Professor Mitsuo Sawamoto of Chubu University Institute of Engineering was selected for the 2017 Benjamin Franklin Medal (Chemistry) by the American Franklin Institute.This is the first Japanese award in the chemistry category.The award ceremony was held at the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and Professor Sawamoto was awarded a medal by Larry Rubinski, President of the Franklin Association.
According to Chubu University, Professor Sawamoto was awarded at the same time as Professor Christoph Machazevsky of Carnegie Mellon University in the United States.Contributes to the development of new polymerization reactions using metal catalysts, realizes dramatic precision control of polymer structure and chemical composition, and creates new materials such as advanced composite materials, paints, dispersants, and biomedical polymers. Made possible.
The Benjamin Franklin Medal is a prestigious award in the field of science founded in 1824, with successive winners being Thomas Edison, the inventor, Albert Einstein, known for the general theory of relativity, and Microsoft's founding. There are people such as Bill Gates.
From Japan, Shuji Nakamura, Masatoshi Koshiba, and Yoichiro Nambu, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics, have received the award.
Regarding this award, Professor Sawamoto commented, "I hope that macromolecules with significantly improved performance will be applied to different fields such as biology, and at the same time, I would like to use them as an opportunity to trace the origin of life." announced.