2007 Award Recipients
AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize
Supported by Affymetrix
EL-KADERI, HUNT, MENDOZA-CORTÉS, CÔTÉ, TAYLOR, O’KEEFFE, AND YAGHI
Hani M. El-Kaderi, Joseph R. Hunt, José L. Mendoza-Cortés, Adrien P. Côté, Robert E. Taylor, Michael O’Keeffe, and Omar M. Yaghi for the report “Designed Synthesis of 3D Covalent Organic Frameworks,” published in Science on 13 April 2007, pp. 268—272.
The Association’s oldest award, the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize, supported by Affymetrix, was established in 1923 with funds donated by Newcomb Cleveland of New York City. The Prize acknowledges an outstanding paper published in the Articles, Research Articles, or Reports sections ofScience. Each recipient receives a bronze medal and a share of the $25,000 prize.
This paper describes the synthesis of crystalline three-dimensional frame- works of organic materials with high porosity. It had long been known that inorganic materials (such as zeolites) or organic compounds linked with metals could be made into such frameworks, but to accomplish this result with metal-free organic frameworks achieves what one reviewer described as a “holy grail” in organic materials chemistry. The authors cleverly employed a condensation reaction involving boron and oxygen to create three-dimensional structures with covalent bonding; these had the needed stability to be formed into a variety of complex, highly-ordered network structures with high porosity. The result opens up a host of new applications in materials chemistry.
Affymetrix, Inc. added its support to the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize in 2003, helping to more than double the prize’s monetary value. Affymetrix founder, chair, and CEO Stephen P.A. Fodor, Ph.D., and his colleagues were awarded the Newcomb Cleveland Prize in 1990 for their landmark publication which first introduced microarray technology to the scientific community. (Light-directed, spatially addressable parallel chemical synthesis, with co-authors J. Read, M.C. Pirrung, L. Stryer, A.Lu, and D. Solas, Science15 February 1991.)
“Receiving the Newcomb Cleveland Award in 1990 was the first important public acknowledgment of our invention,” said Fodor. “Today, the award remains one of our most valued. Affymetrix is thrilled to support its continued legacy. It is important to recognize and encourage the innovative work of new scientists as their work will become the foundation for future research and discovery.”
Affymetrix is a pioneer in creating breakthrough tools that are driving the genomic revolution. By applying the principles of semiconductor technology to the life sciences, Affymetrix develops and commercializes systems that enable scientists to improve quality of life. The Company’s customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrichemical, diagnostics, and consumer products companies as well as academic, government, and other non-profit research institutes. Affymetrix offers an expanding portfolio of integrated products and services, including its integrated GeneChip® platform, to address growing markets focused on understanding the relationship between genes and human health. Affymetrix has about 1,100 employees worldwide.
Please click here for a list of past recipients.