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At 85, UOP chemist honored by President Obama

Edith M. Flanigen, a consultant and retired award-winning chemist with UOP LLC in Des Plaines, was getting ready for a major reception at the Ritz Carlton in Washington, D.C., last week and looked forward to joining three tables filled with her relatives.

It wasn't a birthday celebration for the 85 year old. It was a reception for those who received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation Award from President Barack Obama. She was one of eight recipients of the award, which recognizes people for lasting contributions to America's competitiveness, quality of life and technology.

"We saw the president come in about a half-hour before the event and we each had a chance to shake his hand and take a photo with him," Flanigen said just after the award presentation in Washington, D.C. "Then three of our guests each had a chance to shake his hand and take a photo with him. And so much was going on that by the time he put the medal around my neck, it was rather anti-climatic."

Still, Flanigen faced a large audience that was applauding, and for good reason. During her 42-year career, she invented more than 200 different synthetic materials, wrote for more several publications, and earned 109 patents.

She is one of just a few women chemists of her generation. She synthetically manufactured molecular sieves, or zeolites, which are porous crystals capable of separating and purifying complex chemical mixtures and enhancing chemical reactions for oil refining and petrochemical manufacturing. This work led to the advancement of water purification, UOP officials said.

She also invested a process to synthetically manufacture gem-quality emeralds for use in early laser technology. It was later sold for a line of jewelry, UOP said.

Flanigen earned her bachelor's degree from D'Youville College and her Master's degree in inorganic-physical chemistry from Syracuse University in 1952.

She began her career at Union Carbide in 1952 and started working with zeolites. By 1973, she became the first woman at Union Carbide to be named corporate research fellow, and in 1982, senior corporate research fellow. She joined UOP in Des Plaines following the merger of a Union Carbide division with UOP in 1988.

In 1991, she became the first woman to be awarded the Perkin Medal, America's top honor in applied chemistry. She received the American Chemical Society Garvan Medal in 1993, was named to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002 and earned the Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

She retired in 1994, and has remained active with UOP as a consultant, often traveling back to Des Plaines. She lives in White Plains, N.Y.

What was it like for her to be one of the few women chemists, especially one who won several awards?

"Sure I had some difficulties as a woman, but nothing that would prevent me from working or advancing in a scientific career," she said.

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Edith Flanigen, a retired chemist with UOP in Des Plaines, poses in 2001 with a model of a zeolite. COURTESY OF UOP LLC
Dani McDonald
Steve Serdar
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