05-19-95 Molecular Spectroscopy Conference 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.

                             #

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 10:40:15 -0400]
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