NEWS RELEASE

4/10/03

Mark Shwartz, News Service: (650) 723-9296, mshwartz@stanford.edu

EDITORS: A photo of Professor John Brauman is available online at http://newsphotos.stanfored.edu (slug: “Brauman”).

Relevant Web URLs:
http://membership.acs.org/C/Chicago/03may.html
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/chemistry/faculty/brauman/

Brauman to receive Gibbs Medal for achievements in chemistry

The Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has awarded the 2003 J. Willard Gibbs Medal to John I. Brauman, the J. G. Jackson-C. J. Wood Professor of Chemistry and cognizant dean for the natural sciences at Stanford.

In announcing their selection, ACS Chicago Section officials praised Brauman for research that fundamentally changed the understanding of chemical structures and reactivities -- specifically, his pioneering work on the dynamics of the reactions of ions in the gas phase. "Dr. Brauman's research is directed toward understanding how molecules react and the factors that determine the rates and products of chemical reactions," ACS officials noted.

The recipient of numerous awards, including the Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching at Stanford in 1976, Brauman is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts.

Brauman is the 92nd recipient of the annual award named for Josiah Willard Gibbs – one of America’s leading 19th-century chemists. Many awardees went on to receive a Nobel Prize for their work. Previous Stanford recipients include Henry Taube, Richard Zare and Carl Djerassi.

Brauman will be presented with the Gibbs Medal during a ceremony at the Argonne National Laboratories in Argonne, Ill., on May 30 at 6 p.m. (CDT). Those interested in attending the award presentation and dinner may contact the ACS Chicago Section at (847) 647-8405 or at http://membership.acs.org/C/Chicago/03may.html.

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