2003 Award Recipients

AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement

Carlos G. Gutièrrez

Dr. Carlos G. Gutièrrez is the recipient of the AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement. He is honored for substantial contributions in mentoring students from underrepresented groups and leadership in promoting Ph.D. careers for underrepresented groups in chemistry and the biosciences.

The AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement honors members of the Association who have mentored and guided significant numbers of underrepresented students towards a Ph.D. in the sciences, as well as scholarship, activism, and community building on behalf of underrepresented groups, including: women of all racial or ethnic groups; African American, Native American, and Hispanic men; and people with disabilities. This award is directed towards individuals with 25 or more years of success in mentoring students. The recipient receives $5,000 and a commemorative plaque.

Chemistry professor Carlos G. Gutièrrez has inspired hundreds of minority science students over the past 28 years. He serves as a lecturer and laboratory educator, faculty advisor, and research supervisor at the California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA)-a federally classified Hispanic Serving Institution that is well-known for its diverse student body. Over half of CSULA's 20,000 students are Latino.

Gutièrrez has directly mentored 28 underrepresented students (primarily Hispanic Americans) at the bachelor's or master's level that have gone on to receive doctorates. Another 66 of his students are currently pursuing doctoral degrees. He was instrumental in establishing the American Chemical Society Committee on Minority Affairs and has served as a member of the National Institute for General Medical Sciences Advisory Council.

In a letter of support for Gutièrrez's nomination, Herbert Silber, Professor of Chemistry at the San José State University says, "I can think of no mentor who is more deserving of this award…Carlos is one of the people I contact when I have problems for which I need advice to help my own minority programs. He is not only generous with his advice, but he also does not claim credit for a lot of what he does behind the scenes."

Further, Gutièrrez "has been a principal force in providing guidance to our oversight panel – the Executive Director's Blue Ribbon Panel – particularly in the area of mentoring," according to his colleague, Flint Lewis, secretary for the American Chemical Society. "He consistently brings his students to the ACS national meetings and encourages them to participate in the Society's activities, including presenting posters and attending research presentations."

Through his many leadership positions at CSULA, which have included directing the National Institutes of Health's Minority Biomedical Research Support Programs at CSULA and leading major student-focused programs, Gutièrrez's colleagues and students view him as an exceptional, inspirational and supportive teacher.

Gutièrrez earned his B.S. in Chemistry in 1971 from the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Davis, in 1975.

Please click here for a list of past recipients.