A TAMUK professor was recently named a 2021 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Only 12 women in chemistry were named globally.
“I was very pleasantly surprised to read the email, stating ‘Dear Professor Liu, I am delighted to inform you that you have been selected as a 2021 Distinguished Woman in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering. Our heartiest congratulations on joining this worldwide community of prominent women chemists!’ I found two streams of warm liquid flowing down through my cheek and tasting the saltiness,” Dr. Jingbo Louise Liu said.
The award announcement came in celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
“Becoming one of the 12 women is a recognition by research and education peers that I have reached a benchmark of excellence, of promoting chemical and material science to meet current challenges in clean energy and environmental cleanup which affect all members of our communities,” Liu said.
According to the IUPAC website, “the awards program was initiated as part of the 2011 International Year of Chemistry celebrations and was created to acknowledge and promote the work of women chemists/chemical engineers worldwide.”
“This recognition comes with great responsibility to continuously strive to reach the next milestone and to seek new knowledge and opportunities, eventually to empower our students, the next generation,” Liu said.
Those named will be presented their awards in August at the IUPAC World Chemistry Congress.
“Dr. Liu’s achievement reflects her passion, commitment and excellence in her field and in the sciences,” Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Dolores Guerrero said.
“Her recognition as a Distinguished Chemist by an international organization on International Day of Women and Girls in Sciences is inspiring and hopefully provides the encouragement for women and girls in our community to strive to pursue careers in the sciences.”
For more information on the award and to view a list of recipients visit https://iupac.org/iupac-2021-distinguished-women/.