Monsanto's John E. Franz Wins 1990 Perkin Medal

Of all the things that John E. Franz has done in his nearly 35 years at Monsanto, the achievement he's proudest of is the discovery of glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide that's highly effective against both annual and perennial weeds but essentially nontoxic to mammals, birds, fish, insects, and most bacteria.

Glyphosate has been a great commercial success for Monsanto. But aside from that, Franz says, it's satisfying to know that he's played a major role in developing "an environmentally friendly product that's beneficial to mankind."

Now Franz has the further satisfaction of knowing that he's been chosen as the recipient of the Perkin Medal for 1990. The Monsanto Distinguished Science Fellow will receive the award at a ceremony this week in New York City. The medal is awarded annually by the American Section of the Society of Chemical Industry to honor "outstanding contributions to research and development of applied chemistry." The winner is chosen by ...