Announcement for MN ACS Awards and Awards in-person meeting
Ramesh Kumar
Hi Will,
Please see below the announcements for MN ACS award winners as well as the meeting notice for June 11 at 3M innovation center which includes social hour, dinner, award ceremony and presentation etc.
Please get the link for registration for the meeting from Jenna Lundquist and include it with RSVP. Please publish this, I think, you mentioned around May 10.
Hi Jenna - Hope all is well. Please send a registration link to will for the subject meeting.
Thanks
Ramesh C Kumar
Chair MN ACS Awards Committee
2026 MN ACS Awards
Ramesh C. Kumar, Chair MN ACS Awards Committee
2026 Minnesota Chemist Award: The prestigious Minnesota Award in Chemistry is given to an outstanding researcher/innovator who has shown strong commitment to innovative work in chemistry-related fields. This year's award goes to Dr. Jerry Rasmussen of Thermo Fisher Scientific Corp. Jerry is a native Minnesotan and received his Bachelor degree in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. After receiving a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Colorado and post-doctoral work at SUNY- Buffalo, Jerry returned to Minnesota to work for 3M. Over his 50-year career in industry, Jerry has been a prolific inventor (over 150 issued US patents and 78 scientific publications) and a leader in the study of how biomolecules interact with surfaces. This has led to the development of a platform of products that aid pharmaceutical companies with the purification of biological therapeutics (e.g. monoclonal antibodies). Specific business successes include 3M Emphaze (TM) AEX Hybrid purifier; a new category-defining chromatographic cell culture clarification device, which was first of its kind and many other products which are based on new to-the-world functional chemistry that Jerry Championed, beginning with the University collaboration in the early 2000. Over the last few decades, the number of drug approvals for monoclonal antibodies has steadily risen. Many of these drugs are providing substantial improvements over existing treatments. Concurrently there is an increased need for effective, safe, dependable, and efficient purification of these biological products. Jerry's inventions are enabling the production of these life-changing and life-saving therapies for cancer, infectious diseases and other conditions. BIOT has recently recognized Jerry's contributions in the field by awarding him 2026 Alan S. Michaels Award in the Recovery of Biological Products, a prestigious award that is usually reserved for highly visible academic investigators who have educated many students and made influential and fundamental contributions.
Based on Jerry's innovation, leadership, persistence and productivity, MN ACS is proud and very enthusiastic in bestowing this award to Dr. Jerry Rasmussen which comes with a plaque and a $600 honorarium.
2026 Lyle Hall and Janet Tarino Volunteer Award
Starting this year, the Lyle Hall Senior Chemist Award and the Janet Tarino Volunteer
Awards have been combined. This award recognizes individuals for outstanding volunteer
service to the MN ACS or chemistry-related community outreach. The volunteer activities
may include volunteer ACS service, volunteer activities in any other scientific organization
such as the Minnesota Academy of Science (i.e. Science Fair Judging), professional
writing, consulting, and/or research.
This year's award goes to Mr. Todd Williams. Todd retired from 3M in 2006 and within less than a year, he started volunteering for "Chemists in the Library" and according to Dr. Phil Buhlmann, he quickly became one of the most reliable volunteers for this program. Todd knows all the experiments for the Chemists in the Library, and has always been willing to run whichever experiment the group needs on that particular day. While working with kids, he exhibits an enormous level of patience and dedication which is an enormous attribute to run this program. In addition to volunteering in Chemists in the Library program, Todd has also volunteered as a judge for Science Fairs for many years and has served as a Science Coach for the Stillwater High School. For his outstanding volunteering activities in the local section, MN ACS is proud and enthusiastic in bestowing this award to Todd Williams which comes with a plaque and $500 honorarium.
June Awards Dinner at 3M Innovation Center
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Mark your calendars for a special evening at the 3M Innovation Center this June ! Join us
as we celebrate the outstanding achievements of our award recipients while exploring one
of the most cutting-edge research hubs in the industry.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with fellow professionals, honor excellence in
chemistry and biochemistry and experience the innovation that drives 3M forward. We look forward to
celebrating with you!
Presentation
Title: Innovations at the Interface: An Industrial Chemist’s Journey at the Nexus of Synthesis, Surface Functionalization, and Biology
Jerald K. Rasmussen
2026 Minnesota Chemist Award Winner
Thermo Fisher Scientific, 3M Center, Building 201-2E-04, St Paul, MN 55144
This presentation will chronicle my somewhat circuitous journey as an industrial chemist within the world of recovery of biological products. My job, as a member of an organization that supplies materials for use in the recovery and purification of biological products, is to survey practices in current use in the industry and to be aware of the most recent and relevant research from the academic/scientific communities, and then to bring both together to develop new concepts, new procedures, new manufacturable materials that will enable improvements in the overall recovery process, leading to safer, less expensive, and more efficacious biologicals for our ultimate customers and for patients. We will start with a couple of early forays into resin-based biopharmaceutical purification, a side-track during the high points of the Human Genome Project, a reinvigoration with a renewed focus on advanced single-use functional media, and ultimately into the development and commercialization of functionalized membranes and nonwovens, which provide the foundation of our most recent incursions into the realm of biological product recovery.
Time
4:00 - 5:00 pm Tour of the Innovation Center
5:00 - 5:45 pm Social & Networking (beer, soft drinks and water)
5:45 - 7:00 pm Buffet Dinner
7:00 - 8:15 pm Presentation of Awards and Presentation by Dr. Jerald Rasmussen
Location
3M Innovation Center, 2350 Minnehaha Ave E, St Paul, MN 55119
Dinner
Cost
$20 / $10 students
RSVP
Register by June 4, 2026 at ?