Professor Nina Berova Winner of 2007 Chirality Medal

Nina Berova, Research Professor, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, and Editor of the journal, Chirality, has been selected as the recipient of the 2007 Chirality Medal in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the field of chiroptical spectroscopy and the elucidation of a wide range of important chemical and biological problems related to molecular and supramolecular chirality.

Nina Berova is one of the foremost leaders in the field of organic stereochemistry and chiroptical spectroscopy. Her significant contributions in promoting circular dichroism (CD) and the exciton chirality method to the scientific community and in developing new methodologies and applications have had a profound impact in many areas in organic chemistry, biochemistry and the pharmaceutical industry. Her innovative development of versatile and sensitive CD reporter groups, such as porphyrin and metalloporphyrin “tweezers”, and her recent interests in theoretical aspects of chiroptical spectroscopy, renewed applications of optical rotatory dispersion, and fluorescence detected circular dichroism are opening new opportunities for studying and understanding structure in organic, bioorganic, and natural products chemistry.

Professor Berova is the first woman recipient of the Chirality Medal, and joins the ranks of the 17 other distinguished scientists who have been awarded the prize since its institution in 1991 by the Societa Chimica Italiana (SCI). The Medal is administered by the Chirality Medal Honor Committee and presented at a meeting of the International Symposium on Chirality. The formal presentation of the Chirality Medal to Professor Berova will take place at the 19^th International Symposium on Chirality, on July 8, in San Diego. ( www.chirality2007.org )