Swiss chemist wins prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Award
Professor Urs Baltensperger, from the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, is the Royal Society of Chemistry Spiers Memorial Award winner for 2016.
Urs works on reducing aerosol particles in the atmosphere. These are tiny solid or liquid particles, which are emitted by many man-made and natural activities, such as combustion processes and sea spray. They can have adverse health effects, so it is important to understand how they are formed and where they come from, so that their impact can be reduced in future. Urs’ work addresses the issue through a combination of laboratory and field experiments complemented by modelling.
The Spiers Memorial Award is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to a field of chemistry relevant to a Faraday Discussion. The Faraday Discussions are unique international discussion meetings that focus on rapidly developing areas of chemistry and its interfaces with other scientific disciplines. The Spiers Memorial Award is presented annually to the introductory lecturers who are likely to provide the most stimulating and wide-ranging introduction to the discussion.
Urs receives £2000, a medal and a certificate. This award is to commemorate Frederick S Spiers, born 21 October 1875, best known for his work as Secretary of the Faraday Society, which he helped to found in 1902.
Royal Society of Chemistry Spiers Memorial Award.