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2012 Award Winners
Please join us in congratulating the following winners.
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ACA 2012 Buerger Award to John Spence
The M.J. Buerger award was
created in 1983, in honor of Martin J. Buerger, Institute Professor Emeritus of
M.I.T. and Univ. Professor Emeritus of the Univ. of Connecticut, a mineralogist
who made major contributions to many areas of crystallography. The award was
created to recognize mature scientists who have made contributions of
exceptional distinction in areas of interest to the ACA.
John Spence (Arizona State Univ.) has been selected as the 2012 Buerger recipient for
theoretical and experimental contributions to diffraction physics, using both
X-ray and electron methods. The award presentation and lecture is scheduled for
Sunday, July 29.
MORE John is a Regents' Professor at Arizona
State Univ. at Tempe, where his research group studies condensed matter, biophysics
and diffraction physics based on the use of electron and x-ray beams for
imaging, spectroscopy and diffraction. State-of-the art equipment is used to do
lithography at the angstrom level. The optical and superconducting properties
of the resulting patterned arrays of "Nano-rings" are being investigated. The
group's quantitative convergent beam (QCBED) research allows for direct imaging
of the chemical bonds in solids. Theoretical work continues on the inversion
problem of multiple scattering, and experimental research is supported on the
use of coherent sub-nanometer electron probes for the study of dislocation core
structures and on electron channeling effects on x-ray production (ALCHEMI).
His latest research is devoted to biological applications of femtosecond x-ray
diffraction at Flash (in Hamburg) and at the Linac Coherent Light Source at
Stanford where they use x-ray pulses so brief that they terminate before atoms
move (in order to avoid damage), to determine the structure of membrane
proteins and viruses which are difficult to crystallize.
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ACA 2012 Warren Award to Paul Fenter
Established in 1970 by students and friends of Professor
B.E. Warren on the occasion of his retirement from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, the award recognizes an important recent contribution to the
physics of solids or liquids using X-ray, neutron, or electron diffraction
techniques.
Paul Fenter
(Argonne National Lab) has been selected for "developing novel in situ
X-ray reflectivity and microscopy methods to image structures
and processes at complex solid-liquid interfaces. This was enabled by two
general technical advances: molecular-scale imaging of interfacial structures
through the recovery and use of phase information normally lost in scattering
measurements; and, the full field imaging of lateral interfacial heterogeneity
and including elementary topography (i.e., sub-nm high steps) and interfacial
reactions using X-ray microscopy". The award presentation is scheduled for Monday,
July 30.
Paul is a pioneer of
x-ray methodology for understanding the structure of interfaces, particularly
those involving liquids or soft matter. His relentless and creative pursuit of
the mechanisms underlying otherwise routine scattering methods has led to
substantial breakthroughs. X-ray reflectivity and
microscopy methods to image structures and processes at complex solid-liquid
interfaces. This was enabled by two general technical advances: molecular-scale
imaging of interfacial structures through the recovery and use of phase information
normally lost in scattering measurements; and, the full field imaging of
lateral interfacial heterogeneity and including elementary topography (i.e.,
sub-nm high steps) and interfacial reactions using X-ray microscopy". The award
presentation is scheduled forHis primary contribution has been in developing the method
of x-ray reflectivity for studying surface structure. On the experimental side,
he has pioneered the use of area detectors, like CCD's, which allow significant
enhancements in data collection efficiency and accuracy. He has pushed the use
of resonance methods to obtain chemical sensitivity to the point of being able
to obtain element-specific density maps of interfaces with very few prior
assumptions.More recently, the reflectivity work has been extended to
crystal truncation rods (CTR) which involve the crystal lattice as well as the
interface under study.Another recent breakthrough is his invention
of the XRIM method of imaging structure at a buried interface such as mineral
water. This uses the reflectivity or CTR information to produce real-space
images by applying a Fresnel Zone Plate as a lens to magnify the sample. While
several crystallographers were busy attempting to interpret the coherent
diffraction from interfaces, Paul Fenter was the sole originator of the idea to
combine the diffracted beams together again to form an image.
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ACA 2012 Supper Instrumentation Award to Ron Hamlin
The Supper Award was
created to recognize scientists who have made exceptional contributions to
crystallographic instrumentation. Charles Supper emigrated from Germany to the
United States in 1925, bringing an ability to fabricate almost anything
mechanical. While at M.I.T. he collaborated with Martin Buerger in the
development of the precession camera. By 1941, he recognized the need for a
company to manufacture and supply high quality, easy-to-use, and reasonably
priced instruments for the X-ray crystallographer and he founded the Charles Supper
Company. Mr. Supper's innovative designs and methods led to the commercial
availability of the Buerger precession cameras, the Weissenberg camera,
Debye-Scherrer powder cameras, goniometer heads, and devices to fabricate
crystal and protein models, film measuring instruments and other useful
diffraction accessories.
Ron Hamlin
(Area Detector Systems) will receive the award on Wednesday, August 1. Ron will be honored as a leader in the stages
of all the modern generations of major area x-ray detectors.
Ron
earned his PhD in Physics from UC San Diego where his early work with
Nguyen-Huu Xuong (2004 Supper Award winner) led to the development of a highly
successful multi-wire area detector. Then in 1983 Hamlin (together with Xuong
and Chris Neilson) formed Area Detector Systems Corporation (ADSC) to sell the
detector. When image plates were developed, ADSC teamed with MAR to make them
readily available in the US. When Sol Gruner's group (CHESS) demonstrated the
potential of the phosphor-coupled CCD detectors (1991-1993) Ron immediately
recognized their potential. He worked closely with Gruner's group along with
Walter Phillips' group at Brandeis to develop a highly successful line of CCD
detectors that can now be found at synchrotron sites all over the world.
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ACA
2012 Margaret C. Etter Early Career Award to Emmanuel Skordalakes
Emmauel Skordalakes (The Wistar Insitute) has been selected
as the 2012 Etter Early Career Award. Telomerase is a specialized RNA-dependent
DNA polymerase that extends the ends of chromosomes to promote genome stability
and is commonly over-expressed in human cancers and other age-associated
disorders. A molecular understanding of telomerase function has been significantly
hampered by the difficulty to determine its high-resolution structure. Dr.
Skordalakes succeeded to determine the high-resolution crystals structure of
the full-length protein component of telomerase (TERT) as well as its complex
bound to an RNADNA hybrid. Together with associated biochemical experiments,
these studies have provided significant and novel insights into telomerase
function, regulation and telomere replication. These studies also provide the
first molecular framework for the design of telomerase inhibitors for therapy
of cancer and other age-associated disorders.
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Wood Writing Award to Daniel Nocera
In 1997, the ACA established the Wood Science Writing
Award to honor Elizabeth A. Wood, President of the ACA in 1957 and
author of science books for lay readers. The purpose of the award is to
recognize and honor the authors of outstanding publications that bring
science to the attention of the general public. Successful nominees need
not be crystallographers or scientists and 'publications' is not
limited to written work but could include such things as artistic
efforts or museum displays. Dr. Nocera could not attend the 2011
meeting so he will accept the award in Boston. |
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