Pasadena : Caltech Professors Honored

Three Caltech professors have received honors from national societies for scholarly work.

John D. Roberts, a professor of chemistry at Caltech since 1952, has been awarded the 1987 Priestly Medal, the nation’s highest honor in chemistry, from the American Chemical Society. Roberts is internationally recognized for pioneering in chemical reactivity and studying the structure of molecules. The presentation will take place in April at the society’s annual meeting in Denver.

Neuroscience professor Seymour Benzer has received the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal of the Genetics Society of America. He is recognized for studies of fruit flies.

Gerry Neugebauer, professor of physics and director of Caltech’s Mt. Palomar Observatory, has been elected to membership of the American Philosophical Society.

The Altadena resident is noted for developing infrared astronomy for exploring the cosmos. A Caltech spokesman said the organization, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743, is the oldest learned society in the United States and that Neugebauer is one of 23 scholars invited to join this year.