Dan Luo, associate professor of biological and environmental engineering, has been selected to receive the 2010 Journal of Materials Chemistry Editorial Board Award, which honors a younger scientist who has made a significant contribution to the materials chemistry field. Luo will be the first recipient of the new award, which will be given annually.

In connection with the award, Luo is invited to contribute an article to the journal, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry in England, and to give three lectures at upcoming conferences describing his research. The award includes a stipend to cover the cost of travel to these events.

"I feel greatly honored to receive this award," Luo said. "I also want to thank my talented and dedicated postdocs and students, and wonderful collaborators, for their high-quality work; without them it would not have been possible."

The award cites Luo for his research in developing new materials for sensing, imaging and biotechnology. He has innovated the use of synthetic DNA as a building block for self-assembling nanostructures, creating biodegradable hydrogels for drug delivery and tissue scaffolding, platforms for protein synthesis and microscopic "barcodes" to identify pathogens.