Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 2, 2001 - Nebraska alumnus and Nobel Prize winner Alan Heeger will discuss his landmark research into plastic conductors at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in the auditorium of the Nebraska Union, 1400 R St.
Heeger's lecture, "Semiconducting and Metallic Polymers: The Fourth Generation of Polymeric Materials," will be followed by a reception in the Nebraska Union Heritage Room. The lecture and reception are free and open to the public.
Prior to the lecture Heeger will receive the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's inaugural Bessey Medal in recognition of his distinguished achievements in the sciences. The medal is named for Charles Bessey, a faculty member and chancellor at the University of Nebraska in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and one of the world's pioneers in botany.
Heeger and two colleagues received the 2000 Nobel Prize in chemistry for their discovery of plastics that can be altered to become electrical conductors. Heeger's research has applications that range from smart windows that can exclude sunlight to the production of mini-format television screens. His work has also led to advances in the development of electronic components that consist of individual molecules. These will dramatically increase the speed of computers while further reducing their size.
A 1957 graduate in physics, Heeger joined two other University of
Nebraska graduates, George Beadle and Donald Cram, as a winner of the
Nobel Prize.
For questions regarding these releases, contact:
tsimons1@unl.edu
(402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825