Harold Basch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harold Basch
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| Born | 29 November 1940 |
| Died | 8 November 2018 (aged 77) |
| Citizenship | Israeli |
| Alma mater | Yeshiva University Columbia University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computational Chemistry |
| Institutions | Bar Ilan University |
| Doctoral advisor | Harry B. Gray |
Harold Basch (Hebrew: הרולד בש; November 29, 1940 – November 8, 2018) was a Professor of Chemistry. He was a pioneer in a field called Computational Chemistry. This is where scientists use powerful computers to study and understand chemical reactions and molecules.
About Harold Basch
Harold Basch was born in 1940 in the Bronx, New York City. He went to Yeshiva University and earned his first degree in 1962. Later, he continued his studies at Columbia University. There, he earned his master's and Ph.D. degrees in 1966. His teacher and mentor was a scientist named Harry B. Gray.
After finishing his studies, Dr. Basch worked at Bell Telephone Laboratories. This was from 1966 to 1968. Then, he became a top research scientist at the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. He worked there from 1968 to 1971.
In 1970, he joined the Chemistry Department at Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Israel. He started as an Associate Professor. By 1977, he became a full Professor. He lived in Rehovot, Israel, and was married to Julia. They had five children together.
Leadership Roles at the University
Harold Basch was involved in leading many parts of the university. Early in his career, he became the head of the Chemistry Department at BIU. He held this position from 1973 to 1976. He was also an active member of the university's main governing body, called the University's Senate. He served on and led many important committees there.
From 1988 to 1990, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics. A dean is like a principal for a large group of subjects, like science and math. He also served several times on the Executive Board of the Senate.
Beyond his university, Dr. Basch helped lead other important groups. He was the Academic Head of the Holon Institute of Technology from 1978 to 1981. He also served on the Council for Higher Education in Israel. This council helps guide all universities in Israel. He was part of committees that gave money for scientific research. He also helped decide how computers were used in universities across Israel. From 2005 to 2011, he was the Vice President for Research at Bar-Ilan University. This means he helped guide all the research happening at the university.
His Work in Computational Chemistry
Dr. Basch's main research was in Computational Chemistry. He was one of the first scientists to use computers to solve problems in Chemistry. Even in 1962, as a student, he saw how computers could help. Back then, computers were huge and filled entire rooms!
He developed new ways and ideas to use computers in chemistry. These methods are still used today in special computer programs. These programs help scientists figure out how molecules behave. For example, they can calculate a molecule's shape or how it reacts.
His work helped understand many things, such as:
- How electrons move in molecules.
- The shapes of molecules and their structures.
- How chemical reactions happen, step by step.
- How different parts of molecules connect.
- Reactions that happen in important proteins in our bodies.
He used different theories to do this. These included molecular orbital theory and valence bond theory. These theories help explain how atoms bond together.
Later in his career, Dr. Basch worked on finding special "bridges" between molecules. These bridges could help create tiny wires for molecular electronics. This field aims to build very small electronic devices using single molecules.
Throughout his career, Dr. Basch wrote more than 180 scientific papers and book chapters.
