David Perlman, the award-winning science editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, will be honored April 3 by the world's largest scientific society for his noteworthy contributions to increased public understanding of chemistry. He will receive the 2001 James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public from the American Chemical Society at its 221st national meeting in San Diego.
A reporter and editor at the Chronicle for nearly 50 years, Perlman has been covering science and technology at the newspaper for most of that time. In the course of his work, he has tracked historic developments ranging from early genetic research to recent advances in nanotechnology. His topic coverage is as varied as AIDS, earthquakes, cosmology and biomedical research.
Perlman also writes frequently about policy issues involving health care, the environment, nuclear energy and arms control. His lifetime of work and dedication to the field of science writing has allowed millions to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the role of science, particularly chemistry, in shaping everyday life. During his career, Perlman has trained and mentored many science journalists.
Born in 1919 and educated at Columbia University in New York City, Perlman edited the university's daily newspaper. He began his long and distinguished journalism career as a foreign correspondent in Europe following World War II, later becoming a political writer for newspapers and magazines.
While working as a newspaper reporter, Perlman was drawn into science writing quite by chance. Recuperating after a ski accident, he reluctantly began to read an astronomy book given him by a friend. To his surprise, he found himself hooked on science, an enthusiasm he now skillfully shares with others.
Longtime colleague, reporter Charles Petit, of U.S. News & World Report, has
noted of Perlman: "Science at a newspaper can mean any story with words
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Contact: Rodney Pearson
r_pearson@acs.org
202-872-4400
American Chemical Society
25-Mar-2001