We are sharing this letter from the President of Harvard University because we fully support the views and concerns it raises. From their origins in the Middle Ages, universities have been places of free and independent thought. They were intentionally located away from political centers to preserve their autonomy. Since its beginning, the university has served as a counterpower to the state—a space where the freedom to teach, research, and think critically could thrive without interference. That freedom must be protected. Academic inquiry cannot be threatened by, or subordinated to, the authority of the state. It is not only essential to higher education, but also to the health of any democratic society.

The recipient of the 2025 Joseph B. Lambert HIST Award of the Division of the History of Chemistry (HIST) of the American Chemical Society is Seth C. Rasmussen.  Professor Rasmussen is a member of the faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.  The HIST Award is for outstanding achievement in the history of chemistry and is international in scope. This award is the successor to the Dexter Award (1956-2001) and the Sydney M. Edelstein Award (2002-2009), also administered by HIST.

The HIST Award consists of an engraved plaque and a check for $1500 and will be presented to Professor Rasmussen at the fall national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, DC, in August 2025. Additional information about the award can be found on the HIST website at:

http://acshist.scs.illinois.edu/awards/hist_award.php