Prof wins national award for chemical discoveries

Zeolite catalysis has made your life easier. And you can thank Paul Weisz for that. The Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemical and Bioengineering made discoveries in zeolite catalysis that led to his winning the 1992 National Medal of Technology last June. According to Weisz, catalysis allows scientists to precisely control chemical transformations, much as scientists manipulate enzymes. "The net result, to put it very briefly, has been the development of many processes that are now used worldwide in the chemical and petroleum industries," Weisz said. "One of the major contributions of the new processes has been to create more useful products from every barrel of petroleum that is used by society." "Necessary petroleum imports have been reduced by billions of dollars," Weisz added. He said the catalysis research took place while he was a scientist and manager of the central research laboratory for Mobil Oil Corporation. Weisz has received numerous awards for his achievements, but called the National Medal of Technology his "biggest one." President George Bush presented Weisz with the award June 23 in a White House ceremony. "It was very satisfying to get that award and feel that my work has contributed to a much broader society than say a single discipline or a limited group," Weisz said. In fact, Weisz said he was surprised to win the award because he did not know that Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington had nominated him for the honor. Farrington said he chose Weisz because he was "an outstanding candidate who was a perfect match for the award." "Weisz's work exemplifies the 'no boundaries' interdisciplinary approach which I believe to be of such importance for success in research and innovation," Farrington added. Chemical Engineerng Chairman Eduardo Glandt offered similar praise for Weisz. Glandt said zeolites have had a major impact on almost every area of the chemical industries throughout the world. "Anyone driving a car would be using gasoline processed over zeolites," Glandt added. Farrington said he believes Weisz is the first University faculty member to win the National Medal of Technology. Weisz is currently working on cross-disciplinary research in bioengineering, cell biology and medicine. Six other scientists and one company received the National Medal of Technology. William Gates, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corporation, and pharmaceuticals giant Merck & Co., Inc. were among the others that were honored.

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