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People
Herbert, L. Strauss
by Susan J. Ainsworth
March 9, 2015
| A version of this story appeared in
Volume 93, Issue 10
Herbert L. Strauss, 78, professor of chemistry emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, died at home in Berkeley on Dec. 2, 2014.
Born in Aachen, Germany, Strauss and his family fled from Nazism to London in 1938 and then to the U.S., settling in Queens, N.Y. He received a B.A. degree in 1957 and a Ph.D. in 1960, both in chemistry from Columbia University, before spending a postdoctoral year at the University of Oxford.
Strauss then accepted a position as an assistant professor at UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry, where he would remain for his entire career.
An internationally renowned spectroscopist, Strauss used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to explore properties of a variety of molecules, especially n-alkanes with lengths of 5 to 40 carbon atoms. He also used Raman and neutron spectroscopy to study the rotations and vibrations of molecular hydrogen embedded in various systems.
He served as associate dean of undergraduate affairs in the College of Chemistry from 1995 through 2008, helping to boost minority participation in its programs.
Strauss wrote the widely used textbook “Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction” and served as editor of the Annual Reviews of Physical Chemistry from 1976 to 2000.
Although he officially retired in 2003, Strauss remained active on campus. He taught his last class, a graduate seminar, just three weeks before his death.
Strauss received many accolades, including two in 1994 from the Coblentz Society: the Bomem-Michelson Award and the Lippincott Award. He also received the Berkeley Citation in 2003. He was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1959.
He is remembered as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who was kind and generous to everyone and who had a subtle sense of humor. An avid cyclist, he was known for riding his bike to and from campus for 50 years.
A memorial celebration will be held at the UC Berkeley Faculty Club on March 28.
Strauss is survived by his wife, Carolyn; sons, Michael and Ethan; daughter, Rebecca; and four grandchildren.
Obituary notices of no more than 300 words may be sent to Susan J. Ainsworth at s_ainsworth@acs.org and should include an educational and professional history.
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