Takeshi Oka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Takeshi Oka
|
|
|---|---|
| 岡 武史 | |
| Born | 1932 |
| Nationality | Canada |
| Citizenship | Canada U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Tokyo |
| Known for | Discovering the Trihydrogen cation (H3+) Hydronium Methanium |
| Awards | Earle K. Plyler Prize (1982) William F. Meggers Award (1997) Ellis R. Lippincott Award (1998) E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy (2002) Davy Medal (2004) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrochemistry |
| Institutions | University of Tokyo National Research Council of Canada University of Chicago |
| Academic advisors | Gerhard Herzberg |
| Doctoral students | Moungi Bawendi |
Takeshi Oka (岡 武史, Oka Takeshi, born 1932), FRS FRSC, is a Japanese-American spectroscopist and astronomer. He is a pioneer in a field called astrochemistry. This is the study of chemistry in space. He is also famous for helping discover a special molecule called the trihydrogen cation (H+
3) in space.
Today, he is a distinguished professor at the University of Chicago. He works in the Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Chemistry, and the Enrico Fermi Institute.
Contents
Education and Early Career
Takeshi Oka studied at the University of Tokyo in Japan. He earned his first degree in 1955. Then, he completed his PhD in 1960.
After finishing his studies, Oka worked as a research fellow at the University of Tokyo. In 1963, he moved to Canada. He joined the spectroscopy lab of Gerhard Herzberg at the National Research Council of Canada. Spectroscopy is the study of how light interacts with matter.
Discoveries in Space Chemistry
From 1964 to 1981, Oka continued his research in Canada. Later, he moved to the University of Chicago in 1981. His research team studies how tiny particles called molecular ions behave. They also look at how these particles act in space, especially in stars and galaxies.
In 1980, while in Canada, Oka made a very important discovery. He found the infrared spectrum of the H+
3. This molecule is like a starting point for many chemical reactions in space. It's especially important in huge clouds of gas and dust between stars, called "molecular clouds."
Later, Takeshi Oka and Thomas R. Geballe found this H+
3 molecule in two real interstellar clouds. Since then, Oka and his team have written many papers about their observations of H+
3 in space.
Awards and Recognition
Takeshi Oka has received many honors for his amazing work. He was even considered a possible winner for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015.
Major Awards
- 2004 - Davy Medal: This is a very important award in chemistry.
- 2002 - E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy
- 1998 - Ellis R. Lippincott Award
- 1997 - William F. Meggers Award
- 1982 - Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy
Special Titles and Honors
- 2004 - Wei Lun Visiting Professorship
- 2004 - Honorary DSc from the University College London: This means he received an honorary science degree.
- 2001 - Honoris causa, University of Waterloo
- 1992 - Special Issue, Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy, Vol. 153: A whole science journal issue was dedicated to his work.
Membership in Science Groups
Takeshi Oka is a member of several important science groups. These groups are made up of leading scientists.
- Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Fellow, American Physical Society
- Fellow, Optical Society of America
- Fellow, Royal Society of London
- Fellow, Royal Society of Canada
See also
- List of Fellows of the Royal Society M,N,O
- List of Fellows of the Royal Society elected in 1984
