Lectka named as Guggenheim fellow

Chemistry professor Thomas Lectka received a 2003 Guggenheim Fellowship for his work in catalytic asymmetric fluorination reactions this April.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial offers fellowships to assist scholars and artists with research in any field. The award was established in 1925 by United States Senator Simon Guggenheim and his wife as a memorial to their son who died April 26, 1922.

Lectka described the award as a fellowship to recognize special or extraordinary accomplishment in a person's professional career.

"If you want to go to a laboratory where you can perform specialized experiments, the fellowship stipend allows you to do that," he said.

The award recognizes the sum aggregate of a person's career accomplishments rather than a specific achievement. The foundation provides a stipend that can be used for a sabbatical or, as Lectka plans, a leave of absence.

As a synthetic organic chemist, his specialty is creating new catalytic reactions.

"The products you would get from these reactions could be used in pharmaceutical chemistry as drugs," he said.

Lectka became a professor last year and said he has had sabbatical time accumulating.

"I had a block of time in which I could undertake these studies free from outside interference," he said.

Associate and assistant professors can apply for the award, he said, "although, I think it's less likely they're going to give it to you. I did wait to be a full professor, because my chances increased, and because I had some sabbatical time."

"It's a very prestigious fellowship," said Professor John Toscano. It allows the recipient to travel abroad to expand areas of research and interact with international leaders in his particular field, according to Tascono, a fellow chemistry professor. "He's done some very creative things; I think that has a lot to do with his being awarded this fellowship. [He] advanced the field of catalytic asymmetric synthesis. This is just recognition for the high quality and creative work that Dr. Lectka has carried out over the last few years."

Lectka said the award is a great honor.

"I'm elated," said Lectka. "I'm looking forward to the fact that it gives me freedom to study specialized aspects of catalytic fluorine chemistry, in labs in Israel and Switzerland. The apparatus is going to be unusual, there's going to be a big metal reactor, lots of Teflon [because fluorine is so reactive]."

Paul Dagdigian, chair of the chemistry department, said Lectka has an interest in new methodologies for the synthesis of organic molecules.

"The main application that it's relevant to is the design of new drugs," he said.

A major current focus in drug synthesis is the development of ways to make molecules with structures appropriate for whatever drug treatment is sought: Lectka's methodology in the laboratory is to come up with ways to synthesize molecules.

Dagdigian said the award will give Lectka support for his research and the opportunity to be stimulated by visiting other laboratories in a formal way.

"We're certainly pleased for the department and for him," he said.