Your assistance in identifying candidates for the 2025 American Chemical Society (ACS) Midwest Award is solicited. In 1944, the St. Louis Section of the ACS established, and since then sponsors and funds the ACS Midwest Award to recognize “those who have made meritorious contributions to the advancement of pure or applied chemistry, or chemical education” in the Midwest Region. The award is conferred annually on a scientist who has made such meritorious contributions in the profession of chemistry. The contributions must have been made during a period of residence in the geographic area defined by the territories of the Local Sections of the ACS that participate in the Midwest Regional Meeting (MWRM) of the ACS. These 17 Local Sections have been listed in programs for Midwest Regional Meetings and they are: Ames, Iowa, Kansas City, Kansas State University, Mark Twain, Mo-Kan-Ok (The Tri-State), Nebraska, Omaha, Ozark, St. Louis, Sioux Valley, South Central Missouri, Southern Illinois, University of Arkansas, University of Missouri, Wakarusa Valley and Wichita. Nominees need not be members of the ACS and can work in industry, academia, government, or in private practice. Those ineligible for the Midwest Award include prior recipients of either the Midwest Award or any National Award administered by the ACS; see a listing of ACS National Awards. Ineligible also are members of the Midwest Award Jury. For the St. Louis Section of the ACS, also ineligible are the Past Chair, the Chair, the Chair-Elect, the Secretary and members of the Awards Committee. More details concerning the main features of the Midwest Award can be found here.
The 2025 ACS Midwest Award will be presented at the 2025 Midwest Regional Meeting of the ACS to be held in Columbia, Missouri from Tuesday October 14 to Thursday October 16, 2025, hosted by the University of Missouri. Ceremonies associated with the award feature a Midwest Award Symposium, a Midwest Award Lecture and the Midwest Awards Banquet scheduled on the Awards Night of the meeting. The Award consists of a medallion and a cash honorarium; it is presented by the St. Louis Section Chair at the Midwest Awards Banquet. A condition of acceptance of this Award is that the recipient gives the Midwest Award Lecture at the time of presentation of the Award.
Nominations should consist of a nominating letter for the nominee and two or more seconding letters; a CV for the nominee; a brief biography for the nominee; and documented and objective information regarding the outstanding achievements of the nominee. Other recent practices include the following. If the nominee is an academic, a list of people who received advanced degrees under her or his direction should be provided. Activities by the nominee that support the ACS in the Midwest Region constitute additional criteria of merit. Please submit nominations electronically via a single pdf file to the e-mail address given below. They must be received on or before the deadline of Monday, March 31, 2025 (by 11:59 pm CST). Nominations are retained and reconsidered (if unsuccessful) over a period of 3 consecutive years.
If you have questions, please contact Jim O’Brien at obrienjja@umsl.edu or call (314) 757-5717 (cell).
Nominations should be directed to:
Dr. Jim O’Brien
E-Mail address: obrienjja@umsl.edu
2025 ACS Midwest Award Coordinator,
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Missouri-St. Louis
One University Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63121
“Computers and the physics of complex biological systems”
