RIP: Richard Smalley
Richard Smalley died this week. He was a scientist at Rice University who won the Nobel Prize for helping to discover buckyballs (fullerenes), a form of carbon cage molecule that resembles a soccer ball. Later this interest branched into nanotubes and nanotechology in general.
Smalley founded several companies, trained and taught many students, and was actively involved in applying his knowledge to solve problems in the world. He died of cancer, famously asking the question, "Am I part of the last generation to die of cancer, or the first to be saved by nanotechnology?" The important thing is that he "lived the question" he was asking. How many of us are actively living our deepest questions?
I worked on buckyballs for my Ph.D. thesis. I had one email exchange with Smalley, asking if he might have some knowledge of endohedral fullerenes (carbon cages with other atoms trapped inside). My ulterior motive was to ask for samples if he had any to spare, as my lab did not actually make its own fullerene molecules (we're physicists, not chemists!). However, he replied saying that he was moving in the direction of nanotubes and would not be pursuing the endohedral materials.
Smalley was an early participant in and important cheerleader for the new interest in nanotechnology. He danced his part well, and has now passed on. We can take his example as inspiration to keep dancing well ourselves.
Smalley founded several companies, trained and taught many students, and was actively involved in applying his knowledge to solve problems in the world. He died of cancer, famously asking the question, "Am I part of the last generation to die of cancer, or the first to be saved by nanotechnology?" The important thing is that he "lived the question" he was asking. How many of us are actively living our deepest questions?
I worked on buckyballs for my Ph.D. thesis. I had one email exchange with Smalley, asking if he might have some knowledge of endohedral fullerenes (carbon cages with other atoms trapped inside). My ulterior motive was to ask for samples if he had any to spare, as my lab did not actually make its own fullerene molecules (we're physicists, not chemists!). However, he replied saying that he was moving in the direction of nanotubes and would not be pursuing the endohedral materials.
Smalley was an early participant in and important cheerleader for the new interest in nanotechnology. He danced his part well, and has now passed on. We can take his example as inspiration to keep dancing well ourselves.
