominee. A nomination package should then be e-mailed as a single PDF file to Professor George Christou (christou@chem.ufl.edu). A complete nomination package should consist of:

a nomination letter that outlines the nominee’s qualifications and contributions to the profession, two seconding letters of support for the nomination, and a copy of the nominee’s current curriculum vitae.

Nomination forms and seconding letters must be received by Friday December 13, 2024.

Note: The 2025 Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition (FAME 2025) will be held September 12 – 14, 2025 at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club near Tampa, FL. The award recipient for 2025 will give an address at the meeting during a symposium related to their recipient’s research interests. Nominators should confirm in the nomination letter that the nominee can be present to participate in the meeting program and to receive the Award.

2024 Florida Award Winner

Congratulations to Prof. Brent Sumerlin
Department of Chemistry
University of Florida

Brent Sumerlin is the George Bergen Butler Chair in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida. He received his undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University in 1998 and later earned his PhD in Polymer Science & Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi under the guidance of Charles McCormick. After completing his PhD, Sumerlin worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor/Postdoctoral Research Associate at Carnegie Mellon University under Krzysztof Matyjaszewski. In 2005, he took a faculty position at Southern Methodist University before moving to the University of Florida in 2012. Sumerlin is an associate editor for ACS Macro Letters and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He has received awards, including the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, NSF CAREER Award, ACS Leadership Development Award, Journal of Polymer Science Innovation Award, Biomacromolecules/Macromolecules Young Investigator Award, the Hanwha-Total IUPAC Award, and the UF Doctoral Dissertation Mentoring/Advising Award.

  • 1952 Paul Gross (Duke University)
  • 1953 A. E. Wood (University of Mississippi)
  • 1954 C. B. Pollard (University of Florida)
  • 1955 H. E. Skipper (Southern Research Institute)
  • 1956 George K. Davis (University of Florida)
  • 1957 C. R. Hauser (Duke University)
  • 1958 Karl Dittmer (Florida State University)
  • 1959 J. E. Hawkins (University of Florida)
  • 1960 H. H. Sisler (University of Florida)
  • 1961 Michael Kasha (Florida State University)
  • 1962 Jack Hine (Georgia Institute of Technology)
  • 1963 George Butler (University of Florida)
  • 1964 C. T. Bahner (Carson-Newman College)
  • 1965 Werner Herz (Florida State University)
  • 1966 Paul Tarrant (University of Florida)
  • 1967 O. K. Rice (University of North Carolina)
  • 1968 Earl Frieden (Florida State University)
  • 1969 John Baxter (University of Florida)
  • 1970 S. P. McGlynn (Louisiana State University))
  • 1971 Ray Lawrence (USDA Naval Stores Laboratory)
  • 1972 James V. Quagliano (Florida State University)
  • 1973 Gregory Choppin (Florida State University)
  • 1974 Sidney Fox (University of Miami)
  • 1975 Dean F. Martin (University of South Florida)
  • 1976 William Jones (University of Florida)
  • 1977 Cecil Criss (University of Miami)
  • 1978 Harry Walborsky (Florida State University)
  • 1979 Mary Good (Louisiana State University)
  • 1980 Raymond Sheline (Florida State University)
  • 1981 Wallace Brey (University of Florida)
  • 1982 ames D. Winefordner (University of Florida)
  • 1983 Theodore A. Ashford (University of South Florida)
  • 1984 Leo Mandelkern (Florida State University)
  • 1985 Brian Stevens (University of South Florida)
  • 1986 Harry P. Schultz (University of Miami)
  • 1987 DeLos F. DeTar (Florida State University)
  • 1988 Edward K. Mellon (Florida State University)
  • 1989 William R. Dolbier (University of Florida)
  • 1990 R. Bruce King (University of Georgia)
  • 1991 George R. Newkome (University of South Florida)
  • 1992 Charles E. Carraher (Florida Atlantic University)
  • 1993 Norman L. Allinger (University of Georgia)
  • 1994 Albert Padwa (Emory University)
  • 1995 Alan R. Katritzky (University of Florida)
  • 1996 Luis Echegoyen (University of Miami)
  • 1997 N. Yngve Öhrn (University of Florida)
  • 1998 Jack Saltiel (Florida State University)
  • 1999 Mostafa El-Sayed (Georgia Institute of Technology)
  • 2000 Rodney J. Bartlett (University of Florida)
  • 2001 Thomas J. Vickers (Florida State University)
  • 2002 Alan G. Marshall (Florida State University)
  • 2003 Kenneth B. Wagener (University of Florida)
  • 2004 John G. Dorsey (Florida State University)
  • 2005 Charles R. (Martin University of Florida)
  • 2006 Roger M. Leblanc (University of Miami)
  • 2007 Naresh Dalal (Florida State University)
  • 2008 George Christou (University of Florida)
  • 2009 Kirk S. Schanze (University of Florida)
  • 2010 Timothy Cross (Florida State University)
  • 2011 Frank Millero (University of Miami)
  • 2012 Weihong Tan (University of Florida)
  • 2013 Joe Schlenoff (Florida State University)
  • 2014 Weitao Yang (Duke University)
  • 2015 Lisa McElwee-White (University of Florida)
  • 2016 Richard D. Adams (University of South Carolina
  • 2017 David N Bertan (Duke University)
  • 2018 Kevin M Smith (Louisiana State University)
  • 2019 John R. Reynolds (Georgia Institute of Technology)
  • 2020 Brian C. Benicewicz (University of South Carolina)
  • 2021 Jeffery Johnson (University of NC Chapel Hill)
  • 2022 Igor Alabugin (Florida State University)
  • 2023 Michael Therien (Duke University)
  • 2024 Brent Sumerlin (University of Florida)