News Release

Dr Norman Li to receive the Perkin Medal : Celebrating creative chemistry

Grant and Award Announcement

Society of Chemical Industry

Wednesday March 8, 2000, New York: Dr Norman Li, separation science and technology pioneer, will be awarded the 2000 Perkin Medal, one of the foremost awards of American industry. Presented annually by the SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY (SCI) America Section, the conferment will take place at New York's Plaza Hotel as part of the Section's Annual Dinner.

SCI World President, Mr Vincent A Calarco, Chairman, President and CEO of CK Witco Corp will award the Perkin Medal to Dr Li. Other attendees will include SCI Chairman of Council, Mr Derek W Heywood, flying in from his home in the UK for this special event, and the Chairman of SCI America Section, Mr William S Stavropoulos, President and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company.

The Perkin Medal is the highest honour given for outstanding applied chemistry in the US. It commemorates William Perkin, developer and manufacturer of the world's first synthetic dyestuff, and a founder of SCI. In keeping with the SCI aim to promote the application of science for the public benefit, the Perkin Medal is bestowed upon scientists and engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the improvement of the quality of life. It also celebrates those who have enhanced the world competitiveness of the US economy.

An internationally renowned industrial scientist, Dr Li has pioneered fundamental chemical engineering separation principles as well as practical applications to industrial processes. He is best known for his industrial research in membranes for separation and encapsulation and his invention of liquid membranes. Pioneering work on the effect of high pressure on gas transport systems through polymeric membranes nearly 40 years ago in his PhD research lead to an invitation to serve as a consultant on gas transfer through polymers for the US Apollo Moon Landing Project.

While at Allied Signal Co as Director of Research and Technology, Dr Li's groups used separation processes to eliminate toxic impurities in manufacturing processes, making possible the company's commercialisation of ozone-friendly hydrofluorocarbons, 141b and 134a, in 1993-94. His most recent work has involved leading a team of scientists in developing a turnkey project for manufacturing high-flux reverse-osmosis membranes. With degrees from the National Taiwan University and the Stevens Institute of Technology, Dr Li holds 44 US patents and has two pending. He has also published more than 100 papers, edited 13 books, and given invited lectures at more than 70 universities and industrial laboratories.

Established in 1881, SCI now has individual members in over 70 countries. The SCI interdisciplinary network links business, consumer affairs, research and education at all levels, and is an innovative and growing force in sectors as disparate as agriculture, food, pharmaceuticals, construction and environmental protection.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

SCI is a registered charity and a worldwide, interdisciplinary membership organisation. The Society seeks to improve the exchange of information and understanding between researchers, industrialists, consumers, financiers and academics, and embraces diverse branches of science and sectors of science-related industry. Its expertise and impartiality attracts men and women from all levels of business, research and public life, providing them with access to email discussion forums, journals, specialist meetings and symposia, prestigious awards, student prizes and scholarships, books, and the respected twice-monthly magazine, Chemistry & Industry.

SCI America was founded in 1894 and is one of the Society's largest Sections. For almost 120 years, international leaders of industry, business, education and public affairs have looked to SCI not just for the recognition of excellence and public spirited endeavour, but also for their own professional networking.


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