The Welch Foundation, one of the largest funding resources for chemical research, recognized associate professor Delia Milliron for her contribution to controlling sunlight from entering buildings, according to the foundation’s website.

Last Wednesday, The Welch Foundation announced Milliron as one of the two recipients of the 2017 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research. The award was established to honor Norman Hackerman, the foundation’s scientific advisory board member, with the purpose of supporting Texas’ scientists who are dedicated to increasing the fundamental understanding of chemistry.

Milliron said it is a great honor to be recognized by The Welch Foundation, and she is very proud to receive this award.

“(The Welch Foundation is) a very important supporter of chemistry across the state of Texas, and they found some of the research in my lab and in many others across campus and around the state,” Milliron said over the phone. “It’s a really important driver of innovation in Texas to have the Welch foundation supporting us with grants and with awards like this one.”

Milliron is also an associate editor of Nano Letters, a journal of the American Chemical Society, which includes publications related to nanomaterial chemistry.

Thomas Truskett, chair of the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, said Milliron is a “rising star” in the chemical sciences, and she is well-deserved of the award.

“The Hackerman Award is a fiercely competitive prize,” Truskett said in an email. “The fact that Dr. Milliron was chosen for it this year, as well as another colleague from our Department last year, points toward the excellence of our young faculty, who represent the future of the Department.”

The Welch Foundation is based in Houston and has contributed to the advancement of chemistry by supporting institutions in Texas with research grants and special projects, according to the foundation’s website.

Chemistry freshman Andrea Torres said it’s inspiring to see Milliron’s recogniton, because she represents a strong female leader in the scientific community. 

“For a long time chemistry and sciences in general were predominantly male, and to have a woman win an award like that it’s a pretty big deal,” Torres said. “It shows that we have a program that pushes innovation.”