Special Issue Preface pubs.acs.org/JPCA
Preface to the Terry A. Miller Festschrift theoretical measures of their Jahn−Teller effects. These results have provided invaluable benchmarks for theories dealing with conical intersections along reaction paths. He has obtained spectra producing structural information and diagnostics for many important intermediates in atmospheric and combustion chemistry, particularly for alkoxy and peroxy radicals. He has also pioneered efforts to resolve and analyze the rotational structure of large organic radicals to identify unique isomers and conformers by their rotational “barcode”. His laserbased spectroscopic diagnostics of “cold” plasmas have provided space−time maps of reactive atoms, which are critically important for understanding the mechanisms responsible for the plasma processing of novel materials and electronic devices. A hallmark of his research has been the ability to detect key reactive species for the first time and to obtain hitherto unknown spectral information. To accomplish this, he has exploited numerous experimental approaches, including microwave−optical−double resonance, anticrossing spectroscopy, rare gas matrix isolation, jet-cooled rotationally resolved LIF, and cavity ringdown techniques. He is the author of over 350 scientific publications. This outstanding research portfolio has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Meggars Award (Optical Society of America), the Bomem-Michaelson Award (Coblentz Society), the Bourke Medal (Royal Society of Chemistry), the Broida Prize and Plyler Prize (both from the American Physical Society), and the Edward Morley Award of the American Chemical Society (Cleveland Section). He has been granted the recognition of Fellow by the American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, Optical Society of America, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. Terry’s contributions extend well beyond the laboratory. Since 2005, Terry has been the editor for the Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy. At Ohio State, his activities have included the Convener of the President’s and Provost’s Advisory Committee, the University’s Athletic Council, and serving as the chair of the Chemical Physics Graduate Program for more than 25 years. This service was recognized by his receipt of the University’s Award for Distinguished Faculty Service in 2007. He has served on the Council of the American Chemical Society and as a member of the Executive Committee of its Physical Chemistry Division. He has served and continues to serve on many journal editorial boards and conference program committees, including Chairing the International Advisory Committee for the Free Radicals Symposium. However, for many people in the molecular spectroscopy community, and particularly those at the younger end of the age spectrum, Terry is inextricably linked with his role as the Chair of the OSU International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy. Held every June in Columbus, this conference brings practitioners and theorists together in a one-week spectroscopic jamboree that is both illuminating and
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e are delighted to recognize the many achievements of Terry A. Miller in this special issue of The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, triggered by the occasion of his 70th birthday. Terry is a native Midwesterner who began his scientific career by taking a B.A. in Chemistry at the University of Kansas. His prodigious talent was obvious from the outset. After completing his first degree, Terry won a Marshall Scholarship to “cross the pond”, commencing Ph.D. studies at the University of Cambridge. Working under the supervision of Alan Carrington, here was Terry’s first foray into the spectroscopy of short-lived atoms and molecules in the gas phase, an area that has become his trademark. At Cambridge, he helped to pioneer the development and application of electron resonance techniques for the detailed investigation of free radicals. This proved to be an incredibly productive period and, appetite whetted, Terry returned to the U.S. toward the end of the 1960s to take up a post at Bell Laboratories. There he remained until 1984, when he was appointed to an academic position at The Ohio State University under the Ohio Eminent Scholar scheme. This program was conceived by the Ohio General Assembly to attract outstanding individuals to the public universities in Ohio, and Terry was the first person to receive this accolade. He has remained at OSU ever since. Terry’s research over the years is reflected in many seminal contributions to the spectroscopic detection and characterization of reactive chemical intermediates and has greatly contributed to the modern experimental and theoretical ability to obtain and interpret such spectra. His achievements include highly accurate experimental determinations of the singlet− triplet splittings in He, H2, D2, He2, and the doublet−quartet splitting in CN. Although the optical spectrum of H2 had been studied for nearly 100 years, no direct experimental determination of the singlet−triplet energy separation of H2 had ever been made. He discovered many of the early laserinduced fluorescence (LIF) spectra of molecular ions, ranging from diatomics to aromatics. Analyses of such spectra for numerous organic ions and radicals have produced a quantitative reconciliation, after 50 years, of experimental and © 2013 American Chemical Society
Special Issue: Terry A. Miller Festschrift Published: December 19, 2013 13207
dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp408694x | J. Phys. Chem. A 2013, 117, 13207−13208
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A
Special Issue Preface
exhausting. One of the great features of this meeting is the dominant role played by short presentations, often by graduate students and postdocs early in their careers. For many, this is the first time they have given talks on their research at a major conference and will be an event stamped indelibly in the memory of literally thousands of contributors over the years. The Symposium celebrated its 68th birthday this summer, and this was its swansong at OSU, since Terry has decided to stand down as Chair. This is truly the end of an era, as the conference moves to a new location at the University of Illinois. Terry took over as Chair from his predecessor at OSU, K. N. Rao, in 1992, and we know that he has taken great pride in the smooth running of this conference over the many years he has been in charge. To this day, it remains the pre-eminent conference on gas-phase molecular spectroscopy. Each of the guest editors has worked closely with Terry, two as postdoctoral researchers and one as an academic colleague and collaborator. He has served as a mentor and role model to each of us. As representatives of the many others who have worked closely with Terry over the years, we can testify to his huge enthusiasm for science coupled with great energy and professionalism. Over the years, he has given opportunities to many young scientists from across the world to experience the excitement of working in his research group, and as well as being a proud American, he is a true believer in science as an international endeavor. He is also a kind and generous host, and many of you reading this article will have fond memories of evenings on the Miller deck having drinks and shooting the breeze. The esteem in which Terry is held by colleagues, collaborators, and friends from around the world is reflected in the large number of contributions to this volume. We take this opportunity to offer our very best birthday wishes to Terry and all possible success and enjoyment in the years ahead.
Andrew M. Ellis University of Leicester
Michael C. Heaven Emory University
Anne B. McCoy The Ohio State University
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp408694x | J. Phys. Chem. A 2013, 117, 13207−13208
