Humboldt Prizes Honor Professors' Careers

By GAIL GALLESSICH

Two UCSB professors have each been awarded the Humboldt Research Prize in recognition of lifetime achievements in science. They are Mattanjah S. de Vries, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Horia Metiu, professor in the departments of chemistry and physics.

In addition to the award, the professors have been invited to carry out research projects of their choice with colleagues in Germany.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany grants up to 100 Humboldt Research Awards annually to scientists and scholars from abroad who have internationally recognized academic careers.

De Vries, who received his Ph.D. in chemical physics at the University of Amsterdam, is mainly interested in blending aspects of physical and analytical chemistry. Included are studies of complex molecules, individual biomolecules and clusters, and surface analytical applications. He has 100 published articles and several patents.

In December 2000, shortly after joining UCSB's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, de Vries co-authored a paper in the international scientific journal Nature that represented a major step forward in understanding the individual molecules that compose DNA—the neatly coded spiral strands of information that hold all of our biological information.

"The heart of the mechanism is in the pairing of the base molecules," said de Vries. He said that the four molecular bases are like individual teeth of a zipper, and that his research focuses on how they come apart.

Metiu, who obtained his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, joined the faculty in 1976. He has published over 300 papers in theoretical physical chemistry.

In his current work he seeks to understand the surprising catalytic activity of extremely small gold clusters. He is also involved in the study of membranes in fuel cells, which are devices that use hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity with no pollution. His current research is focused on improving the performance of these devices so they can be used to run cars or to generate electricity for portable electronics.

Both scientists have received numerous awards from professional societies.