Ernst Homburg wins Morris Award 2021
The SHAC Morris Award for 2021 has been given to emeritus professor Ernst Homburg for his outstanding work on the history of the chemical industry.
His contributions include major studies on the history of the madder industry; his seminal paper on the early history of industrial R&D laboratories; his comprehensive history of twentieth-century modern chemistry and the chemical industry embedded within a broader history of the Netherlands in Techniek In Nederland in de Twintigste Eeuw.
And, particularly (in the context of this award), Homburg's “The Era of Diversification and Globalization (1950-2012)” in Solvay: History of a Multinational Family Firm (CUP, 2013), a book he co-edited with Kenneth Bertrams and Nicolas Coupain.
Ernst Homburg has given great service to the history of chemistry community. He edited the Ambix book reviews for ten years; served as a member of SHAC Council for twenty years; chaired the Historical Group of the Dutch Chemical Society for twelve years; was president of the Dutch History of Science Society (GeWiNa) between 1995 and 1998; and chaired the Working Party on the History of Chemistry of the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences for six years up to 2009. He was a Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University until his recent retirement.
About the award
The Morris Award honours the memory of John and Martha Morris, the late parents of Peter Morris, the former editor of Ambix and recognises scholarly achievement in the History of Modern Chemistry (post-1945) or the History of the Chemical Industry. The next award will take place in 2024.
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