Two University of Alabama professors were named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science last month.
Arun Gupta and Robin Rogers, professors in the chemistry department at UA, received the honor bestowed upon them by their peers.
Gupta is a researcher in UA’s Center for Materials for Information Technology.
The Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, which grants awards to internationally renowned researchers who are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements in their field, has also recognized Gupta for his contributions to his field, according to UA News.
For his contributions to the field of ionic liquids by probing their fundamental nature while advancing their technological relevance, especially for advanced separations, Rogers was elected as a Fellow, according to UA News.
The creation of salt that is liquid at room temperature has a wide variety of applications, Rogers said. “We could use the ionic liquid to create new forms of medicine,” Rogers said. If the form of medicine is changed, then the same medicine could have different effects. Agrochemicals and nutraceuticals could also utilize this new research.
His colleague, David Dixon, nominated Rogers for the fellowship. “I am very honored by the fellowship,” Rogers said.
The American Chemical Society also recognized Rogers by giving him the ACS Award in Separations Science and Technology. He received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Alabama and has been on the faculty since 1996.
Although he and Gupta have not yet worked together on a research project, Rogers has said that Gupta’s work is “amazing.”
Currently the Robert Ramsay Chair in the chemistry department, Rogers is also the director of the Center for Green Manufacturing at UA.
The Center’s mission statement is “to prevent pollution and save energy through the discovery and development of new knowledge that reduces and eliminates the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture and application of chemical products or processes,” according to their website.
AAAS was founded in 1848, and it includes 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals, according to UA News.
This year, 539 AAAS members were awarded the title of Fellow due to their scientifically- or socially-distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications, according to UA News.
