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Scot T. Martin, assistant professor of aquatic and atmospheric chemistry, has received the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
President Bill Clinton presented the award to Martin in a ceremony Feb. 10 at the White House. Created by the Clinton administration in 1996, the award recognizes the nation's top young researchers in the sciences and engineering.
Of the 20 researchers honored, Martin was the only winner in the geosciences. His award was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
"These talented young men and women show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge," Clinton said. "Their passion for discovery will spark our can-do spirit of technological innovation and drive this nation forward and build a better America for the 21st century."
Each award winner will receive $500,000 over five years to further his or her research and educational efforts. The awards recognize the research contributions and commitment to broader societal goals of these scientist-scholars, as well as advances in science that serve important government missions.
Martin, 28, joined the faculty of the School of Public Health's environmental sciences and engineering department in 1997.
In 1998, he received a National Science Foundation CAREER award in its atmospheric chemistry program, an accolade that qualified him for consideration for the Presidential Award.
"I speak for the entire School of Public Health in congratulating Dr. Martin," said William L. Roper, dean. "His recognition as one of the nation's rising stars in science and engineering is a credit to him and to the University. It makes clear that the best is yet to come as we build for the future and confront the health issues that await us."
In aquatic chemistry, Martin is studying organic molecules found in soil below the surface and the chemical interactions that occur with natural systems.
His research in atmospheric chemistry involves particle formation and the chemical and physical changes that can occur to these particles in the atmosphere. Each of these research areas provides more information about what happens when environmental pollutants are emitted. He currently teaches two graduate courses in the department of environmental sciences and engineering: "Surface Chemistry in Natural Waters and the Atmosphere" and "Chemical Kinetics for Aquatic and Atmospheric Chemistry."
Before joining the Carolina faculty, Martin was a postdoctoral fellow in atmospheric chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1995 to 96.
He earned his doctorate in chemistry in 1995 from the California Institute of Technology, where he was a graduate student in environmental and physical chemistry. He earned his bachelor's of science degree in chemistry from Georgetown University in 1991 and studied at the University of Oxford in England.
Martin, who lives in Carrboro, is a native of Indianapolis.
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