Professor Scoles selected for Franklin Medal
Giacinto Scoles, the Donner Professor of Science and professor of chemistry at Princeton, has been named a recipient of the 2006 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics.
He shares the prize, which will be presented at an April 27 ceremony in Philadelphia, with J. Peter Toennies, associate professor of physics at the University of Göttingen in Germany.
The two were cited for their "development of new techniques for studying molecules, including unstable species that could not be examined otherwise, by embedding them in extremely small and ultra-cold droplets of helium. Their work also led to a better understanding of the extraordinary properties of superfluid helium, such as its ability to flow without friction."
The Franklin Institute Awards are among the oldest and most prestigious comprehensive science awards in the world. They are intended to recognize individuals whose innovation has benefited humanity, advanced science, launched new fields of inquiry and deepened the understanding of the universe.