Science History Institute Awards 2025

Join us for our annual celebration of exceptional achievements in chemistry, chemical engineering, life sciences, and allied fields and industries.
The evening will feature brief talks from our awardees, great conversation about science, and light refreshments, all for free!
We are proud to honor our 2025 award recipients:
Othmer Gold Medal
R. Graham Cooks
Henry Bohn Haas Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Purdue University
Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award for Supporting Industries
Lita Nelsen
Consultant, Advisor in Technology Transfer
Research Affiliate, MIT
Retired Director, MIT Technology Licensing Office
American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal
Timothy M. Swager
John D. MacArthur Professor of Chemistry, MIT
Agenda
- 5:30pm | Doors Open
- 6pm–7pm | Remarks and Awards Ceremony
- 7pm–8pm | Reception
About the Science History Institute Awards
Othmer Gold Medal
Named after Donald Othmer (1904–1995), the Othmer Gold Medal is the Science History Institute’s preeminent award. Winners are chosen for their extraordinary contributions to the material sciences. The award is cosponsored by the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Chemists’ Club, and the American Section of the Société de Chimie Industrielle.
Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award for Supporting Industries
The Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award for Supporting Industries honors those who provide products or services vital to the continuing growth and development of the chemical and molecular sciences community. The award was created in 2006 and named after the award’s first winner, BDP International founder and chair Richard Bolte.
American Institute of Chemists (AIC) Gold Medal
The American Institute of Chemists (AIC) Gold Medal recognizes extraordinary accomplishments in chemistry or chemical engineering in the United States. First presented in 1926, previous winners include Nobel laureates Glenn T. Seaborg, K. Barry Sharpless, Herbert C. Brown, Elizabeth Blackburn, and Dudley Herschbach, as well as renowned researchers Chad A. Mirkin, Mary Lowe Good, Steven J. Lippard, Jacqueline Barton, and George M. Whitesides.

Major funding for the Science History Institute Awards is provided by chief presenting sponsor the Bolte Family Foundation.
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