Women Chemists Committee Rising Star Award

The Women Chemists Committee of the American Chemical Society has selected Lauren Benz, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, as a recipient of the 2014 Rising Star Award. This award recognizes 10 exceptional women scientists approaching mid-level careers across all sectors, academic, industrial, and nonprofit, who have demonstrated outstanding promise for contributions to their field of study.

As part of the award, Dr. Benz has been invited to give a talk on her work at the American Chemical Society National Conference in Dallas, Texas in March of next year. The title of her talk is “Expanding beyond the single crystal: Surface science studies of nanoporous materials”. She will discuss how she, as a surface chemist, is contributing to the fundamental understanding of nanoporous materials which have great potential in the area of gas storage, particularly carbon dioxide and energy-relevant gases.