Bursten Receives 2005 Morley Medal

Bruce E. Bursten, Distinguished University Professor in the department of chemistry at Ohio State University, has received the 2005 Morley Medal, awarded by the ACS Cleveland Section. The Morley Medal is given annually to a chemist or chemical engineer for outstanding contributions to chemistry while working within a 250-mile radius of Cleveland. The award primarily recognizes research contributions but also notes important contributions in teaching, engineering, industrial progress, administration, public service, or service to humanity.

Bursten is known for his teaching skills, writing ability, and high standards of research. His research in inorganic chemistry centers on the correlation of theoretical and experimental electronic structural data with the bonding and reactivity patterns of metal-containing molecules. He is the author or coauthor of more than 140 research papers, and he has presented more than 130 research seminars at other universities, national laboratories, and companies. He is also a coauthor of one of the leading textbooks in general chemistry used by undergraduate students worldwide. Bursten received his award at a symposium and banquet held at Case Western Reserve University on May 25.

The award is named for Edward W. Morley, first chair of the Cleveland Section and professor of chemistry and natural history at Western Reserve University from 1869 to 1906. Morley is famous for his research on the densities and atomic weights of oxygen and hydrogen and for his role in the Michelson-Morley experiment, which disproved the existence of the "luminiferous ether."