June 28, 2002
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June 28, 2002 |
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Ernest Davidson, a 1958 Rose-Hulman alumnus, recently received the National Medal of Science from President George W. Bush at a White House ceremony. The National Medal of Science is the nation's highest award for lifetime achievement in the fields of scientific research. Davidson was among 14 scientists and one engineer who received the medal in Washington, D.C. on June 12. Davidson, who earned a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from Rose-Hulman, was presented with an honorary doctor of engineering degree in 1998 by the college. He is distinguished professor and the Robert and Marjory Mann Chair in Computational Quantum Chemistry at Indiana University in Bloomington. Davidson also serves as chair of the university's Department of Chemistry. He received the national honor because he has changed our understanding of the nature of matter, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF), which administers the Medal of Science program for the President. Davidson has made a lifetime of contributions to the theoretical understanding of molecules and chemical reactions. His numerous conceptual and algorithmic developments led to the field of computational quantum chemistry and made possible the accurate modeling of chemical reactions and the response of molecules to radiation. "No other quantum chemist has shown this diversity of important developments," noted the statement from NSF. |
