Jan 12 2010
Richard N. Zare, the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural
Science at Stanford
University has been selected to receive the 2010 Theodore William
Richards (TWR)
Medal for Conspicuous Achievement in Chemistry from the Northeastern
Section of the American Chemical Society (NESACS).
The Richards Medal, named for the first Nobel laureate in Chemistry from
the United States, is the Section’s oldest and most prestigious award.
“Theodore W. Richards Redux:
Determining Isotope Ratios without Mass Spectrometers”
Professor Zare is being honored for his development of sensitive optical
techniques for chemical analysis. According to Dr. Roy Gordon, Chair of
the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University
and Chair of the Richards Medal Selection Committee, the Selection
Committee recognized that Zare’s techniques “have been applied to many
different disciplines, from studies of fundamental chemical reactions,
to chemical analysis of compartments within a cell, to the chemical
analysis of heterogeneous features in particulates and meteorites;
spanning the disciplines of chemistry, biology, and astrophysics. In
each case, his work inspires us to understand how the chemical analysis
of nanoenvironments can reveal hidden worlds that inform us deeply about
large questions – from the nature of life within a cell to the origin of
the solar system as it relates to the composition of the interstellar
medium. Through Zare’s pioneering and fundamental advances, the world of
the ultra small is being opened for study by the scientific community.”
Professor Zare joined the Stanford University Department of Chemistry in
1977. Prior to joining Stanford University, Professor Zare was an
assistant professor at MIT (1965), and a professor at the University of
Colorado (1966) and Columbia University (1969). He earned a B. A. in
chemistry and physics (1961) and a Ph. D. in chemical physics (1964),
both from Harvard University. He is the recipient of multiple honors and
awards for teaching and for his work in chemistry, including, most
recently, the 2010 Priestly Medal, to be given by the American
Chemical Society this spring.
Professor Zare will receive the Richards Medal Award during ceremonies
at Harvard University on Thursday, March 4, 2010. The evening will
include dinner at the Harvard Faculty Club, followed by the award
presentation and a lecture, entitled “Theodore W. Richards Redux:
Determining Isotope Ratios without Mass Spectrometers,” given by Dr.
Zare in the Pfizer Lecture Hall.
Source: Northeastern
Section of the American Chemical Society