The
Chemistry Department congratulates Professor Louis Brus, who has been
named the 2012 winner of the Bower Science Award by the Franklin
Institute. One of science's highest honors, the Bower Award is bestowed
yearly on scientists "whose great innovation has benefited
humanity, advanced science, launched new fields of inquiry, and deepened our
understanding of the universe."
Bower Awards are made possible by a $7.5 million grant from the noted Philadelphia chemical engineer Henry Bower. They are one of the most robust science prizes in the country, carrying a cash award of $250K. Since their initiation in 1990, they have been awarded to scientists of almost every discipline. Other notable chemists who have received the award are Paul C. Lauterbur, who is credited with the discovery of NMR imaging, and Henri B. Kagan, who discovered fundamental chemicals principles that explain catalytic behavior.
Professor Brus's research is in the physical chemistry of materials, interfaces, nanocrystals, and nanotubes, particularly with respect to optical and electronic properties. The work includes theoretical modeling, experimental chemical physics, and synthetic chemistry. His research program seeks to create new materials with nanoscale structure by both kinetic and thermodynamic self-assembly methods. In the last several years, his group has has developed interests in metallic SWNT carbon nanotubes and in Ag nanocrystals as microscopic antennas for local electromagnetic field enhancement.
You can learn more about the Franklin Institute Awards on their website. Information about the work of Professor Brus's research group may be found on their group website.
