A. Ian Scott facts for kids

Alastair Ian Scott (born April 10, 1928, in Glasgow; died April 18, 2007) was a super smart scientist from Scotland who became an American citizen. He was an organic chemist, which means he studied the chemicals that make up living things. He became famous all over the world for figuring out how vitamin B12 is made inside living organisms. This was a huge step in understanding how our bodies work!

A Life of Discovery

Alastair Scott was born in Scotland and later became an American citizen. He was a brilliant organic chemist, a scientist who studies the structure, properties, and reactions of carbon-containing compounds, which are the building blocks of life. His biggest achievement was solving the mystery of how vitamin B12 is created in nature. This vitamin is super important for our bodies to make red blood cells and keep our nervous system healthy.

Where He Worked

Dr. Scott taught and did research at several big universities. He was a professor of organic chemistry at the University of British Columbia, the University of Sussex, and Yale University. In 1977, he moved to Texas A&M University. He stayed there for the rest of his career, becoming a very respected professor of chemistry and biochemistry in 1981. For a short time in 1980, he also held a special teaching position at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Awards and Honors

Alastair Scott received many important awards for his amazing work in chemistry. These awards showed how much his discoveries helped the world of science.

Some of his notable awards include:

• The Corday-Morgan Medal from the Royal Society of Chemistry (1964)
• The Ernest Guenther Award (1975) and the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (1994) from the American Chemical Society
• The Tetrahedron Prize (1995)
• The Welch Award in Chemistry (2000)
• The Davy Medal from the Royal Society (2001)

He was also named Texas Scientist of the Year in 2002.

Important Groups He Joined

Dr. Scott was a member of many important scientific groups. Being a "Fellow" of these societies means he was recognized as a top expert in his field.

• He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
• He was also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the European Academy of Sciences.
• He was even an honorary member of the Japanese Pharmacological Society.

These memberships show how respected he was by scientists all over the world.