Nina McClelland Memorial Award
Award at a Glance
Purpose
The Nina McClelland Memorial Awards sponsor the participation of postdoctoral scholars from both U.S. and international institutions to attend the annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference and present their work in a talk or poster.
Description
The Nina McClelland Memorial Award was established in 2021 in honor of Dr. Nina McClelland – a prominent champion of green chemistry. Award funds are designated specifically to reimburse travel expenses, and winning postdoctoral scholars will be recognized at the annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference sponsored by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute® (ACS GCI). Two $2,000 awards will be provided each year.
Eligibility
Postdoctoral Scholars (U.S. or international) who are conducting research that will lead to significant innovations in green chemistry and/or engineering are eligible to apply for this award. For the purposes of this award, innovations in green chemistry and/or engineering are characterized by:
- Maximization of resource efficiency
- Elimination and reduction of toxics and pollution
- The holistic design of systems
- The use of life cycle thinking
Applicants research projects/goals must address at least one of these attributes and nominees are encouraged to address as many as possible.
Conference Participation
Award winners are responsible for meeting the abstract deadline date for the annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference where the awards symposium and ceremony will be held. Winners should be prepared to give an oral or poster presentation relevant to their research. In addition, after the conclusion of the conference, all winners are required to submit a brief report that summarizes their conference experience.
Deadline
The deadline for the 2024 Nina McClelland Memorial Awards is November 17, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EST (GMT-5).
How to Apply
The application portal will open on September 22, 2023. Applicants should submit their materials (listed below) through the ACS Green Chemistry Institute application portal. To use the portal, you will need to have or create a free ACS ID.
Please Note: Applicants may not apply for multiple Green Chemistry awards during a given year; only one application per person is allowed. Please be certain that you meet the requirements for the Nina McClelland Memorial Award before applying and do not submit applications for other awards (Breen, CIBA, Chang, Hancock) administered by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute.
Be prepared to submit the following information:
- Name and contact information,
- Name of applicant's postdoctoral mentor and contact information,
- Academic information including institution, department or field of study, degree expected, projected date of degree completion, green chemistry research interests, and career plans,
- A description of the applicant’s research in green chemistry or engineering (no more than one page) and an explanation of how they will benefit from participation in the Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference and why they should be selected to receive the award.
- A curriculum vitae or résumé no more than two pages in length (Word or PDF file). Make sure to include:
- Field of study, degrees (including month and year earned or expected), education experience, including GPA or another measure of class standing, and work experience (if any).
- List of recent presentations and publications (if any).
- Letter of nomination from the applicant's faculty advisor, supervisor, or department chair (Word or PDF file no more than two pages in length). The applicant will send their advisor a link to directly upload the letter into the portal.
- Brief statement of financial need for travel support from the applicant’s advisor, supervisor, or department chair (Word or PDF file not exceeding one page). The applicant will send their advisor a link to directly upload the statement into the portal.
Judging Process
An independent panel of experts selected by the ACS GCI will judge the applications. This panel may include members of the scientific, educational, industrial, government, and environmental communities. The judging panel may request verification of any activities described or claims made in applications that are selected as finalists. The judges will select the students whose projects best meet the selection criteria for the award.
Notifications
The ACS Green Chemistry Institute will notify applicants of award acceptance on or before January 26, 2024. The ACS will transfer the award via direct deposit upon acceptance of the fellowship and submission of relevant paperwork.
History
The Nina McClelland Memorial Award was established in 2021 thanks to a generous bequest to the American Chemical Society from the estate of Dr. Nina McClelland. Dr. McClelland was a champion for green chemistry, serving on the ACS Green Chemistry Institute® Advisory Board for 17 years. Her impressive career included professional and volunteer roles as President and CEO of NSF International; Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Toledo; and Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Sponsor
Contact Information
Email: gci@acs.org
Past Recipients
2023
Shivali Banerjee, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Research: Green process for enhanced recovery of anthocyanins as valuable co-products from bioenergy crops in a biorefinery
Liwei Ye, Northwestern University
Research: Rationally tailored catalysts for highly efficient chemical recycling of nylon-6 and for achieving a circular economy towards end-of-life plastics.
2022
Juliana Vidal, McGill University
Research Focus: Valorization of crustacean waste into value-added products using methods such as mechanochemistry.
Vinod Landge, University of Toledo
Research Focus: Transition metal-catalyzed regioselective functionalization of alkenyl amines.
