Dr. James O’Brien has dedicated his life to making science more accessible to the general public. This time, his efforts were awarded with the Elizabeth Wood Science Writing Award from the American Crystallographic Association. This award is given every three years to a person who has written books or articles that bring science to the attention of a wider audience.

O’Brien’s career at Missouri State University started in 1969. Since then, he has won numerous awards, published 31 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and he has since been given space on Missouri State’s Wall of Fame. He has given many talks about his 2013 Edgar Award winning book, “The Scientific Sherlock Holmes,” and his Famous Mad Hatter talks about mercury poisoning. His latest project has been a chapter entitled “Sherlock Holmes: Forensic Science Pioneer” that has been accepted for a future novel.

To read more about his work and other works that bring science to a wider audience, check out his collaboration with Dr. Tamera Jahnke.