Molecular Spectroscopy Conferece June 12-16

OHIO STATE TO HOST 50TH MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY SYMPOSIUM

     COLUMBUS -- Eight Nobel Laureates and the directors of two of the
country's top scientific research offices will join hundreds of scientists
from around the world for the International Symposium on Molecular
Spectroscopy June 12-16 at The Ohio State University.

     This year marks the 50th meeting of the conference, an annual showcase
of a scientific field that gave birth to laser technology and weather and
aircraft radar systems.  The symposium will be held on the Ohio State campus.

     "This is the largest annual gathering of molecular spectroscopists in
the world," said Terry Miller, chairperson of the symposium's executive
committee and a professor of chemistry at Ohio State.

     Molecular spectroscopy is the study of the basic interactions between
electromagnetic radiation, such as radio and microwave frequencies, and
molecules.  Basic spectroscopy provides detailed information about a
molecule by allowing scientists to study the radiation it emits or absorbs.
Scientists can study molecules in space, for example, to learn more about
the formation of stars.

     "As a basic science, the knowledge gained from molecular spectroscopy
has contributed to numerous applications," Miller said.  "Our fundamental
standards of time and length are traceable to spectroscopic experiments and
it is perhaps our primary tool for studying the extraterrestrial universe."

     Spectroscopy is used by chemists in the study of complex reactions,
such as combustion and atmospheric pollution.  The tool is also capable of
detecting even trace amounts of environmental contaminants.

     "In one way or another, the knowledge base of molecular spectroscopy is
vital to most of our daily lives," Miller said.

     Speakers at the conference will include Neal Lane, director of the
National Science Foundation, and Gerald Iafrate, director of the Army Office
of Research.  The plenary session will feature lectures by eight Nobel
Laureates, including Kenneth G. Wilson, The Ohio State University; Dudley
Herschbach and Norman F. Ramsey, Harvard; Gerhard Herzberg, National
Research Council of Canada; Yuan T. Lee, Academia Sinica in China; Charles
H. Townes, University of California at Berkeley; John Polanyi, University of
Toronto; and George Porter, Imperial College in London. 

     The symposium is sponsored by the Ohio State's Office or Research, the
College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the Departments of Chemistry
and Physics; and the U.S. Army Research Office.

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Contact:  Terry Miller (614) 292-2569
Written by: Kelli Whitlock (614) 292-9475


[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
               
Mon, 22 May 1995 10:25:50 -0400]
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