Presented by the Chicago Section
of the American Chemical Society
| Presented by the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society |
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| Gibbs Medal Awardee: | 
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Professor Ralph Hirschmann
| The Rao Makineni Chair of Bio-Organic Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania | |
Date: Friday, May 24, 2002
| Location: | Argonne Guest House Argonne National Laboratories 9700 S. Cass Ave., Bldg. 460 Argonne, Illinois 630-739-6000 |
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Introducing Professor Hirschmann:
Dr. Daniel H. Rich
Ralph F. Hirschmann Professor of Medicinal and Organic Chemistry
University of Wisconsin at Madison
Cost:
$35.00 for members of ACS and their guests/ $37.00 for non-members
No discounts allowed for students or unemployed
or, U.S. CITIZENS REGISTER ON LINE !
NON-U.S. CITIZENS: PLEASE CONTACT THE ACS OFFICE AT 847-647-8405 ASAP.
You will need to provide your name, birthdate, and birthplace city and country.
• The names of all registrants will be entered on a list that will be checked by Argonne Security at their gate house. You must be on the list to be admitted.
• No refunds will be made after noon Tuesday, May 21 for cancellations or no-shows.
• Tables of ten are available upon request.
For the first synthesis of an enzyme in solution (RNase);
the concept of stereoelectronic control;
the use of prodrugs to reduce toxicity;
a new approach to the design of peptidomimetics;
the discovery of valuable pharmaceuticals including Vasotec, Lisinopril, Primaxin, Ivomec, Mevacor and Proscar.
Biography: Born in Bavaria, Germany, Ralph Hirschmann came to the US in his teens. He graduated from Oberlin College before serving in the US Army for three years. He resumed his education at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) with W. S. Johnson as the Sterling Winthrop Fellow (1950). That year he was recruited by M. Tishler to join Process Research at Merck. He discovered the first rearrangement under stereoelectronic control, studied later in detail by E. J. Corey. With R. G. Denkenwalter he directed the first solution synthesis of an enzyme, announced jointly with Merrifield's solid phase synthesis in 1969.
Becoming increasingly interested in medicinal and bio-organic chemistry, he was appointed Executive Director of Medicinal Chemistry at Merck, West Point (PA) in 1974 and Vice President/Senior Vice President of Basic Research (Rahway) in 1976/1978, respectively.
Professional activities included serving on the NIH Medicinal Chemistry A Study Section, on several committees of the NSF, NRC and ACS, on over a dozen Editorial and Advisory Boards, and on the Boards of Trustees of Oberlin College, the Gordon Research Conferences, and others.
He holds three honorary Doctor of Science degrees and was elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the National Academy of Sciences. During his tenure as Merck's Head of Basic Research, his colleagues discovered and/or studied such blockbuster drugs as Mevacor, Vasotec, Primaxin and Ivermectin.
In 1988 he was invited to join the Department of Chemistry of the University of Pennsylvania as the first Research Professor in Chemistry. In 1994 he was appointed the Rao Makineni Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry.
Directions:
From the City:Take Interstate 55 South (towards St. Louis). Exit at South Cass Avenue. Proceed on Cass Avenue south one quarter mile to the Argonne Laboratory totem pole on the right. Turn right and proceed to the gate house and, after checking in, follow signs to the Argonne Guest House.
From the North:
Take Interstate 294 South to Interstate 55 South (towards St. Louis). Exit at South Cass Avenue. Proceed on Cass Avenue south one quarter mile to the Argonne Laboratory totem pole on the right. Turn right and proceed to the gate house and, after checking in, follow signs to the Argonne Guest House.
Parking: Free
Crab cakes
Mixed field greens with pecans and buttermilk dressing
a choice of:
Oven Roasted Prime Rib accented with creamy horseradish sauce
Grilled Atlantic Salmon Filet;
Chocolate Oblivion cake
(A vegetarian entrée is available on request.)