Alan J. Heeger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan J. Heeger
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Heeger in 2013
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Alan Jay Heeger
January 22, 1936 Sioux City, Iowa, United States
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| Alma mater | University of Nebraska University of California, Berkeley |
| Known for | SSH model |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth (2 children) |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2000) Balzan Prize ENI award Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize (1983) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, Chemistry |
| Institutions | University of Pennsylvania University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Thesis | Studies on the magnetic properties of canted antiferromagnets (1962) |
| Doctoral advisor | Alan Portis |
| Doctoral students | Fan Chunhai (postdoc student) |
Alan Jay Heeger (born January 22, 1936) is an American physicist and professor. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his amazing work. He helped create a new area of science called "conducting polymers." These are special materials that can carry electricity, just like metals! He also found ways to use these new materials in technology.
Contents
Life and Discoveries
Alan Heeger was born in Sioux City, Iowa. He grew up in a small town called Akron, Iowa, where his dad owned a general store. When he was nine, his family moved back to Sioux City after his father passed away.
Education and Teaching
Heeger loved learning about science. He earned his first degree in physics and math from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1957. Later, he got his Ph.D. (a very advanced degree) in physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1961.
After finishing his studies, he became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He taught there from 1962 to 1982. Then, he moved to the University of California, Santa Barbara. There, he became a professor in both the Physics Department and the Materials Department.
Conducting Polymers
In 2000, Alan Heeger won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He shared this big award with two other scientists, Alan G. MacDiarmid and Hideki Shirakawa. They won for discovering and developing conductive polymers.
What are conductive polymers? Imagine plastic that can conduct electricity! Before their discovery, plastics were known as insulators, meaning they blocked electricity. But these scientists found a way to make them conduct.
They published their important findings about a conductive polymer called polyacetylene in 1977. This discovery was a huge step forward! It even led to the creation of a scientific model called the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model. This model helps explain how these special materials work.
Other Awards and Family
Before winning the Nobel Prize, Heeger received other important awards. In 1983, he won the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize from the American Physical Society. In 1995, he received the Balzan Prize for his work on non-biological materials.
Alan Heeger has two sons who are also scientists! His son David Heeger is a neuroscientist (he studies the brain), and his son Peter Heeger is an immunologist (he studies the body's immune system).
Inspiring Young Scientists
Alan Heeger loves to share his passion for science with young people. In 2010, he took part in a program called "Lunch with a Laureate." During this program, middle and high school students got to have an informal chat with a Nobel Prize winner over lunch. Heeger is also part of the advisory board for the USA Science and Engineering Festival. He has also been a judge for a script competition called STAGE, which encourages creativity in science.
See also
In Spanish: Alan J. Heeger para niños
- List of Nobel laureates affiliated with the University of California, Santa Barbara
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
