Professor Neil Garg is the 2023 recipient of the Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science, an annual award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) presented to scientists and engineers in recognition of their contributions to public engagement with science.
According to the AAAS announcement, the award recognizes Garg’s engagement with a range of audiences for the “creative and inspiring tools” he has developed to meaningfully increase public engagement with science, according to the award selection committee.
Garg was honored at an awards ceremony at the 2023 AAAS Annual Meeting, held in Washington, D.C., March 2-5.
Garg is the Chair of the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the inaugural holder of the Kenneth N. Trueblood Endowed Chair in Chemistry & Biochemistry. He is known for his innovative teaching techniques, transformative chemical educational initiatives, public engagement, and his cutting-edge research program, which is directed toward the development of synthetic strategies and methods that enable the synthesis of complex bioactive molecules.
From UCLA Newsroom (by Holly Ober):
Neil Garg receives AAAS Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science
Neil Garg, the Kenneth N. Trueblood Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has received the AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Garg has made organic chemistry — the study of molecules made of carbon — one of the most popular undergraduate classes at UCLA. He has also developed online educational tools for students and has written “The Organic Coloring Book series,” appeared on radio and TV shows and podcasts, gave a TEDxUCLA talk, and leads outreach activities in the local community. This summer, he will launch Chem Kids, a UCLA Recreational camp, where children will learn organic chemistry.
“I am especially grateful to AAAS and the visionary scientist and philanthropist Dr. Bhaumik for recognizing the importance of public engagement in the sciences,” said Garg, who is also department chair of chemistry and biochemistry.
Bhaumik, a former UCLA postdoctoral scholar, helped develop laser technology that led to Lasik eye surgery. At UCLA, he has established the Mani L. Bhaumik Institute in Theoretical Physics, the Mani L. Bhaumik Graduate Fellowships in Theoretical Physics, and the Mani L. Bhaumik Centennial Collaboratory student study space in Young Hall.
