Richard Zare facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Zare
Zare in 2015
Born	Richard Neil Zare (1939-11-19) November 19, 1939 (age 85) Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Alma mater	Harvard University B.A (1961) Ph.D (1964)
Spouse(s)	Susan Shively Zare
Scientific career
Fields	Chemist
Institutions	Columbia University Stanford University
Thesis	Molecular fluorescence and photodissociation (1964)
Doctoral advisor	Dudley Herschbach
Doctoral students	Hongkun Park William R. Simpson Renato Zenobi Stacey Bent
Other notable students	Andrew Orr-Ewing (postdoc) Shuming Nie (postdoc) Ludger Wöste (postdoc)

Richard Neil Zare (born November 19, 1939) is a famous chemist and professor at Stanford University. He is known for his amazing work in physical chemistry and analytical chemistry.

Professor Zare helped create a super sensitive method called laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). This method uses lasers to study tiny particles. It has many uses, from studying living things to understanding space. LIF was even used to help map the entire human genome!

Richard Zare loves science and is always looking for new things to explore. He has taught and guided over 150 students who were working on their PhDs or doing research after their PhDs. He strongly supports women in science and is a member of the Association for Women in Science.

Richard Zare's Education

Richard Zare studied at Harvard University. He earned his first degree in chemistry and physics in 1961. Then, in 1964, he received his PhD in physical and analytical chemistry.

During his studies, he worked with two important scientists: William Klemperer and Dudley Herschbach. His PhD project was about how molecules glow and break apart when light hits them.

Richard Zare's Career

After finishing his studies, Professor Zare started his teaching career.

Early Teaching Roles

• In 1965, he became an assistant professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
• From 1966 to 1969, he worked at JILA at the University of Colorado Boulder. He taught chemistry, physics, and even astrophysics there.
• In 1969, he became a full professor of chemistry at Columbia University. By 1975, he was named the Higgins Professor of Natural Science at Columbia.

Stanford University and Leadership

In 1977, Professor Zare moved to Stanford University as a chemistry professor. He became the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science in 1987. He also led the chemistry department at Stanford from 2005 to 2011.

Beyond teaching, Zare helped guide science in the United States. He served on the National Science Board (NSB) from 1990 to 1996. This board helps the National Science Foundation (NSF) decide what science projects to fund. He was even the board's leader from 1994 to 1996.

He also helped start and edit important science magazines, like the Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry. He is still involved with many other science publications today.

Richard Zare's Research and Discoveries

Professor Zare is famous for his work with lasers in chemistry. He developed a method called laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). This method helps scientists study how chemicals react and find tiny amounts of substances.

Studying Chemical Reactions

Zare and his students have created special tools and methods. These tools let them look at chemical reactions at a very tiny level, almost like looking at individual molecules. They have studied many different problems, such as:

• Looking at the structure of minerals.
• Examining what's inside living cells.
• Analyzing liquid samples.

Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF)

Early in his career, Zare wondered if LIF could be used to find harmful substances called aflatoxins in liquids. He and his team successfully used LIF to detect chemicals in liquids for the first time.

This was a big step! It meant LIF could be used for many things, like:

• Finding single molecules in liquids.
• Helping with methods like capillary electrophoresis, which separates chemicals.

Zare's team also combined LIF with special cameras (called CCD imaging) to find extremely small amounts of amino acids. They also developed another method called cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) for testing and for use with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

New Tools for Chemistry

Professor Zare is also working on new ways to analyze samples using a method called desorption electrospray ionization (DESI). This technique helps scientists create images of different substances like fats and proteins in body tissues. It can even help study diseases like prostate cancer.

"I'm right now very excited about mass spectrometry, still excited about lasers, all types of [analytical techniques], but to me, they're tools. They're not ends in themselves... With new tools and measurement techniques, you can make advances in all types of fundamental problems." Richard Zare

Space Science and Meteorites

Professor Zare has also worked with NASA on astrobiology, which is the study of life in space.

In 1996, he was part of a team that published a paper about a meteorite from Mars called ALH84001. This meteorite was found in Antarctica and was 4.5 billion years old. Zare used a special laser method to examine it. He found certain organic molecules, which made some scientists wonder if there had been life on Mars. Other scientists thought the meteorite might have gotten these molecules after it landed on Earth. This led to a lot of discussion in the science world.

Zare has also helped NASA study organic materials from a comet called 81P/Wild. These materials were collected by the Stardust Spacecraft.

Awards and Honors