Professor Omar M. Yaghi, the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair and Professor of Chemistry at UC Berkeley was presented with the Albert Einstein World Award for Science at a ceremony on November 9, 2017 at Leiden University. The annual prize is sponsored by the World Cultural Council.
The annual Albert Einstein World Award for Science is given by the World Cultural Council "as a means of recognition and encouragement for scientific and technological research and development", with special consideration for research which "has brought true benefit and well being to mankind". The recipient of the award is evaluated and elected by an Interdisciplinary Committee, which is composed of world-renowned scientists, among them Nobel Laureates.
The prize was awarded this year for Professor Yaghi's ground-breaking scientific contributions in making materials by stitching organic and inorganic units through strong bonds into robust, porous crystalline metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and for establishing a new field of chemistry - Reticular Chemistry.
These original accomplishments, both theoretical and experimental, have spurred the creation of new fields of chemistry, developing new materials for application in clean energy, hydrocarbon separation, clean water production, catalysis and more recently electronics.
The World Cultural Council acknowledges Professor Yaghi's leadership in research and mentoring emerging scholars in multiple countries around the world, along with his commitment to developing innovative solutions to problems that threaten world sustainability. Not only is this a precious service to mankind but it also inspires future generations.
Professor Yaghi also gave a lecture entitled Reticular Chemistry: The Journey to Beautiful and Functional Porous Crystals. His talk focused on the discovery and development of a new field of chemistry over the past 25 years that is both beautiful in its creation and important in many clean energy applications. Professor Yaghi discussed using this new chemistry as a platform to create centers of research in foundational sciences in various countries to address global problems and to help build a culture of science for younger researchers.
You can view Professor Yaghi receiving the award by clicking on the image below which takes you to a video of the event. Click on "2017 Albert Einstein Award" in the list.
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Shower of Prizes at the 2017 World Culture Council Cermony