Dasgupta is UT Arlington's Jenkins Garrett Professor of Chemistry. Given by the Chromatography Forum of the Delaware Valley, the Dal Nogare recognition honors that group's co-founder and second president, Stephen Dal Nogare. Since 1972, the award has honored scientists on the basis of their contributions to the fundamental understanding of the chromatographic process. His awards symposium is one of the few at the conference that will be webcast live and on-demand.

Dasgupta has made numerous improvements to methods of ion chromatography, the process of separating and detecting ions - atoms and molecules bearing a net electrical charge - for analysis. Ion chromatography can be used in air or water quality monitoring, drug development and several other applications. Dasgupta is credited with the development of electrodialytic suppressors, eluent generators and post column reagent introduction devices.

"We are so pleased to see Dr. Dasgupta honored with this prestigious award for his energetic and varied pursuits in expanding the field of chromatography," said Ronald L. Elsenbaumer, UT Arlington provost and vice president for academic affairs and a former chair of the chemistry and biochemistry department. "Years of discoveries lie ahead thanks to the more refined equipment and better processes he has developed."

Dasgupta said he is honored and humbled to become part of the elite group

Sandy Dasgupta

Some of his most noted work focuses on the presence of the contaminant perchlorate in the environment. He is currently researching how it could be transmitted through human breast milk. Dasgupta also recently received a $1.2 million grant from NASA to develop "An Ion Chromatograph for Extraterrestrial Explorations." His goal is to create a better system for testing the chemical composition of soil on Mars and other extraterrestrial bodies.

Janusz Pawliszyn, professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Waterloo, is one of the scientific colleagues who nominated Dasgupta for the Dal Nogare award. Pawliszyn said he always has been impressed by Dasgupta's "innovative and practical research."

"He has one of the most impressive records of achievements among analytical chemists alive," Pawliszyn said. "I would rate him as one of the top ten productive and imaginative analytical researchers in the world."

Posted March 12, 2012