Winners announced for Brazilian chemist awards that encourage gender equity in science

***Editor’s note: Photos available upon request

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2020 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ) have announced this year’s winners of the Brazilian Women in Chemistry and Related Sciences awards. The accolades are designed to promote gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Brazil and to advance understanding of the impact of diversity on scientific research and the field of chemistry. The winners will be honored on Oct. 15 during a symposium on fighting inequity in science, which will be part of SBQ’s 43rd Annual Meeting.

Paola de Azevedo Mello, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at the Federal University of Santa Maria, won the Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes the achievements of an outstanding young chemical scientist or entrepreneur.

Ana Flávia Nogueira, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at the University of Campinas, earned the Leadership In Academia Award. This award honors an established academic who has made an important contribution with a global and societal impact on scientific research in chemistry or a related science.

Sonia Maria Cabral de Menezes, Ph.D., petroleum chemist and senior consultant at Petrobras, garnered the Leadership In Industry Award. It recognizes an industrial chemist whose research and creative innovations have led to discoveries that contributed to commercial success and the good of the community and society.

“Through our collaboration with the Brazilian Chemical Society and other supporting organizations, we have been able to identify three outstanding individuals who are working to advance the chemical sciences in Brazil and beyond,” says Bibiana Campos Seijo, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of ACS’ weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) and vice president of C&EN Media Group. “We will celebrate their talent and contributions at an event that will bring many great scientists together to develop action steps to create a more diverse and inclusive environment for all.” The awards are co-sponsored by C&EN and CAS, a division of ACS, and receive support from ACS and SBQ. This is the third year they have been given out.

Each winner will receive a $2,000 cash prize, a three-year CAS SciFinderⁿ subscription, a three-year ACS membership and an award certificate.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder^® and STN^®), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.