IIT BOMBAY GAINS NOBEL LAUREATES ON ITS FACULTY
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Prof. Alan MacDiarmid, Nobel Laureate for Chemistry in 2000 and Dr. Prof. Hartmut Michel, Nobel Laureate for Chemistry in 1988, have accepted the position of Distinguished Guest Professors at the Department of Chemistry and School of Biosciences and Bioengineering respectively. |
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Both were here in IIT Bombay to deliver the institute colloquiums. Prof. Alan MacDiarmid gave lecture on “Electronic Polymers and Nanoscience” on December 7, 2004 and Prof. Hartmut Michel spoke on “Membrane Proteins as Targets in Medicine and Agriculture” on December 13, 2004. |
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Prof. Alan G. MacDiarmid is Blanchard Professor of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Chemistry Department, Philadelphia, USA, and James Von Ehr Distinguished Chair in Science and Technology, Professor of Chemistry and Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, USA. In 2000 he was awarded the Nobel prize for Chemistry; shared with physicist Alan Heeger (USA) and chemist Hideki Shirakawa (Japan) for the discovery and development of conductive organic polymers. |
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The Nobel Prize was awarded to them
for the discovery that plastics can, after certain modifications, be made
electrically conductive. The work progressed to yield important practical
applications. Conductive plastics can be used for anti-static substances
for photographic film and 'smart' windows that can exclude sunlight.
Semi-conductive polymers have been applied in light-emitting diodes, solar
cells and displays in mobile telephones. Future developments in molecular
electronics will dramatically increase the speed and reduce the size of
computers.
Prof. MacDiarmid also gave a
Department Colloquium at Deptt. of Chemistry on “My Grapplings with
Excellence” on December 8, 2004.
“It is a great honour and privilege to accept a position from one of India’s most prestigious universities. It would be a tremendous opportunity for both the universities (IIT and University of Pennysylvania) to find ways to enhance each other’s research capabilities and international visibilities,” said Prof. MacDiarmid while accepting the position.
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Prof. Hartmut Michel is currently the director of Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysik, Germany. He had received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1988, along with Johann Deisenhofer and Robert Huber for their determination of the structure of certain proteins that are essential for photosynthesis. It was Prof. Michel's preliminary work, done in the period from 1978 to 1982 that cleared the way for the three scientists' joint research. |
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They wanted to determine the
three-dimensional structure of a four-protein complex (called a
photosynthetic reaction centre) that is crucial to the process of
photosynthesis in certain bacteria. Michel performed the hitherto
impossible feat of crystallizing the membrane-bound protein complex to a
pure crystalline form, thus making it possible to determine the protein's
structure atom-by-atom by means of X-ray diffraction techniques.
“I
am feeling honoured to accept this position and I will try hard to live
upto your expectations,” said Prof. Michel in his response.