On Tuesday night, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, a university president, two MacArthur Foundation â??Geniusesâ? and a Japanese senator were presented with the award that bares Crossâ??s name for outstanding achievement in one of his many fields.
Honoree Laura L. Kiessling GRD â??89 is renowned for merging chemistry and biology by designing and synthesizing replicas of natural molecules central to life processes. She is a professor at the University of Wisconsin, where she has worked since 1991.
She was unable to attend Tuesdayâ??s ceremony because of a death in the family.