October 21, 2005

NSLS Users Recognized

Each year, a number of NSLS users win prestigious awards in their field of scientific research. The following represent a collection of some of the most recent awards.

Russell Hemley and David Mao Win the 2005 Balzan Prize

This year, the International Balzan Foundation Prize for Mineral Physics was awarded to Russell Hemley and Ho-Kwang (David) Mao, both scientists with the Geophysical Laboratory at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Russell Hemley

David Mao

Hemley and Mao received the award "for the impressive impact of their joint work leading to fundamental breakthroughs, theoretical and experimental, in the field of minerals submitted to extreme physical conditions." Much of their work - particularly their early, pioneering studies - has been, and is currently, performed at the NSLS.

They began working at the NSLS in 1986, using beamline X13A (later renamed X7A) to perform x-ray diffraction studies of materials subjected to extremely high pressures. Later, they helped build X17C - the world's first dedicated high-pressure beamline - and also conducted high-pressure infrared spectroscopy studies at U4IR, U2B, and U2A (the world's only dedicated beamline for that type of research).

"They have operated as a highly effective team," remarked the award committee, "characterized by twenty years of research contributions at the highest level. They have developed techniques which allow them to study the behavior of a wide range of minerals, such as hydrogen, the most abundant 'mineral' in the universe. Their results have deep implications for our understanding of nature."

The prize will be given out on November 11, 2005 in Berne, Switzerland at the Swiss Federal Parliament Buildings. Each prize consists of one million Swiss francs (about $773,000), half of which must be used to fund research projects by students and young scientists at the winners' home institution.

Philip Coppens Receives the Seventh Ewald Prize

Longtime NSLS user scientist Philip Coppens, a Distinguished Professor and Henry M. Woodburn Chair of Chemistry at the State University of New York at Buffalo, has been awarded the prestigious Ewald Prize by the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr).

Philip Coppens

The prize honors Coppens' contributions to developing the fields of electron density determination and the crystallography of molecular excited states. He is also recognized for his commitment to the education of future crystallographers through many courses and workshops.

A significant part of the work for which he received the award is the result of studies at former NSLS beamline X3, which was operated by a collaboration of several SUNY campuses and for which Coppens was principal investigator for many years.

At X3, Coppens developed many of the methods he now uses in his research. Early on, he and his group performed several studies to determine the charge densities in various materials using x-ray diffraction. These experiments provided valuable insight into the properties of crystalline materials and the nature of chemical bonds within molecules and interactions between molecules. In later research, the group performed their first time-resolved studies at X3, using x-rays to determine the nature of molecular excited states that exist for very short periods but are highly reactive. The first results of this research were published in 2002.

Coppens formally received the Prize during the IUCr's Florence Congress Opening Ceremony on August 23, 2005. The Prize, presented just once every three years at the triennial International Congresses of Crystallography, consists of a medal, certificate, and $30,000.

2005 Chief's Honor Award for Distinguished Science Goes to Barbara Illman

Research plant pathologist and NSLS user Barbara L. Illman, who is Director of the Institute for Microbial and Biochemical Technology at the Forest Products Lab in Madison, Wisconsin, received the USDA Forest Service's 2005 Chief's Honor Award for Distinguished Science for her studies in four major areas of research.

Barbara Illman

The award recognizes Illman for her efforts in "applying solid-state physics techniques to forestry problems, invasive species mitigation research, bioremediation research, and contributions to long-term ecological research programs."

At the NSLS, Illman developed techniques for using x-rays to study wood decay, recycling of wood biomass material, and bioremediation of toxic chemicals in the environment. This work led to discoveries about the biochemical mechanisms of brown-rot fungi, the most destructive wood-decay organisms. Nearly 10 percent of the 300 million tons of trees harvested annually in the United States are used to replace wood products damaged by the decay fungi. The discoveries could lead to improved methods for protecting wood from fungi.

Illman's many other achievements include measures to control the spread of highly destructive non-native insects, especially in shipping materials. Roughly half of all international trade goods move in wood crates or on wood pallets or spools, or involve other wood material, creating a major pathway for the spread of invasive insects.

The award was presented to Illman in a recent Washington, D.C. ceremony by Dale Bosworth, chief of the Forest Service.

Noel Clark: Co-Winner of the 2006 APS Oliver E. Buckley Prize

The 2006 American Physical Society Oliver E. Buckley Prize, recognizing "outstanding theoretical or experimental contributions to condensed matter physics," has been awarded to Noel Clark, physicist at the University of Colorado and a user at beamline X10. He shares the prize with Robert Meyer of Brandeis University.

Noel Clark

The two scientists received the award "for groundbreaking experimental and theoretical contributions to the fundamental science and applications of liquid crystals, particularly their ferroelectric and chiral properties."

Clark and Meyer have made very significant contributions to developing the concepts that underlie the fields of liquid-crystal science and technology. Beyond that, they have designed novel, highly creative experiments that verify these concepts. Their efforts also extend to studies of other complex fluid systems, such as liquid-crystal polymers, colloids, and protein solutions.

Individually, Clark has performed a great deal of significant research. One example is his groundbreaking studies of ferroelectric liquid-crystal display cells that made it possible for display-cell manufacturers to use them in commercial devices. And recently, using freeze-fracture electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction, he studied the liquid crystal phases exhibited by banana-shaped molecules and determined their complex structure, which had perplexed the liquid-crystal research community.

The Buckley prize will be formally awarded to Clark and Meyer on March 16 during the March 2006 APS meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. It consists of $10,000 and a certificate.

ARTICLE BY: Laura Mgrdichian

If you know of an NSLS user that has recently won a prestigious award, please let us know by contacting the NSLS Information and Outreach Office.