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CRIMSON SHIELD
THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL |
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| January 2011 |
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Element Discoverer
Dr. Gregory Choppin ('44) was a member of a team that discovered element 101, mendelevium, in 1955.
- Choppin received a bachelor's degree in chemistry maxima cum laude from Loyola University and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas.
- From 1953 to 1956, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory where he worked with Glenn T. Seaborg and his team on new elements. They bombarded atoms of einsteinium-253 with helium ions in the cyclotron at the University of California. This resulted in a few atoms of mendelevium-245, which is one of the istotopes of mendelevium plus a free neutron.
Choppin, Bernie Harvey, Glenn Seaborg, and Al Ghiorso on the 25th anniversary of their discovery. Stan Thompson, the fifth member of the team, had died.
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Gregory Choppin 1944
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In 1956, Dr. Choppin joined the Department of Chemistry at Florida State University.
- He served as chair of the department from 1968 to 1977 and again from 1993 to 1994.
- In 1967, he was named the R. O. Lawton Distinguished Professor at FSU, a post he holds to this day.
Greg has co-authored a number of textbooks, including:
- Nuclear Chemistry: Theory and Applications
- Separations of f Elements
- Chemical Separations in Nuclear Waste Management (editor)
- Radiochemistry and Nuclear Chemistry
Choppin has received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to chemical research. Here's a partial list.
- Hevesy Medal recipient 2005 - this award is the premier international award of excellence in radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry.
- Becquerel Medal in Nuclear Chemistry of the Royal Scoeity of Chemists (Great Britain).
- Alpha Phi Sigma Educational Foundation Hall of Fame inductee
- Alexander Von Humbolt U.S. Senior Scientist Award
- Seaborg Award in Separation Science
- Southern Chemist Award of the American Chemical Society
- Gold Medal of the Florida Academy of Sciences
- Presidential Citation for Outstanding Service to Nuclear Science and Technology by the American Nuclear Society
- American Institute of Chemistry Award for work in nuclear reactions and chemical education
- Radiochemistry Society Hall of Fame - 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award
- Honorary doctor of science degree from Loyola and a honorary doctor of technology degree from Chalmers University of Goteborg, Sweden
- And last, but not least – Brother Martin High School Alumnus of the Year 1973
Perhaps the coolest tribute to Dr. Choppin – one that will impress today's students – is having his autograph on "The Choppin Mug" distributed at the 2003 Conference of the Associated Chemistry Teachers of Texas.
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Dr. Gregory Choppin
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