American Chemical Society names Geri Richmond a 2011 Fellow

image of Geri RichmondEUGENE, Ore. -- (Aug. 8, 2011) -- The American Chemical Society's 2011 class of ACS Fellows includes University of Oregon chemist Geraldine "Geri" Richmond.

Richmond, who in May was elected into membership of the National Academy of Sciences, is among 213 new ACS Fellows, a program that was established in 2008. The 2011 Fellows will be recognized at an induction ceremony Aug. 29 during the Society’s 242nd National Meeting & Exposition in Denver.

Richmond joined the UO faculty in 1985 and currently is the UO's Richard M. and Patricia H. Noyes Professor. Her research has pioneered the use of lasers and theoretical molecular modeling in the study of liquid surfaces. She explores the chemical and physical processes in environmental, biological and materials science.

Richmond is the co-founder and chair of the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists, an organization that develops and provides professional development programs for women in technical fields. Her efforts have won her the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering Mentoring (1997), the American Chemical Society Award for Encouraging Women in the Chemical Sciences (2005) and the Council on Chemical Research Diversity Award (2006).

She also received the 2011 Joel Henry Hildebrand Award In The Theoretical & Experimental Chemistry Of Liquids from ACS.

Richmond received a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1975 at Kansas State University and a doctorate in chemical physics in 1980 at the University of California, Berkeley.

The ACS Fellows Program recognizes ACS members for their outstanding achievements and contributions "to science, the profession and the society.” Fellows come from academe, industry and government. The list of winners appears in the Aug. 8 issue of Chemical & Engineering News.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Media Contact: Jim Barlow, director of science and research communications, 541-346-3481, jebarlow@uoregon.edu