Message From The Chair
As Chair of the Division of Chemical Physics, I offer my best wishes for 2018 to all members of the Division. We work in an area of science that is a rich one, with many opportunities for new discoveries. May we bring to this year a passion for our work and a satisfying enjoyment in our roles as chemical physicists.
I’d like to take the opportunity to congratulate the winners of Division of Chemical Physics awards presented through the American Physical Society, specifically Prof. David Jonas (University of Colorado) for the 2018 Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics, and Dr. Marissa L. Weichman (UC-Berkeley) for the 2018 Jankunas Thesis Award. Profs. Jonas and Dr. Weichmann will present talks about their award-winning work in a special prize session on Tuesday afternoon (3/6/2018) at the March 2018 APS meeting in Los Angeles. We hope that many of you will be able to attend.
Secondly, I wish to congratulate the six distinguished DCP scientists who comprise the 2018 class of Fellows of the American Physical Society. The new APS Fellows this year are Mischa Bonn (Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research), Eberhard K.U. Gross (Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics), Han Htoon (Los Alamos National Laboratory), Vitaly V. Kresin (University of Southern California), Andrei Sanov (University of Arizona), and Roland Wester (University of Innsbruck). This is a great honor and one of many advantages of being a member of the American Physical Society and the Division of Chemical Physics.
Thirdly, I’d like to thank the members of the DCP Executive Committee for their efforts on behalf of the Division over the past year: Chair-elect Scott L. Anderson (Univ. Utah), Vice-Chair Laura Gagliardi (Univ. Minnesota), Past Chair David J. Nesbitt (Univ. Colorado-Boulder), Councilor Robert E. Continetti (UC-San Diego), Secretary/Treasurer Robert J. Gordon (University of Illinois-Chicago), and Members-at-Large Jeffrey C. Owrutsky (Naval Research Laboratory), Heather C. Allen (Ohio State), and Stephen E. Bradforth (USC).
Every year the Chair is asked to make suggestions for additions to an external nominating committee, who then come up with a two-person slate of chemical physicists for each slot on the DCP Executive committee, and for which we all vote annually as DCP members. So I’d like to take the time to congratulate this past year’s winners of these elections: Vice Chair Albert Stolow (University of Ottawa) and Member-at-Large Zahra Fakhraii (University of Pennsylvania), as well as to thank them in advance for their much appreciated service to the Division. I’d also like to thank David Nesbitt (University of Colorado-Boulder, Past Chair) and Jeff Owrutsky (Naval Research Laboratory, Member-at-Large), who have generously contributed their time and talents on the DCP executive committee and whose terms will be completed as of the March Meeting 2018.
Finally, as this is my last newsletter to you as Chair, I want to thank all members of the Division of Chemical Physics for your continued support and help. I have had the great pleasure of meeting many of you at APS March meetings over the past three years, and I particularly want to thank those of you who helped make the 2017 March Meeting in New Orleans such a success. It has been a distinct honor to help the Division of Chemical Physics move forward and grow stronger. I’d especially like to thank our Secretary-Treasurer Robert J. Gordon, who works tirelessly behind the scenes to keep us apprised of upcoming deadlines and important issues to consider.
As you know, Chair-Elect Scott Anderson from the University of Utah, will take over as Chair of the Division after the March meeting in Los Angeles. He has done a fantastic job of putting together an exciting and diverse program for the 2018 March Meeting. With superb people like Scott Anderson, Laura Gagliardi, and Albert Stolow in the executive committee progression, the Division of Chemical Physics will be in excellent hands, both immediately and for many years into the future.
I hope to see you in Los Angeles in March!
Timothy S. Zweir
Chair
Division of Chemical Physics