8 Utahns get science, technology awards

Eight Utahns have been chosen for the 2007 Governor's Medal for Science and Technology, which this year honors work ranging from remote sensing of the atmosphere to vision research.

The medals were awarded to individuals from industry, education and academic research, and one lifetime achievement award was presented, according to a news release from the State Advisory Council on Science and Technology. The recipients were scheduled to be honored Tuesday evening by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

The lifetime achievement award went to Jack Sunderlage, president and chief executive officer of ContentWatch Inc., which provides Internet management software and services. Before he joined ContentWatch in 2005, he did contract consulting with the Utah Partnership for Education in developing business partnerships for the creation of six new high schools in the state.

Awards for academic research went to Tom Wilkerson, senior scientist with the Space Dynamics Laboratory at the Utah State University Research Foundation, and Chris Ireland, professor and chairman of the University of Utah Department of Medicinal Chemistry. Wilkerson is an expert in the application of lasers to the remote sensing of the atmosphere. Ireland's research has focused on the discovery of anti-tumor agents from natural product sources, including marine invertebrate animals, tropical plants and fungi.

In education, awards were presented to Paul Nance, a science teacher in the Jordan School District, and Bonnie Baxter, an associate professor of biology at Westminster College. Nance has worked as an educator for 32 years and has been the district's elementary science teacher specialist for the past six years. Baxter and her undergraduate students study light protection in halophiles, which are organisms living in salty environments, and microbial diversity of the Great Salt Lake.

The award in the government category went to Gregory Jones, director of research at the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah. He has been the state science adviser for two years.

In industry, awards were presented to Jerry Nelson, chief scientific officer and laboratory director at Nelson Labs, and Josh James, co-founder and chief executive officer of Omniture. Nelson has made significant contributions to the development of the medical-device and pharmaceutical industries in the state, according to the news release. Jones is a leader in the on-demand market and a founder of three other high-tech companies.