The Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) today (October 20) awarded Northwestern University Chad Professor A. Mirkin with the 2022 Faraday Medal.
The Faraday Medal is one of the most prestigious awards for engineers and scientists, and is the IET’s highest award given to outstanding scientific or industrial achievements. According to the official statement, Mirkin was honored for “inventing and developing many of the tools, methods, and materials that have defined the modern era of nanotechnology.”
“When people talk about world-class leaders in interdisciplinary research, Chad Mirkin comes out on top, and his countless accomplishments have shaped the field,” said Milan Mrksic, vice president of research at Northwestern University. “Chad is an icon in the field of nanotechnology, and for good reason. His passion, curiosity and talent are dedicated to tackling enormous challenges and advancing effective innovation. His many scientific and entrepreneurial achievements have created a range of practical technologies, and he leads a vibrant community at our International Institute of Nanotechnology. This latest award is well-deserved recognition of his leadership at Northwestern University and in the field of nanotechnology.”
Mirkin is widely recognized for the invention of spherical nucleic acids (SNA) and the development of biological and chemical diagnostic and therapeutic systems and strategies for the synthesis of materials based on them.
SNAs can naturally infiltrate human cells and tissues and overcome biological barriers that conventional structures can’t, allowing genetic detection or treatment of diseases without affecting healthy cells. They have become the basis for more than 1,800 commercial products used in medical diagnostics, therapy, and life science research.
Mirkin is also a pioneer in the field of AI-based material discovery, which involves the use of high-throughput synthesis techniques combined with machine learning and unprecedentedly large, high-quality datasets from giant libraries of millions of positionally encoded nanoparticles. – Quickly discover and evaluate new materials for use in industries such as pharmaceuticals, clean energy, catalysis, and more.
Mirkin is also known for inventing pen nanolithography, which National Geographic named as one of their “100 Scientific Discoveries That Changed the World”, and HARP (High Area Rapid Printing), a 3D printing process that can produce rigid, elastic, or ceramic Components. with record throughput. He is the co-founder of several companies, including TERA-print, Azul 3D and Holden Pharma, which are committed to bringing advances in nanotechnology to life sciences, biomedicine and advanced manufacturing industries.
“It’s incredible,” Milkin said. “The people who won in the past make up those who changed the world through science and technology. When I look back on the recipients of the past, the discoverers of the electron, the first man to split the atom, the inventor of the first computer, it’s an incredible story, an incredible honor, and I obviously very happy to be a part of it.”
The Faraday Medal is part of the IET Medal of Achievement series and is named after Michael Faraday, the father of electromagnetism, an outstanding inventor, chemist, engineer and scientist. Even today, his principles of electromagnetic conduction are widely used in electric motors and generators.
This medal, first awarded 100 years ago to Oliver Heaviside, known for his theory of transmission lines, is one of the oldest medals still being awarded. Mirkin with distinguished laureates including Charles Parsons (1923), inventor of the modern steam turbine, J. J. Thomson, credited for discovering the electron in 1925, Ernes T. Rutherford, discoverer of the atomic nucleus (1930), and Maurice Wilks, he is credited with helping to design and build the first electronic computer (1981).
“All of our medalists today are innovators who have made an impact on the world we live in,” IET President Bob Cryan said in a statement. “The students and technicians are amazing, they have achieved great success in their careers and inspire those around them. They should all be proud of their achievements – they are incredible role models for the next generation.”
Mirkin, the George B. Rathman Professor of Chemistry at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, was a key force in Northwest’s emergence as a world leader in nanoscience and a founder of the International Institute of Nanotechnology (IIN) of the Northwest. Mirkin is also Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering.
He is one of the few individuals elected to the three branches of the National Academy of Sciences – the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine. Mirkin is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Mirkin’s contributions have been recognized with over 240 national and international awards. He was the first faculty member at Northwestern University to receive the Faraday Medal and Prize.
Post time: Nov-14-2022
