Pittsburgh Award

The Pittsburgh Award was established in 1932 by the Pittsburgh Section of ACS to recognize outstanding leadership in chemical affairs in the local and larger professional community. This Award symbolizes the honor and appreciation accorded to those who have rendered distinguished service to the field of chemistry. The Award, consisting of a plaque, is presented annually at a Section dinner open to the public.

Members of the Pittsburgh Section, or in exceptional cases, nonmembers, who have done work worthy of recognition toward increasing chemical knowledge, promoting the chemical industry, benefiting humanity, or advancing the Pittsburgh Section, are eligible for consideration. Nominations for the Pittsburgh Award are solicited from the membership of the Pittsburgh Section. Click here for the nomination packet.

Nominations for the Pittsburgh Award are typically accepted through August 15 of the award year. Please submit nominations to the Chair-Elect of the section, Dr. Ronghong Lin.

2024 Recipient – Dr. Evan Granite

Dr. Granite is currently the Program Manager for Carbon Ore Processing and Senior Technical Advisor at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Headquarters. He has demonstrated unparalleled expertise and innovation. He initiated and led the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory Research and Innovation Center (NETL R&IC) programs on Rare Earth and Critical Metals Detection and Recovery and Emissions Control. His leadership in these areas has been instrumental in addressing some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

Dr. Granite’s prolific contributions to scientific literature and patent development further underscore his impact. He is the principal or co-investigator on numerous projects, has authored or co-authored sixty-nine peer-reviewed journal articles, holds nine patents, and has delivered over three hundred conference papers and presentations. His research has been cited extensively, reflecting its profound influence on the scientific community. He was listed among the 2% of scientists worldwide in 2020 and 2022 published studies assessing scientists for both career-long and most recent year citation impacts, and was recently interviewed by the American Institute of Physics for their Niels Bohr Oral History Series.

Dr. Granite has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the DOE/NETL Director’s (Hugh Guthrie) Award for Innovation in 2009, 2008 and 2005; several R&D 100 Awards (The Oscars of Innovation); the rookie of the year gold medal award from the Federal Executive Board on Excellence in Government in June of 2001; three National Federal Laboratory Consortium Technology Transfer prizes, and many others. He was inducted into the International Activated Carbon Hall of Fame in October 2011 and was nominated for the 2019 and 2020 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for Outstanding Research.

In addition to his technical achievements, Dr. Granite is deeply committed to fostering scientific collaboration and education. He has served on PhD thesis committees at prestigious institutions, organized major conferences, and delivered invited lectures at numerous academic and professional events. His dedication to mentorship and community service, exemplified by his volunteer work with the Pittsburgh Youth Chamber Orchestra, highlights his broader commitment to societal betterment.​

Biography provided by Dr. Ronghong Lin.

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Past Recipients

1957  Alfred R. Powell
1956  Robert F. Mehl
1955  George D. Beal
1954  Paul D. Foote
1953  Paul H. Emmett
1952  Homer H. Lowry
1951  William A. Gruse
1950  William A. Hamor
1949  Harry V. Churchill
1948  Henry H. Storch
1947  Chester G. Fisher
1946  William P. Yant
1945  John C. Warner
1944  Leonard H. Cretcher
1943  Junius D. Edwards
1942  Charles G. King
1941  Webster N. Jones
1940  Alexander Silverman
1939  Edward R. Weidlein
1938  George H. Clapp
1937   Francis C. Frary
1936  Richard B. Mellon
1936  Andrew W. Mellon
1934  Charles E. Nesbit
1933  Ralph E. Hall