Amos B. Smith III Award
Purpose of the Amos B. Smith Award
This award will recognize individuals whose careers reflect the highest ideals of organic chemistry, namely, transformative scientific achievement, sustained mentorship, collaborative leadership, and exceptional service to the scientific community. It is designed not merely to honor excellence but to help define it for future generations.
Please Note: The Division is currently fundraising for this award and further details will be released when appropriate.
About Amos B. Smith, III (1944-2025)
Amos was born on August 26, 1944, in Lewisburg, PA, and was the only child of Mildred E. (Cornelius) Smith and Dr. Amos B. Smith, Jr. In 1966 Amos was the recipient of the first combined B.S.-M.S. degree in Chemistry from Bucknell University, where he studied under the mentorship of Harold Heine and published his first two papers. After a year of medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, Amos decided his real passion was chemistry and moved to The Rockefeller University in New York City, where in 1972 he earned a Chemistry Ph.D. under the mentorship of Bill Agosta. After graduation he accepted a joint appointment at the Monell Chemical Senses Center and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1981 he became a full member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center and rose to the rank of Professor of Chemistry. From 1988-1996 he served as Chair of the Chemistry Department. He held the Rhodes-Thompson Endowed Professorship of Chemistry from 1990 until his move to Emeritus status in 2024.
Smith’s research interests encompassed three diverse areas: natural product synthesis, bioorganic chemistry and materials science. More than 85 architecturally complex natural products were prepared in his Laboratory. In addition, Smith, in collaboration with Ralph Hirschmann, achieved the design and synthesis of non-peptide peptidomimetics of neuropeptideic hormone/transmitters and protease enzyme inhibitors and, also with Stephen Benkovic (Penn State), haptens for the production of catalytic antibodies capable of peptide bond formation. At Monell, in collaboration with Peter Jurs (Penn State), he pioneered the use of computerized pattern recognition techniques for the analysis of primate chemical communication. Collaborative programs at the LRSM include the chemistry and physics of novel liquid crystals and the fullerenes. More recent studies with the late Professor Robin Hochstrasser involved the development of ultrafast photochemical triggers to explore peptide/protein folding.
Amos was recognized for his contributions to science by numerous national and international awards including the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (1991), the ACS Ernest Guenther Award (1993), the ACS Award for Creativity in Organic Chemistry (1997), the Centenary Medal, Royal Society of Chemistry, London, (2002), the Yamada Prize (Tokyo, Japan) (2003), the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon from the Government of Japan (2004), RSC Simonsen Medal (2008), Inaugural Fellow, American Chemical Society (2009), D.Sc. (honoris causa), Queens University, Belfast, Northern Ireland (2009), the William H. Nichols Award from the New York Section of the ACS (2014), and the Gassman Award (2014).
Donate to the Award Endowment
Currently, funds are being raised to endow the Amos B. Smith III Award, which will join the Gassman and Leete Awards as Division of Organic Chemistry awards. The DOC recognizes that many who knew Amos would like the opportunity to contribute to this. Please contact the Division Treasurer (Joseph Ward) to arrange for donation/payment. For donations of less than $5,000 or for ongoing monthly contributions please visit the award’s GiveLively page.