improved indicator resulted in better testing results. He published this finding in 1934. Biographies and translations Following extensive European travel in the 1920s, Oesper began writing and compiling biographies of notable European chemists. These biographies were published in the United States in 1929 in a journal article entitled "What a Chemist May See in Europe". The publication included 24 biographies, examples including Fritz Haber, Alfred Nobel, Wilhelm Ostwald, Joseph Priestley, among others. As part of his career as a researcher in analytical chemistry, in 1938 Oesper translated a significant treatise on analytical methods from the German language into English, thereby making the information more broadly available. From then, Oesper continued to translated important scientific works. Oesper wrote numerous short biographies of notable chemists and lectured on the history of chemistry. Particularly notable was his 1975 book The Human Side of Scientists, which emphasized the lives of the scientists over their scientific contributions per se. The book includes 138 short biographies of scientists, mostly chemists. Honors and legacy In 1954, Oesper received the 5th annual Eminent Chemist award by the American Chemical Society. In 1956 he received the first Dexter Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry from the American Chemical Society. In 1966 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Cincinnati. Oesper was a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Chemical Education, Chymia, Mikrochemie, and Microchimica Acta. Oesper bequeathed his extensive library to the University of Cincinnati. This included a financial endowment to fund projects on the history of chemistry. The University of Cincinnati with the Cincinnati section of the American Chemical Society present an annual Oesper Award and Symposium series, named in Ralph Oesper's honor. Selected publications Articles Cohen, Stuart; Oesper, Ralph E. Books As translator: <ref>{{cite journal|author=Partington, J. R.|authorlink=J. R. Partington|title=Review of Qualitative Analysis by Spot Tests, Inorganic and Organic Applications, 3rd edition, by Fritz Feigl, trans. by R. E. Oesper|journal=Nature|volume=162|page=474|date=26 September 1948|doi=10.1038/162474a0|s2cid=34568025}}</ref> As author: Oesper, Ralph E. The Human Side of Scientists'', University Publications, 1975. External links The Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati References 20th-century American chemists University of Cincinnati alumni University of Cincinnati faculty Historians of chemistry 1886 births 1977 deaths