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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Nominations are now being accepted for a new $50,000 award that will be presented next year by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, as part of a major international conference commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Linus Pauling.

Pauling, a 1922 OSU alumnus, is the only person to ever receive two unshared Nobel Prizes - for chemistry and peace. A variety of conferences, lectures and other events are being planned by the university next year to honor him as one of the great scientists and humanitarians in world history.

Among the events will be the first presentation of the new "Linus Pauling Institute Prize for Health Research," a bi-annual award to be made to a leading scientist. It will be the highlight of a conference titled "Diet and Optimum Health" to be held May 16-19, 2001, in Portland, Ore.

"The purpose of the prize is to recognize and encourage excellence in research on the role of micronutrients, vitamins and phytochemicals in optimum health, and to honor scientists who have made major contributions to understanding the role of diet in prevention and treatment of disease," said Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Insitute.

Anyone interested in making a nomination should contact the Linus Pauling Institute at 541-737-5075 for award criteria and guidelines, or access their web page at http://lpi.orst.edu. The deadline for nominations is Oct. 1.

The Linus Pauling Institute at OSU is a national leader of research on the relationship between diet and America's leading health problems, including cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases and aging. Aside from his many other scientific accomplishments, Pauling was a pioneer in nutrition research and co-founded the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine in 1973.

"Understanding the relationships between diet, lifestyle and health offers new opportunities to prevent and treat disease, reduce the cost and suffering from chronic illness, and enhance the quality of life," Frei said. "For example, about one-third of all cancers in the United States could be prevented by a healthy diet."

Sessions at next year's conference will explore the molecular mechanisms of action of micronutrients, vitamins and phytochemicals; evidence that these compounds can be used in the treatment of disease; evidence that they lower morbidity and mortality from chronic disease; and the role of diet in slowing the aging process.