Stuart Alan Rice (born January 6, 1932) is an American
theoretical chemist
Theoretical chemistry is the branch of chemistry which develops theoretical generalizations that are part of the theoretical arsenal of modern chemistry: for example, the concepts of chemical bonding, chemical reaction, valence, the surface ...
and
physical chemist
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical me ...
.
[Prof. Rice - Chemistry Department - University of Chicago](_blank)
He is well known as a theoretical chemist who also does experimental research, having spent much of his career working in multiple areas of physical chemistry. He is currently the Frank P. Hixon Distinguished Service
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
. During his tenure at the University of Chicago, Rice has trained more than 100 Ph.D. students and
postdoctoral research
A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...
ers. He received the
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...
in 1999.
Education and career
Stuart Rice attended the
Bronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Spec ...
,
received his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in 1952 from
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus.
Being New York City's first publ ...
, and earned his
master's
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. and
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1954 and 1955, respectively. He was almost unable to attend graduate school due to contracting
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
, but was cured of the disease through an experimental treatment of
isoniazid
Isoniazid, also known as isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH), is an antibiotic used for the treatment of tuberculosis. For active tuberculosis it is often used together with rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and either streptomycin or ethambutol. For l ...
and
streptomycin
Streptomycin is an antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections, including tuberculosis, ''Mycobacterium avium'' complex, endocarditis, brucellosis, ''Burkholderia'' infection, plague, tularemia, and rat bite fever. Fo ...
.
He remained at Harvard as a Junior Fellow for three years, although he spent the last two years of the fellowship doing research work at
Yale University's Chemistry Department. After the fellowship, he joined the faculty of
The University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the be ...
in 1957, where he has remained since.
Rice has served the university in a wide variety of capacities during his fifty-seven year tenure. He served as the director of the
James Franck Institute
The James Franck Institute of the University of Chicago conducts interdisciplinary research in physics, chemistry and materials science. Scientists at the institute include those interested in condensed matter physics, physical chemistry, material ...
(the university's center for
physical chemistry
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...
and
condensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the sub ...
) from 1961 to 1967. He was Chairman of the Department of
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
from 1971 to 1976 and was Dean of the Physical Sciences Division from 1981 to 1995.
He served as Dean for the
Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago
Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago (TTIC or TTI-Chicago) is a private graduate college and research institute focused on computer science and located in Chicago, Illinois within the University of Chicago campus. It is supported by the ear ...
from October 2006 through October 2010 and as Interim President of the Institute from October 2010 to April 2013.
In addition to his work at the University, he is currently on the Board of Governors at
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
and has served as editor for the journals ''
Chemical Physics Letters
''Chemical Physics Letters'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in chemical physics and physical chemistry. It was established in 1967 and is published by Elsevier. The editors-in-chief are David C. Clary
David ...
'' and ''
Advances in Chemical Physics
''Advances in Chemical Physics'' is a peer-reviewed academic book series in the fields of chemical physics and related interdisciplinary fields (e.g. biophysics) published by John Wiley & Sons. The form of each publication is a book made of chapter ...
'', and co-authored several physical chemistry
textbook
A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...
s with
Stephen Berry and
John Ross.
Research
Stuart Rice began his scientific career as a high school student and published on this work. He completed his doctoral dissertation under
Paul Doty, contributing to the then-emerging field of
DNA research;
the project shared both experimental and theoretical components, which became a hallmark of his later work.
During his time at Yale, Stuart Rice began to study the transport properties of
liquid
A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, a ...
s.
He helped to determine the properties of liquid
noble gas
The noble gases (historically also the inert gases; sometimes referred to as aerogens) make up a class of chemical elements with similar properties; under standard conditions, they are all odorless, colorless, monatomic gases with very low chemi ...
es and
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
, while also exploring the theoretical background of transport in liquids as well, comparing the results to simulations of
Lennard-Jones fluids.
Following this work he helped to develop the theory of electronic excitations (
exciton
An exciton is a bound state of an electron and an electron hole which are attracted to each other by the electrostatic Coulomb force. It is an electrically neutral quasiparticle that exists in insulators, semiconductors and some liquids. The ...
s) in molecular crystals and liquids, eventually moving into the area of radiationless molecular transitions, beginning his own experimental work after the development of the
Bixon-Jortner model, while also working with collaborators on extending the theoretical model of these transitions.
This research led him to investigate the effects of
quantum chaos
Quantum chaos is a branch of physics which studies how chaos theory, chaotic classical dynamical systems can be described in terms of quantum theory. The primary question that quantum chaos seeks to answer is: "What is the relationship betwee ...
on excited molecules, and to couple the developing model of transitions with quantum chaos in order to attain control of the transition of excited molecules. This led to the field of
Coherent control
Coherent control is a quantum mechanics-based method for controlling dynamic processes by light. The basic principle is to control quantum interference phenomena, typically by shaping the phase of laser pulses. The basic ideas have proliferated, f ...
, quantum control through
laser excitation, which was developed by other scientists at the University of Chicago.
At the same time, he also began work on understanding the electrical properties of
liquid metal
A liquid metal is a metal or a metal alloy which is liquid at or near room temperature.
The only stable liquid elemental metal at room temperature is Mercury (element), mercury (Hg), which is molten above −38.8 °C (234.3 K, −37.9&nbs ...
s, where the lack of translational orders frustrated attempts to understand their
electronic band structure
In solid-state physics, the electronic band structure (or simply band structure) of a solid describes the range of energy levels that electrons may have within it, as well as the ranges of energy that they may not have (called ''band gaps'' or '' ...
.
The discrepancy between the dielectric results of
reflectivity
The reflectance of the surface of a material is its effectiveness in reflecting radiant energy. It is the fraction of incident electromagnetic power that is reflected at the boundary. Reflectance is a component of the response of the electronic ...
and
ellipsometry
Ellipsometry is an optical technique for investigating the dielectric properties (complex refractive index or dielectric function) of thin films. Ellipsometry measures the change of Polarization (waves), polarization upon reflection or transmissi ...
data of liquid mercury led to work on the nature of
conductivity
Conductivity may refer to:
*Electrical conductivity, a measure of a material's ability to conduct an electric current
**Conductivity (electrolytic), the electrical conductivity of an electrolyte in solution
**Ionic conductivity (solid state), elec ...
at the liquid-vapor surface of liquid metal, ultimately showing that the existence of
ion
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge.
The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...
inhomogeneities at the interface led to electronic changes in the bulk liquid that persist for several
atom
Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons.
Every solid, liquid, gas, and ...
ic diameters into a liquid.
Smaller research topics that Rice has published on included work on the chemistry of
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
, the theory of
freezing
Freezing is a phase transition where a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. In accordance with the internationally established definition, freezing means the solidification phase change of a liquid o ...
liquids, the properties of monolayers on liquids, and confined
colloid
A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a liquid, while others extend ...
al systems, amongst others.
Honors and awards
Rice's most prestigious award is the
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...
, the highest scientific prize awarded in the United States, in 1999. He was awarded the
Wolf Prize
The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in Israel, that has been presented most years since 1978 to living scientists and artists for ''"achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among people ... irrespective of natio ...
in Chemistry in 2011, along with
Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
Krzysztof "Kris" Matyjaszewski (; born April 8, 1950) is a Polish-American chemist. He is the J.C. Warner Professor of the Natural Sciences at the Carnegie Mellon University Matyjaszewski is best known for the discovery of atom transfer radical ...
and
Ching Tang. He is a Fellow of both the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
and the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
, and a member of the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
. In 1970 Rice was awarded the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester
Quantrell Award Quantrill or Quantrell is a surname of English origin. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alf Quantrill (1897–1968), British footballer
*Cal Quantrill (born 1995), Canadian baseball pitcher
* Malcolm Quantrill (1931–2009), British archi ...
for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the nation’s oldest prize for undergraduate teaching, a highly esteemed faculty award at The University of Chicago.
Impact
Over the course of his long career Rice has shaped much debate on theoretical physical chemistry. He is cited on the National Medal of Science "for changing the very nature of modern physical chemistry through his research, teaching and writing, using imaginative approaches to both experiment and theory that have inspired a new generation of scientists." With over 100
doctoral
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
students to his credit, Stuart Rice has had a great impact on the field of physical chemistry simply through the number of research scientists he has trained. Theoretical chemist
David Tannor
David Joshua Tannor (; born 1958) is a theoretical chemist, who is the Hermann Mayer Professorial Chair in the department of chemical physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Biography
Tannor has a BA from Columbia University (1978), and a Ph ...
, who is the Hermann Mayer Professorial Chair in the Department of Chemical Physics at the
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli unive ...
in Israel, did his post-doc work with Stuart Rice and
David W. Oxtoby
David William Oxtoby (born 1951) is an American academic who served as the ninth president of Pomona College. He held the position from July 1, 2003, to July 1, 2017. A theoretical chemist, he received his bachelor's degree in chemistry and phy ...
at the University of Chicago.
["David Tannor's Home Page; Highlights of Research,"](_blank)
Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Chemical Physics.
Personal life
Rice is also famous on campus for eating lunch almost every weekday at the university's
Quadrangle Club restaurant (a faculty club), where he has dined over 9,000 times. Rice is known to sit at the head of the Chemistry table, not because he is the most senior member of the department, but because he is very tall.
Rice was married to Marian Coopersmith from 1952 until her death in 1994.
References
External links
Stuart Rice ProfileGuide to the Stuart Alan Rice Papers 1947-2004at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Stuart A.
1932 births
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Living people
Jewish American scientists
Jewish chemists
Argonne National Laboratory people
National Medal of Science laureates
Harvard University alumni
Yale University alumni
Scientists from New York City
American physical chemists
Theoretical chemists
Tel Aviv University people
University of Chicago faculty
Wolf Prize in Chemistry laureates
Academic journal editors
Brooklyn College alumni
The Bronx High School of Science alumni
Members of the Royal Irish Academy
21st-century American Jews
Members of the American Philosophical Society