[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 190 (Wednesday, December 7, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1231-E1232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING DR. K. BARRY SHARPLESS FOR RECEIVING HIS SECOND NOBEL PRIZE IN 
                               CHEMISTRY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE LEVIN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 7, 2022

  Mr. LEVIN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
extraordinary accomplishments of Dr. Barry Sharpless who was awarded 
his second Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year. His contributions to the 
fields of chemistry and medicine are numerous and with this award he 
has joined an elite list of researchers and scientists. I honor his 
achievements as he becomes one of only two scientists in history to win 
two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry and only the fifth person to win a Nobel 
Prize twice.
  Dr. Sharpless was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 28, 
1941. His first true passion was fishing, and it has been a constant 
throughout his life. He did not discover his love of chemistry and 
science until much later and did not plan to become a scientist in his 
youth. In 1959, he left Philadelphia to attend university at Dartmouth 
College in New Hampshire. His parents had always hoped that he would 
follow in his father's footsteps and become a medical doctor. This led 
him to study chemistry in school. It was at Dartmouth College that he 
found mentors who inspired and guided him.
  Dr. Sharpless attended Stanford University for his postgraduate 
studies, where he earned his doctorate in organic chemistry. He met his 
future wife at Stanford University, and they later had three children. 
Upon completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Sharpless conducted research in 
enzymology at Harvard University.
  In 1970, he joined the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology (MIT) as an assistant professor. It was at MIT that he began 
researching chirality, a concept in chemistry which refers to mirror 
image molecules. Chemical reactions that occur in a lab produce two 
forms of molecules with different properties. Relying on the wrong form 
can make synthetic medicines dangerous. Thanks to the work done by Dr. 
Sharpless and his colleagues, his lab was able to find ways to 
synthesize molecules with new properties to develop safer 
pharmaceutical products. These contributions earned him his first Nobel 
Prize in 2001, which he shared with William S. Knowles, Ph.D., and 
Ryoji Noyori, Deng.
  Dr. Sharpless joined Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, in 
1990. Building upon his earlier work, Dr. Sharpless developed click 
chemistry, a term he coined that describes a set of methods used to 
construct chemical compounds. This process revolutionized how 
scientists approach bioimaging and has led to significant advances in 
drug development for diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, 
Parkinson's, and cancer.
  We are incredibly proud that Dr. Sharpless and his team at Scripps 
Research are doing this groundbreaking work in the San Diego region.

[[Page E1232]]

  Nobel Prizes are awarded to those with the highest degrees of 
intelligence, creativity, and dedication. I am certain Dr. Sharpless 
will continue to embody these characteristics and inspire future 
generations to do the same. Dr. Sharpless has earned countless awards, 
honors, and distinctions from around the world and has brought immense 
pride to California's 49th Congressional District.
  Madam Speaker, as you can see, Dr. Sharpless is an incredibly 
accomplished individual who has had a positive impact on our community, 
our Nation, and the world. I congratulate Dr. Sharpless on this 
remarkable honor and I look forward to seeing what he does next.

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