Prize Recipient

Lester Andrews
University of Virginia

Citation:

"For vibrational spectroscopy in cryogenic matrices that combined with quantum calculations, has led to the identification and characterization of many molecules, ions, and complexes across the periodic table."

Background:

W. Lester S. Andrews, born in Lincolnton, North Carolina, received his B.S., Chemical Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1963 and his Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 1966. Lester Andrews has authored or co authored over 750 scientific papers in refereed journals from 1966 to date.  These papers involve matrix isolation spectroscopy of metal oxides, free radicals, hydrogen bonded complexes, molecular ions, metal hydrides, methylidene and methylidyne complexes, metal dihydroxide and tetrahydroxide molecules, and other novel chemical species.  His current sponsored work is aimed at using the laser ablation process to make new transition metal, lanthanide metal, and actinide metal containing molecules. Lester is a member of the Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, Elected Fellow, 1993 and the Royal Society of Chemistry, Fellow, 2009. He has received numerous awards for achievements including the President's and Visitors' Research Prize, University of Virginia, 1969 and 1971, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow, 1973 75; Coblentz Spectroscopy Award, 1978; George Pimentel Award in Matrix Isolation Spectroscopy, 2007 and the Distinguished Scientist Award, University of Virginia, 2008.

Selection Committee:

David Perry, Chair, R. Continetti, T. Miller, D. Pratt, R. Hochstrasser