Ames Laboratory
Encyclopedia
Ames Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy
national laboratory located in Ames, Iowa
. The Laboratory conducts research into various areas of national concern, including the synthesis and study of new materials, energy resources, high-speed computer design, and environmental cleanup and restoration. It is located on the campus of Iowa State University
. It is operated for the United States Department of Energy
under contract DE-AC02-07CH11358.
as a result of the Ames Project's successful development of the most efficient process, the Ames Process
, to produce high-purity uranium metal in large quantities for the Manhattan Project
. In 1942, Iowa State College's Frank Spedding
, an expert in the chemistry of rare earths, agreed to set up and direct a chemical research and development program to accompany the Manhattan Project's existing physics program. Its purpose was to produce high purity uranium
from uranium ore
s. Harley Wilhelm developed new methods for both reducing and casting uranium metal, making it possible to cast large ingots of the metal and reduce production costs by as much as twentyfold. About one third (2 tons) of the uranium used in the first self sustaining nuclear reaction
at the University of Chicago
was provided by this project. The Ames Project produced more than 2 million pounds (1,000 tons) of uranium for the Manhattan Project until industry took over the process in 1945.
The Ames project received the Army-Navy ‘E’ Award
for Excellence in Production on October 12, 1945, signifying two-and-a-half years of excellence in industrial production of metallic uranium as a vital war material. Iowa State University
is unique among educational institutions to have received this award for outstanding service, an honor normally given to industry. Other key accomplishments related to the project:
• Developed a process to recover uranium
from scrap materials and convert it into good ingots.
• Developed an ion exchange
process to separate rare earth element
s from each other in gram quantities — something not possible with other methods.
• Developed a large-scale production process for thorium
using a bomb-reduction method.
metals rapidly increased its workload. As the country explored the uses of nuclear power, lab scientists studied nuclear fuels and structural materials for nuclear reactor
s. Processes developed at Ames Laboratory resulted in the production of the purest rare-earth metals in the world while at the same time reducing the price of the metals as much as 1,000 percent. In most cases, Lab facilities served as models for large-scale production of rare earth metals. Lab scientists took advantage of Iowa State University
's synchrotron
to pursue medium-energy physics research. Analytical chemistry efforts expanded to keep up with the need to analyze new materials.
Other key accomplishments from the 1950s:
• Developed processes for separating hafnium
, niobium
, barium
, strontium
, caesium
and rubidium
.
• Discovered a new isotope
, phosphorus
-33.
• Separated high-purity rare earth oxides in kilogram quantities.
• Developed a method of separating plutonium
and fission
products from spent uranium
fuel.
• Produced high-purity yttrium
metal in large quantities, shipping more than 18,000 pounds before industry took over the process.
for neutron diffraction
studies and additional isotope
separation research. The United States Atomic Energy Commission
established the Rare-Earth Information Center at Ames Lab to provide the scientific and technical communities with information about rare-earth metals and their compounds.
Other key accomplishments from the 1960s:
• Developed a process to produce thorium
metal with a purity of 99.985 percent.
• Developed a process for producing high-purity vanadium
metal for nuclear
applications.
• Discovered a new isotope
, copper
-69.
• Conducted the first successful operation of an isotope separator connected to a reactor in order to study short-lived radioactivity produced by fission of uranium
-235.
• Ames Lab Physicists succeed in growing the first large crystal of solid helium
evolved into the United States Department of Energy
, efforts diversified as some research programs closed and new ones opened. Federal officials consolidated reactor facilities, leading to the closure of the research reactor. Ames Laboratory responded by putting new emphasis on applied mathematics
, solar power
, fossil fuels and pollution control. Innovative analytical techniques were developed to provide precise information from increasingly small samples. Foremost among them was inductively coupled plasma
-atomic emission spectroscopy
, which could rapidly and simultaneously detect up to 40 different trace metals from a small sample.
Other key accomplishments from the 1970s:
• Developed a highly sensitive technique for the direct analysis of mercury
in air, water, fish and soils.
• Developed a method for isolating minute amounts of organic compounds found in water.
• Developed a process for removing copper, tin and chromium from automotive scrap, yielding reclaimed steel pure enough for direct re-use.
• Developed an image intensifier
screen that significantly reduced exposure to medical X-ray
s.
• Developed a solar heating module that could both store and transmit solar power
.
cleaner. New technologies were developed to clean up nuclear waste sites. High-performance computing research augmented the applied mathematics
and solid-state physics
programs. Ames Laboratory became a national leader in the fields of superconductivity
and nondestructive evaluation. In addition, DOE established the Materials Preparation Center to provide public access to the development of new materials.
Other key accomplishments from the 1980s:
• Developed a liquid-junction solar cell
that was efficient, durable and non-toxic.
• Received Defense Department funding to develop nondestructive evaluation techniques for aircraft
.
• Became DOE’s lead laboratory for managing the environmental assessment of energy-recovery processes.
• Developed a new method for alloying pure neodymium
with iron
, producing the feedstock for a widely used neodymium magnet
.
• Assisted in development of Terfenol which changes form in a magnetic field, making it ideal for sonar
and transducer
applications.
, in the 1990s Ames Laboratory continued its efforts to transfer basic research findings to industry for the development of new materials, products and processes. The Scalable Computing Laboratory was established to find ways of making parallel computing
accessible and cost-effective for the scientific community. Researchers discovered the first non-carbon example of buckyballs, – a new material important in the field of microelectronics
. Scientists developed a DNA
sequencer that was 24 times faster than other devices, and a technique that assessed the nature of DNA damage by chemical pollutants.
Other key accomplishment of the 1990s:
• Developed HINT
benchmarking technique that objectively compared computers of all sizes, now supported at BYU
's HINT site.
• Improved method of high pressure gas atomization for turning molten metal into fine- grained metal powders.
• Predicted the geometry for a ceramic structure with a photonic band gap
. These structures may improved the efficiency of laser
s, sensing devices and antenna
s.
• Discovered a new class of materials that could make magnetic refrigeration
a viable cooling technology for the future.
• Developed a high-strength lead-free solder
.
• Novel, platinum
-modified nickel
-aluminide
coatings that deliver unprecedented oxidation and phase stability as bond coat layers in thermal barrier coatings, which could improve the durability of gas turbine
engines, allowing them to operate at higher temperatures and extending their lifetimes.
• Research confirming negative refraction
can be observed in photonic crystals in the microwave
region of the electromagnetic spectrum
, which moves physicists one step closer to constructing materials that exhibit negative refraction at optical wavelengths and realizing the much-sought-after superlens
.
• Discovery of intermetallic compounds that are ductile at room temperature. could be used to produce practical materials from coatings that are highly resistant to corrosion
and strong at high temperatures to flexible superconducting wires and powerful magnets.
• Development of heterogeneous catalysts whose ability to be recycled could help reduce costs for production of biodiesel
fuel and eliminate waste-storage costs.
• Research on the photophysics of luminescent organic thin films and organic light-emitting diode
s resulted in a novel integrated oxygen sensor and a new sensor company.
• Lead-free solder
that is stronger, easier to use, stands up better in high-heat conditions, and is environmentally safe.
• A biosensor technology that helps to determine an individual’s risk of getting cancer from chemical pollutants.
• A capillary
electrophoresis
unit that can analyze multiple chemical samples simultaneously. This unit has applications in the pharmaceutical, genetics
, medical, and forensics
fields. This technology has been the basis of a spin-off business.
• Material for magnetic refrigeration
that improves refrigerator efficiency
by an estimated 40 percent in large-scale refrigeration units and air conditioners.
• Developed a mechanochemical process that is a solvent-free way to produce organic compounds in solid state. Being used to study new, complex hydride materials that could provide a solution for high-capacity, safe hydrogen storage needed to make hydrogen-powered vehicles viable.
• The design and demonstration of photonic band gap
crystals, a geometrical arrangement of dielectric
materials that allows light to pass except when the frequency
falls within a forbidden range. These materials would make it easier to develop numerous practical devices, including optical lasers, optical computers, and solar cell
s.
As seen above, Ames Laboratory has broadened the scope of its research into various areas of national concern, including energy resources, high-speed computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new materials.
(B.S. 1925, M.S. 1926) (deceased), directed the chemistry phase of the Manhattan Project in World War II, which led to the world's first controlled nuclear reaction. He was Iowa State's second member of the National Academy of Sciences
and the first director of the Ames Laboratory. Dr. Spedding won the Langmuir Award in 1933, Only Oscar K. Rice and Linus Pauling
preceded him in this achievement. The award is now called the Award in Pure Chemistry of the American Chemical Society
. He is the first to bear the title Distinguished Professor of Sciences and Humanities at Iowa State (1957). Further awards include: William H. Nichols Award of the New York section of the American Chemical Society (1952); the James Douglas Gold Medal from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (1961) for achievements in nonferrous metallurgy; and the Francis J. Clamer Award from the Franklin Institute (1969) for achievements in metallurgy.
Harley Wilhelm (Ph.D. 1931) (deceased), developed the most efficient process to produce uranium metal for the Manhattan Project, a process still used today.
Velmer A. Fassel
(Ph.D. 1947)(deceased), internationally known for developing an analytical process, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), used for chemical analysis in almost every research laboratory in the world; former deputy director of the Ames Laboratory.
Karl A. Gschneidner, Jr. (B.S. 1952, Ph.D 1957) Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering
in 2007, Gschneidner is acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost authorities in the physical metallurgy and thermal and electrical behaviors of rare earth materials. Additionally Gschneidner is a Fellow of the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society, Fellow of the American Society for Materials International, and Fellow of the American Physical Society
.
James Renier (Ph.D. 1955), chairman and chief executive officer of Honeywell Inc. (1988–93).
Darleane C. Hoffman (Ph.D. 1951), a 1997 recipient of the National Medal of Science
, is one of the researchers who confirmed the existence of element 106, seaborgium.
John Weaver (Ph.D. 1973), named Scientist of the Year for 1997 by R&D Magazine. Weaver is currently head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
James Halligan (B.S. 1962, M.S. 1965, Ph.D. 1967), president of Oklahoma State University (1994–present).
Allan Mackintosh
, noted expert on rare-earth metals and President of the European Physical Society
.
James W. Mitchell (Ph.D. 1970), named Iowa State University's first George Washington Carver
Professor in 1994. He is also the winner of two R&D 100 Awards and the prestigious Percy L. Julian Research Award given by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers for innovative industrial research. Mitchell is vice president of the Materials Research Laboratory at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies.
John Corbett
, chemistry and Ames Laboratory, member of the National Academy of Sciences
, created the first noncarbon example of buckyballs; discovered more than 1,000 new materials.
Kai-Ming Ho, Che-Ting Chan, and Costas Soukoulis, physics and Ames Laboratory, were the first to design and demonstrate the existence of photonic band gap crystals, a discovery that led to the development of the rapidly expanding field of photonic crystals. Photonic crystals are expected to have revolutionary applications in optical communication and other areas of light technology. Costas Soukoulis is a recipient of the Descartes Prize
for Excellence in Scientific Collaborative Research, the European Union’s highest honor in the field of science.
Dan Shechtman
, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Pat Thiel, chemistry and Ames Laboratory, received one of the first 100 National Science Foundation
Women in Science and Engineering Awards (presented in 1991).
Edward Yeung
, chemistry and Ames Lab, first person to quantitatively analyze the chemical contents of a single human red blood cell, using a device that he designed and built; the development could lead to improved detection of AIDS, cancer and genetic diseases such as Alzheimer's, muscular dystrophy and Down's syndrome. Yeung has won four R&D 100 Awards and an Editor's Choice award from R&D Magazine for this pioneering work. He is also the 2002 recipient of the American Chemical Society
Award in Chromatography for his research in chemical separations.
Klaus Rudenberg, physics and Ames Laboratory, 2001 recipient of the American Chemical Society
Award in Theoretical Chemistry for his innovative research in the field of theoretical chemistry
.
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
national laboratory located in Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
. The Laboratory conducts research into various areas of national concern, including the synthesis and study of new materials, energy resources, high-speed computer design, and environmental cleanup and restoration. It is located on the campus of Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
. It is operated for the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
under contract DE-AC02-07CH11358.
1940s
Ames Laboratory was formally established in 1947 by the United States Atomic Energy CommissionUnited States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
as a result of the Ames Project's successful development of the most efficient process, the Ames Process
Ames process
The Ames process is a process by which pure uranium metal is obtained. It can be achieved by mixing any of the uranium halides with magnesium metal powder or aluminium metal powder.- History :...
, to produce high-purity uranium metal in large quantities for the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. In 1942, Iowa State College's Frank Spedding
Frank Spedding
Frank Harold Spedding was a Canadian chemist who led a group of chemists at Ames Laboratory which developed an efficient process for obtaining high purity uranium from uranium halides. The general technique is known as the Thermite process, or more specifically, the Ames process...
, an expert in the chemistry of rare earths, agreed to set up and direct a chemical research and development program to accompany the Manhattan Project's existing physics program. Its purpose was to produce high purity uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
from uranium ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
s. Harley Wilhelm developed new methods for both reducing and casting uranium metal, making it possible to cast large ingots of the metal and reduce production costs by as much as twentyfold. About one third (2 tons) of the uranium used in the first self sustaining nuclear reaction
Nuclear reaction
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is semantically considered to be the process in which two nuclei, or else a nucleus of an atom and a subatomic particle from outside the atom, collide to produce products different from the initial particles...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
was provided by this project. The Ames Project produced more than 2 million pounds (1,000 tons) of uranium for the Manhattan Project until industry took over the process in 1945.
The Ames project received the Army-Navy ‘E’ Award
Army-Navy ‘E’ Award
The Army-Navy "E" Award was an honor presented to a company during World War II for excellence in production of war equipment. The award was also known as the Army-Navy Production Award. The award would consist of a pennant for the plant and emblems for all employees in the plant at the time the...
for Excellence in Production on October 12, 1945, signifying two-and-a-half years of excellence in industrial production of metallic uranium as a vital war material. Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
is unique among educational institutions to have received this award for outstanding service, an honor normally given to industry. Other key accomplishments related to the project:
• Developed a process to recover uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
from scrap materials and convert it into good ingots.
• Developed an ion exchange
Ion exchange
Ion exchange is an exchange of ions between two electrolytes or between an electrolyte solution and a complex. In most cases the term is used to denote the processes of purification, separation, and decontamination of aqueous and other ion-containing solutions with solid polymeric or mineralic 'ion...
process to separate rare earth element
Rare earth element
As defined by IUPAC, rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium...
s from each other in gram quantities — something not possible with other methods.
• Developed a large-scale production process for thorium
Thorium
Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....
using a bomb-reduction method.
1950s
During the 1950s the Lab’s growing reputation for its work with rare earthRare earth element
As defined by IUPAC, rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium...
metals rapidly increased its workload. As the country explored the uses of nuclear power, lab scientists studied nuclear fuels and structural materials for nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
s. Processes developed at Ames Laboratory resulted in the production of the purest rare-earth metals in the world while at the same time reducing the price of the metals as much as 1,000 percent. In most cases, Lab facilities served as models for large-scale production of rare earth metals. Lab scientists took advantage of Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
's synchrotron
Synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
to pursue medium-energy physics research. Analytical chemistry efforts expanded to keep up with the need to analyze new materials.
Other key accomplishments from the 1950s:
• Developed processes for separating hafnium
Hafnium
Hafnium is a chemical element with the symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in zirconium minerals. Its existence was predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869. Hafnium was the penultimate stable...
, niobium
Niobium
Niobium or columbium , is a chemical element with the symbol Nb and atomic number 41. It's a soft, grey, ductile transition metal, which is often found in the pyrochlore mineral, the main commercial source for niobium, and columbite...
, barium
Barium
Barium is a chemical element with the symbol Ba and atomic number 56. It is the fifth element in Group 2, a soft silvery metallic alkaline earth metal. Barium is never found in nature in its pure form due to its reactivity with air. Its oxide is historically known as baryta but it reacts with...
, strontium
Strontium
Strontium is a chemical element with the symbol Sr and the atomic number 38. An alkaline earth metal, strontium is a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element that is highly reactive chemically. The metal turns yellow when exposed to air. It occurs naturally in the minerals celestine and...
, caesium
Caesium
Caesium or cesium is the chemical element with the symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal with a melting point of 28 °C , which makes it one of only five elemental metals that are liquid at room temperature...
and rubidium
Rubidium
Rubidium is a chemical element with the symbol Rb and atomic number 37. Rubidium is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali metal group. Its atomic mass is 85.4678. Elemental rubidium is highly reactive, with properties similar to those of other elements in group 1, such as very rapid...
.
• Discovered a new isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
, phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
-33.
• Separated high-purity rare earth oxides in kilogram quantities.
• Developed a method of separating plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
and fission
Nuclear fission
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts , often producing free neutrons and photons , and releasing a tremendous amount of energy...
products from spent uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
fuel.
• Produced high-purity yttrium
Yttrium
Yttrium is a chemical element with symbol Y and atomic number 39. It is a silvery-metallic transition metal chemically similar to the lanthanides and it has often been classified as a "rare earth element". Yttrium is almost always found combined with the lanthanides in rare earth minerals and is...
metal in large quantities, shipping more than 18,000 pounds before industry took over the process.
1960s
During the 1960s the Lab reached peak employment as its scientists continued exploring new materials. As part of that effort, the Lab built a 5-megawatt heavy water reactorHeavy water reactor
A pressurised heavy water reactor is a nuclear power reactor, commonly using unenriched natural uranium as its fuel, that uses heavy water as its coolant and moderator. The heavy water coolant is kept under pressure in order to raise its boiling point, allowing it to be heated to higher...
for neutron diffraction
Neutron diffraction
Neutron diffraction or elastic neutron scattering is the application of neutron scattering to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material: A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of thermal or cold neutrons to obtain a diffraction pattern that provides information of...
studies and additional isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
separation research. The United States Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
established the Rare-Earth Information Center at Ames Lab to provide the scientific and technical communities with information about rare-earth metals and their compounds.
Other key accomplishments from the 1960s:
• Developed a process to produce thorium
Thorium
Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....
metal with a purity of 99.985 percent.
• Developed a process for producing high-purity vanadium
Vanadium
Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery gray, ductile and malleable transition metal. The formation of an oxide layer stabilizes the metal against oxidation. The element is found only in chemically combined form in nature...
metal for nuclear
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
applications.
• Discovered a new isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
-69.
• Conducted the first successful operation of an isotope separator connected to a reactor in order to study short-lived radioactivity produced by fission of uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
-235.
• Ames Lab Physicists succeed in growing the first large crystal of solid helium
1970s
During the 1970s, as the United States Atomic Energy CommissionUnited States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
evolved into the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
, efforts diversified as some research programs closed and new ones opened. Federal officials consolidated reactor facilities, leading to the closure of the research reactor. Ames Laboratory responded by putting new emphasis on applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
, solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
, fossil fuels and pollution control. Innovative analytical techniques were developed to provide precise information from increasingly small samples. Foremost among them was inductively coupled plasma
Inductively coupled plasma
An inductively coupled plasma is a type of plasma source in which the energy is supplied by electric currents which are produced by electromagnetic induction, that is, by time-varying magnetic fields.-Operation:...
-atomic emission spectroscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
, which could rapidly and simultaneously detect up to 40 different trace metals from a small sample.
Other key accomplishments from the 1970s:
• Developed a highly sensitive technique for the direct analysis of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
in air, water, fish and soils.
• Developed a method for isolating minute amounts of organic compounds found in water.
• Developed a process for removing copper, tin and chromium from automotive scrap, yielding reclaimed steel pure enough for direct re-use.
• Developed an image intensifier
Image intensifier
An image intensifier tube is a vacuum tube device for increasing the intensity of available light in an optical system to allow use under low light conditions such as at night, to facilitate visual imaging of low-light processes such as fluorescence of materials to X-rays or gamma rays, or for...
screen that significantly reduced exposure to medical X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
s.
• Developed a solar heating module that could both store and transmit solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
.
1980s
In the 1980s research at Ames Laboratory evolved to meet local and national energy needs. Fossil energy research focused on ways to burn coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
cleaner. New technologies were developed to clean up nuclear waste sites. High-performance computing research augmented the applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
and solid-state physics
Solid-state physics
Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the large-scale properties of solid materials result from...
programs. Ames Laboratory became a national leader in the fields of superconductivity
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
and nondestructive evaluation. In addition, DOE established the Materials Preparation Center to provide public access to the development of new materials.
Other key accomplishments from the 1980s:
• Developed a liquid-junction solar cell
Solar cell
A solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....
that was efficient, durable and non-toxic.
• Received Defense Department funding to develop nondestructive evaluation techniques for aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
.
• Became DOE’s lead laboratory for managing the environmental assessment of energy-recovery processes.
• Developed a new method for alloying pure neodymium
Neodymium
Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is a soft silvery metal that tarnishes in air. Neodymium was discovered in 1885 by the Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach. It is present in significant quantities in the ore minerals monazite and bastnäsite...
with iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, producing the feedstock for a widely used neodymium magnet
Neodymium magnet
A neodymium magnet , the most widely-used type of rare-earth magnet, is a permanent magnet made from an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron to form the Nd2Fe14B tetragonal crystalline structure. Developed in 1982 by General Motors and Sumitomo Special Metals, neodymium magnets are the strongest...
.
• Assisted in development of Terfenol which changes form in a magnetic field, making it ideal for sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
and transducer
Transducer
A transducer is a device that converts one type of energy to another. Energy types include electrical, mechanical, electromagnetic , chemical, acoustic or thermal energy. While the term transducer commonly implies the use of a sensor/detector, any device which converts energy can be considered a...
applications.
1990s
Encouraged by United States Department of EnergyUnited States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
, in the 1990s Ames Laboratory continued its efforts to transfer basic research findings to industry for the development of new materials, products and processes. The Scalable Computing Laboratory was established to find ways of making parallel computing
Parallel computing
Parallel computing is a form of computation in which many calculations are carried out simultaneously, operating on the principle that large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which are then solved concurrently . There are several different forms of parallel computing: bit-level,...
accessible and cost-effective for the scientific community. Researchers discovered the first non-carbon example of buckyballs, – a new material important in the field of microelectronics
Microelectronics
Microelectronics is a subfield of electronics. As the name suggests, microelectronics relates to the study and manufacture of very small electronic components. Usually, but not always, this means micrometre-scale or smaller,. These devices are made from semiconductors...
. Scientists developed a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
sequencer that was 24 times faster than other devices, and a technique that assessed the nature of DNA damage by chemical pollutants.
Other key accomplishment of the 1990s:
• Developed HINT
Hierarchical INTegration
Hierarchical INTegration, or HINT for short, is a computer benchmark that ranks a computer system as a whole . It measures the full range of performance, mostly based on the amount of work a computer can perform over time...
benchmarking technique that objectively compared computers of all sizes, now supported at BYU
BYU
-Education:* Brigham Young University, a university located in Provo, Utah, USA administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.**BYU Salt Lake Center, a satellite center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
's HINT site.
• Improved method of high pressure gas atomization for turning molten metal into fine- grained metal powders.
• Predicted the geometry for a ceramic structure with a photonic band gap
Band gap
In solid state physics, a band gap, also called an energy gap or bandgap, is an energy range in a solid where no electron states can exist. In graphs of the electronic band structure of solids, the band gap generally refers to the energy difference between the top of the valence band and the...
. These structures may improved the efficiency of laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
s, sensing devices and antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
s.
• Discovered a new class of materials that could make magnetic refrigeration
Magnetic refrigeration
Magnetic refrigeration is a cooling technology based on the magnetocaloric effect. This technique can be used to attain extremely low temperatures , as well as the ranges used in common refrigerators, depending on the design of the system.The effect was first observed by the German physicist Emil...
a viable cooling technology for the future.
• Developed a high-strength lead-free solder
Solder
Solder is a fusible metal alloy used to join together metal workpieces and having a melting point below that of the workpiece.Soft solder is what is most often thought of when solder or soldering are mentioned and it typically has a melting range of . It is commonly used in electronics and...
.
Recent Developments
The following are examples of how Ames Laboratory continues to contribute:• Novel, platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
-modified nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
-aluminide
Aluminide
An aluminide is a compound that has aluminium with more electropositive elements. Since aluminium is near the nonmetals, it can bond with metals differently than other metals. The properties of an aluminide would be intermediate between a metal alloy and an ionic compound.-Examples:* magnesium...
coatings that deliver unprecedented oxidation and phase stability as bond coat layers in thermal barrier coatings, which could improve the durability of gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
engines, allowing them to operate at higher temperatures and extending their lifetimes.
• Research confirming negative refraction
Refraction
Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed. It is essentially a surface phenomenon . The phenomenon is mainly in governance to the law of conservation of energy. The proper explanation would be that due to change of medium, the phase velocity of the wave is changed...
can be observed in photonic crystals in the microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
region of the electromagnetic spectrum
Electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
, which moves physicists one step closer to constructing materials that exhibit negative refraction at optical wavelengths and realizing the much-sought-after superlens
Superlens
A superlens, super lens or perfect lens is a lens which uses metamaterials to go beyond the diffraction limit. The diffraction limit is an inherent limitation in conventional optical devices or lenses. In 2000, a type of lens was proposed, consisting of a metamaterial that compensates for wave...
.
• Discovery of intermetallic compounds that are ductile at room temperature. could be used to produce practical materials from coatings that are highly resistant to corrosion
Corrosion
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...
and strong at high temperatures to flexible superconducting wires and powerful magnets.
• Development of heterogeneous catalysts whose ability to be recycled could help reduce costs for production of biodiesel
Biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....
fuel and eliminate waste-storage costs.
• Research on the photophysics of luminescent organic thin films and organic light-emitting diode
Organic light-emitting diode
An OLED is a light-emitting diode in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compounds which emit light in response to an electric current. This layer of organic semiconductor material is situated between two electrodes...
s resulted in a novel integrated oxygen sensor and a new sensor company.
• Lead-free solder
Solder
Solder is a fusible metal alloy used to join together metal workpieces and having a melting point below that of the workpiece.Soft solder is what is most often thought of when solder or soldering are mentioned and it typically has a melting range of . It is commonly used in electronics and...
that is stronger, easier to use, stands up better in high-heat conditions, and is environmentally safe.
• A biosensor technology that helps to determine an individual’s risk of getting cancer from chemical pollutants.
• A capillary
Capillary
Capillaries are the smallest of a body's blood vessels and are parts of the microcirculation. They are only 1 cell thick. These microvessels, measuring 5-10 μm in diameter, connect arterioles and venules, and enable the exchange of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and many other nutrient and waste...
electrophoresis
Electrophoresis
Electrophoresis, also called cataphoresis, is the motion of dispersed particles relative to a fluid under the influence of a spatially uniform electric field. This electrokinetic phenomenon was observed for the first time in 1807 by Reuss , who noticed that the application of a constant electric...
unit that can analyze multiple chemical samples simultaneously. This unit has applications in the pharmaceutical, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, medical, and forensics
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
fields. This technology has been the basis of a spin-off business.
• Material for magnetic refrigeration
Magnetic refrigeration
Magnetic refrigeration is a cooling technology based on the magnetocaloric effect. This technique can be used to attain extremely low temperatures , as well as the ranges used in common refrigerators, depending on the design of the system.The effect was first observed by the German physicist Emil...
that improves refrigerator efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
by an estimated 40 percent in large-scale refrigeration units and air conditioners.
• Developed a mechanochemical process that is a solvent-free way to produce organic compounds in solid state. Being used to study new, complex hydride materials that could provide a solution for high-capacity, safe hydrogen storage needed to make hydrogen-powered vehicles viable.
• The design and demonstration of photonic band gap
Band gap
In solid state physics, a band gap, also called an energy gap or bandgap, is an energy range in a solid where no electron states can exist. In graphs of the electronic band structure of solids, the band gap generally refers to the energy difference between the top of the valence band and the...
crystals, a geometrical arrangement of dielectric
Dielectric
A dielectric is an electrical insulator that can be polarized by an applied electric field. When a dielectric is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the material, as in a conductor, but only slightly shift from their average equilibrium positions causing dielectric...
materials that allows light to pass except when the frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
falls within a forbidden range. These materials would make it easier to develop numerous practical devices, including optical lasers, optical computers, and solar cell
Solar cell
A solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....
s.
As seen above, Ames Laboratory has broadened the scope of its research into various areas of national concern, including energy resources, high-speed computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new materials.
Ames Laboratory Directors
| # | Director | Start of term | End of term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Spedding Frank Spedding Frank Harold Spedding was a Canadian chemist who led a group of chemists at Ames Laboratory which developed an efficient process for obtaining high purity uranium from uranium halides. The general technique is known as the Thermite process, or more specifically, the Ames process... |
1947 | 1968 |
| 2 | Robert Hanson | 1968 | 1988 |
| 3 | Thomas Barton | 1988 | 2007 |
| 4 | Alexander King | 2008 |
Notable Alumni & Faculty
Frank SpeddingFrank Spedding
Frank Harold Spedding was a Canadian chemist who led a group of chemists at Ames Laboratory which developed an efficient process for obtaining high purity uranium from uranium halides. The general technique is known as the Thermite process, or more specifically, the Ames process...
(B.S. 1925, M.S. 1926) (deceased), directed the chemistry phase of the Manhattan Project in World War II, which led to the world's first controlled nuclear reaction. He was Iowa State's second member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
and the first director of the Ames Laboratory. Dr. Spedding won the Langmuir Award in 1933, Only Oscar K. Rice and Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling
Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century...
preceded him in this achievement. The award is now called the Award in Pure Chemistry of the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
. He is the first to bear the title Distinguished Professor of Sciences and Humanities at Iowa State (1957). Further awards include: William H. Nichols Award of the New York section of the American Chemical Society (1952); the James Douglas Gold Medal from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (1961) for achievements in nonferrous metallurgy; and the Francis J. Clamer Award from the Franklin Institute (1969) for achievements in metallurgy.
Harley Wilhelm (Ph.D. 1931) (deceased), developed the most efficient process to produce uranium metal for the Manhattan Project, a process still used today.
Velmer A. Fassel
Velmer A. Fassel
Velmer A. Fassel is an American chemist who developed the inductively coupled plasma and demonstrated its use as ion source for mass spectrometry.- Early life and education :* 1941 B.A. Southeast Missouri State College...
(Ph.D. 1947)(deceased), internationally known for developing an analytical process, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), used for chemical analysis in almost every research laboratory in the world; former deputy director of the Ames Laboratory.
Karl A. Gschneidner, Jr. (B.S. 1952, Ph.D 1957) Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
in 2007, Gschneidner is acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost authorities in the physical metallurgy and thermal and electrical behaviors of rare earth materials. Additionally Gschneidner is a Fellow of the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society, Fellow of the American Society for Materials International, and Fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
.
James Renier (Ph.D. 1955), chairman and chief executive officer of Honeywell Inc. (1988–93).
Darleane C. Hoffman (Ph.D. 1951), a 1997 recipient of the National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
, is one of the researchers who confirmed the existence of element 106, seaborgium.
John Weaver (Ph.D. 1973), named Scientist of the Year for 1997 by R&D Magazine. Weaver is currently head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
James Halligan (B.S. 1962, M.S. 1965, Ph.D. 1967), president of Oklahoma State University (1994–present).
Allan Mackintosh
Allan Mackintosh
Allan Roy Mackintosh, FRS was a prominent English-born Danish physicist and a leading authority on magnetism and neutron scattering, especially in the rare-earth metals....
, noted expert on rare-earth metals and President of the European Physical Society
European Physical Society
The European Physical Society is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote physics and physicists in Europe. Formally established in 1968, its membership includes the national physical societies of 41 countries, and some 3200 individual members. The Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft,...
.
James W. Mitchell (Ph.D. 1970), named Iowa State University's first George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver , was an American scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born into slavery in Missouri in January 1864....
Professor in 1994. He is also the winner of two R&D 100 Awards and the prestigious Percy L. Julian Research Award given by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers for innovative industrial research. Mitchell is vice president of the Materials Research Laboratory at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies.
John Corbett
John Corbett (chemist)
John Corbett is an American chemist who specializes in inorganic Solid-state chemistry. He received hisPh.D. in 1952 from the University of Washington.He was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1992.- Career :...
, chemistry and Ames Laboratory, member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, created the first noncarbon example of buckyballs; discovered more than 1,000 new materials.
Kai-Ming Ho, Che-Ting Chan, and Costas Soukoulis, physics and Ames Laboratory, were the first to design and demonstrate the existence of photonic band gap crystals, a discovery that led to the development of the rapidly expanding field of photonic crystals. Photonic crystals are expected to have revolutionary applications in optical communication and other areas of light technology. Costas Soukoulis is a recipient of the Descartes Prize
Descartes Prize
The Descartes Prize is an annual award in science given by the European Union, named in honour of the French mathematician and philosopher, René Descartes....
for Excellence in Scientific Collaborative Research, the European Union’s highest honor in the field of science.
Dan Shechtman
Dan Shechtman
Dan Shechtman is the Philip Tobias Professor of Materials Science at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, an Associate of the US Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, and Professor of Materials Science at Iowa State University. On April 8, 1982, while on sabbatical at the U.S...
, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Pat Thiel, chemistry and Ames Laboratory, received one of the first 100 National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Women in Science and Engineering Awards (presented in 1991).
Edward Yeung
Edward Yeung
Edward Yeung is a Chinese-American chemist who studies spectroscopy and chromatography. Yeung is the Robert Allen Wright Professor and Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University...
, chemistry and Ames Lab, first person to quantitatively analyze the chemical contents of a single human red blood cell, using a device that he designed and built; the development could lead to improved detection of AIDS, cancer and genetic diseases such as Alzheimer's, muscular dystrophy and Down's syndrome. Yeung has won four R&D 100 Awards and an Editor's Choice award from R&D Magazine for this pioneering work. He is also the 2002 recipient of the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
Award in Chromatography for his research in chemical separations.
Klaus Rudenberg, physics and Ames Laboratory, 2001 recipient of the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
Award in Theoretical Chemistry for his innovative research in the field of theoretical chemistry
Theoretical chemistry
Theoretical chemistry seeks to provide theories that explain chemical observations. Often, it uses mathematical and computational methods that, at times, require advanced knowledge. Quantum chemistry, the application of quantum mechanics to the understanding of valency, is a major component of...
.