Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society Selects Richard N. Zare for the Theodore William Richards Medal Recipient for 2010

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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.

For further information about the Richards Award contact Professor Roy Gordon, at [e-mail] or +1. 617.495.4017. Additional details will be forthcoming on the NESACS website.

The Northeastern Section of the ACS, which has nearly 7000 members, sponsors a number of awards, travel grants and scholarships to honor professional chemists. NESACS holds more than ten meetings per year, open to the public, around the Boston area. More information can be found at our website, www.nesacs.org. For press inquiries about NESACS, contact Leland L. Johnson, Jr., chair of Public Relations, at [e-mail], [e-mail], or +1.781.938.1122, ext. 115.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 154,000 members, the ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.