St Louis Section–ACS
The St Louis Award
The St Louis Award, sponsored by the Monsanto Company and administered by the St Louis Section–ACS, is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the profession of chemistry and demonstrated potential to further the advancement of the chemical profession. The award, consisting of a $1,500 honorarium and a plaque, is presented at the St Louis Award Banquet, during National Chemistry Week in October. The awardee is selected by a review committee constituted by the St Louis Section–ACS.
Dr Christopher D Spilling came to St Louis in August 1989 to join the faculty of the Chemistry Department at the University of Missouri–St Louis as Assistant Professor. Prior to that he spent three years as a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University with Professor Tony Barrett. At UM–St Louis, he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 1996 and in 2001 to Full Professor. During the 1996-97 academic year he was a visiting scholar with Professor Steven V Ley at Cambridge University. Chris was the obvious choice for department chair in 2004 when the former chair, Gordon Anderson, left the University.
An Englishman, he was born in Norwich, East Anglia, and was educated at the University of Loughborough, where he received a BSc degree in chemistry in 1983 and a PhD degree in organic chemistry under the direction of Brian Marples in 1986.
At UM–St Louis, he developed a very productive, high quality research program. He has published about 70 articles, four patents, several chapters, reviews, etc. He has garnered substantial external funding for his research, both from granting agencies and industry, for the support of his graduate students and postdoctoral research associates. He has also presented his work many times at meetings and conferences and has given about 60 invited lectures at other universities. In 1991, the graduate students voted him the best teacher in the chemistry department. Chris has also been an active and contributing participant in the affairs of the St Louis Section of the American Chemical Society. He served as ACS Student Affiliates advisor in his early years at UM–St Louis and since 1994, he has served as the St Louis Section representative to the ACS Midwest Regional Steering Committee. He chaired the 2000 Midwest Regional Meeting in St Louis, a very successful one, and perhaps an important reason the St Louis Section won the Award for Outstanding Performance by a Large Section the following year.
Early in his career he developed a research program that had three foci: the use of phosphorus reagents for asymmetric synthesis, the chemistry of glucal halohydrins and the total synthesis of marine sponge metabolites. More recently his work has taken a more biological bent as the world-wide emphasis in organic chemistry moves in that direction. He and his students are now using their phosphorus chemistry to prepare biologically active molecules and testing them on cell lines and enzymes.
A relatively recent development in his research activity is in entrepreneurship. He has on several occasions consulted with local firms, but recently he and some colleagues founded the company Alkymos in order to fund some collaborative research. A consequence of that is that the University of Missouri System-Wide Faculty Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2009 went to Professors Wes Harris and Chris Spilling for their work on removal of aluminum from infant feeding solutions. The award was established to honor a University of Missouri faculty member for a record of entrepreneurial innovation that demonstrates commercial utility, contributes to the public welfare, and brings visibility to the University of Missouri.
Chris lives in Bel-Nor with his wife Kathy and three sons Andrew, Robert, and William. He still plays soccer and racquetball and enjoys a beer on Friday evenings with his colleagues.
The 2009 St Louis Award Symposium, sponsored by the St Louis Section–ACS and University of Missouri–St Louis: Friday October 16, 2–5 pm in Room B451, Benton Hall, University of Missouri–St Louis. The full program of speakers and topics:
| 2:00 | Dr William Doub, Chair, St. Louis Section: Welcome and general introductions |
| 2:05 | Dr Keith J Stine, UM-St Louis: Introduction of Dr Spilling |
| 2:10 | Dr Christopher D Spilling: General remarks |
| 2:15 | Dr Paul R Hanson, Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Multivalent activation in cyclic phosphates: application in natural product synthesis |
| 3:00 | Dr David F Wiemer, Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Synthesis of schweinfurthins and related natural products via cascade cyclizations |
| 3:45 | Refreshment break |
| 4:15 | Dr William Donaldson, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Synthetic applications of organo-iron complexes: strategy and serendipity |
| 5:15–6:30 | Reception in the Center for NanoScience, adjacent to the symposium room |
| Parking for the Symposium is available in the West Drive Garage. West Drive is off Natural Bridge Road. | |
Saturday, October 17, 2009 at Kemoll’s, One University Square, St Louis, Missouri 63102
6:00 pm Cocktails, 7:00 pm Banquet, 8:00 pm Program
Please send reservations by October 12th to:
Keith J Stine
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
One University Boulevard
University of Missouri–St Louis
Saint Louis, MO 63121
(314) 516-5346, or e-mail kstine@umsl.edu
Make checks payable to St. Louis Section–ACS
Name(s) _______________________________________________________
Number attending _____ × $55 each = amount remitted $____________
Please help the St Louis Section–ACS identify the most deserving candidates for this prestigious award: nominate a colleague. The nomination should include a nominating letter, two or more seconding letters from individuals who have had a close professional affiliation with the nominee, a brief biography, a description of the nominee’s accomplishments, and a list of publications and patents.
At the time of nomination, the nominee must be a member or affiliate of the St Louis Section of the ACS and must not have previously received the Midwest Award or any national ACS-sponsored award. Nomination packets received by March 31 are considered for award presentation in October during National Chemistry Week. For 2009, the award symposium will take place on Friday, October 16 and the banquet will take place at Kemoll’s on Saturday, October 17.
Please send nominations and inquiries to the St Louis Award coordinator.
| Year | Winner | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | David L Lipkin | Washington University |
| 1971 | Clayton E Callis | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1972 | C David Gutsche | Washington University |
| 1973 | A John Speziale | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1974 | Robert W Murray | University of Missouri–St Louis |
| 1975 | James F Roth | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1976 | Carl Frieden | Washington University |
| 1977 | Jacob Schaefer | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1978 | William S Knowles | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1979 | Ralph A Bradshaw | Washington University |
| 1980 | Jordan J Bloomfield | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1981 | Thomas P Layloff | US Food and Drug Administration |
| 1982 | Derek Redmore | Petrolite Corporation |
| 1983 | M Thomas Jones | University of Missouri–St Louis |
| 1984 | K Wayne Ratts | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1985 | Joyce Y Corey | University of Missouri–St Louis |
| 1986 | Jay MS Henis | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1987 | Joseph JH Ackerman | Washington University |
| 1988 | Michael J Welch | Washington University |
| 1989 | Stephen P Adams | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1990 | J Dewey Holten | Washington University |
| 1991 | Lawrence Barton | University of Missouri–St Louis |
| 1992 | James P Riehl | University of Missouri–St Louis |
| 1993 | John-Stephen Taylor | Washington University |
| 1994 | James A Sikorski | Monsanto Corporation |
| 1995 | Milorad P Dudukovic | Washington University |
| 1996 | J Daniel Kelley | McDonnell Douglas Corporation |
| 1997 | Kevin D Moeller | Washington University |
| 1998 | William J Welsh | University of Missouri–St Louis |
| 1999 | Dennis P Riley | Monsanto Corporation |
| 2000 | Gordon K Anderson | University of Missouri–St Louis |
| 2001 | John J Talley | Pharmacia |
| 2002 | Scott R Gilbertson | Washington University |
| 2003 | George Gokel | Washington University |
| 2004 | Douglas Covey | Washington University Medical School |
| 2005 | Wesley R Harris | University of Missouri–St Louis |
| 2006 | James S Chickos | University of Missouri–St Louis |
| 2007 | William L Neumann | Mallinckrodt Imaging |
| 2008 | Shelly Minteer | Saint Louis University |
| 2009 | Christopher D Spilling | University of Missouri–St Louis |
If you need more information or have problems with this site, please contact the WebMaster.