Edward Yeung’s love of chemistry began in the eighth grade with a chemistry set.

His passion has spanned more than 30 years. In June, he received another award to add to his list.

Yeung, distinguished professor of chemistry, was named the first recipient of the Robert Allen Wright Chair, an endowment left to help further the excellence of ISU academics.

Yeung was named the recipient of the honor by ISU President Gregory Geoffroy.

“The Robert Allen Wright Endowment can be used at the discretion of the university president to build and enhance the general excellence of the academic program at Iowa State University,” said Charles Dobbs, assistant to the president, in an email.

“According to the bequest from the family, ‘income from this fund may be used in ways that will attract, assist, or encourage outstanding faculty members … in ways that might support their research progress and their general development.'”

Yeung’s impact in chemistry made him a good candidate for the award, Dobbs said.

“President Gregory Geoffroy selected [Dr. Yeung] as the first recipient because of his overall excellence as demonstrated by his outstanding record of scholarship and the impact he has had in his field,” he said.

Yeung has spent his entire career, beginning in 1972, at Iowa State.

During this time he said he has had more than 60 graduate assistants.

He will be able to use the interest accrued from the $1 million endowment for further research, Yeung said.

His goal is to link chemistry with biology, which will be helpful in medicine.

In November, Yeung will be awarded the 2003 Eastern Analytical Symposium, Inc. Award for Achievements in Separation Science.

Other awards Yeung has received include: The American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Analytical Chemistry Award in Chemical Instrumentation in 1987, the ACS Award in Chromatography in 2002 and the International Prize of the Belgian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2002.

He received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Cornell University. Yeung then went on to receive his doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.