Sylvia Ceyer
Encyclopedia
Sylvia T. Ceyer is a professor of chemistry
at MIT, holding the John C. Sheehan
Chair in Chemistry. Until 2006 she held the chemistry chair of the National Academy of Sciences
.
in 1974 with an A.B. in chemistry. In 1979, she was awarded a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley
(her advisors were Y. T. Lee and Gabor Somorjai). She was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology
) from 1979 to 1981.
In 2004, MIT was conducting a search for a new president, and she was appointed to the Faculty Advisory Committee to the MIT Corporation. The Corporation chose Susan Hockfield
, a neurobiologist from Yale University
to be MIT's next president.
The following year, she was appointed associate head of MIT's Chemistry Department.
Her contributions to surface science
include discovery of collision induced processes at surfaces, in which an energetic, neutral, noble gas atom impinges on a surface pre-covered with an adsorbate, causing a reaction to occur between the surface and the adsorbate. The reactions observed include dissociation, desorption, and absorption into the bulk of the substrate. In addition, she discovered that electron energy loss spectroscopy
can be used to detect species absorbed in the bulk of a substrate, and can be used to differentiate between bulk and surface species. This paved the way for her discovery that hydrogen atoms absorbed in the bulk of a nickel sample are the key reactant in the hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons. Another major discovery involved the reaction of fluorine molecules with a silicon surface (a reaction that is key to semiconductor device etching), in which the silicon surface abstracts a fluorine atom from the incident fluorine molecule, and the remaining fluorine atom scatters into the gas phase. This is the reverse of the Eley-Rideal
mechanism, one of the fundamental mechanism of gas-surface chemical reactions.
Professorship in Energy from 1991-1996.
In 1988, she was awarded the Harold E. Edgerton Award, the Baker Memorial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate teaching and the Young Scholar Award from the American Association of University Women
. In 1993, Prof Ceyer was given the Nobel Laureate Signature Award from the American Chemical Society
and the School of Science Teaching Prize. She was a MacVicar Faculty Fellow in 1998.
Prof Ceyer is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences
, the American Physical Society
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. She has held the Langmuir Lectureship of the American Chemical Society and the Welch Foundation Lectureship.
She was presented with the Willard Gibbs Award
on May 26, 2007 for her research on heterogeneous catalysis.
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at MIT, holding the John C. Sheehan
John C. Sheehan
John Clark Sheehan was an American organic chemist whose work on synthetic penicillin led to tailor-made forms of the drug. After nine years of hard work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , he became the first to discover a practical method for synthesizing penicillin V...
Chair in Chemistry. Until 2006 she held the chemistry chair of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
Background
Prof. Ceyer graduated from Hope CollegeHope College
Hope College is a medium-sized , private, residential liberal arts college located in downtown Holland, Michigan, a few miles from Lake Michigan. It was opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled...
in 1974 with an A.B. in chemistry. In 1979, she was awarded a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
(her advisors were Y. T. Lee and Gabor Somorjai). She was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
) from 1979 to 1981.
MIT professor
Prof. Ceyer joined the MIT faculty in 1981. In 1987, she became tenured.In 2004, MIT was conducting a search for a new president, and she was appointed to the Faculty Advisory Committee to the MIT Corporation. The Corporation chose Susan Hockfield
Susan Hockfield
Susan Hockfield is the sixteenth and current president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hockfield's appointment was publicly announced on August 26, 2004, and she formally took office December 6, 2004, succeeding Charles M. Vest. Hockfield's official inauguration celebrations took...
, a neurobiologist from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
to be MIT's next president.
The following year, she was appointed associate head of MIT's Chemistry Department.
Research
Prof. Ceyer is a physical chemist whose main research interests lie in the interactions of molecules onto surfaces. This work is done in an ultra-high vacuum environment, because ambient gasses or liquids would otherwise modify the surface under study. This allows unambiguous identification of the reactive species and processes of interest. These surfaces can be templates for nanomechanical devices or catalysts for chemical reactions. The central theme to her work is understanding of the so-called "pressure-gap", the disparity observed between reactions that occur under high pressure and the corresponding lack of reaction observed under ultra-high vacuum conditions.Her contributions to surface science
Surface science
Surface science is the study of physical and chemical phenomena that occur at the interface of two phases, including solid–liquid interfaces, solid–gas interfaces, solid–vacuum interfaces, and liquid-gas interfaces. It includes the fields of surface chemistry and surface physics. Some related...
include discovery of collision induced processes at surfaces, in which an energetic, neutral, noble gas atom impinges on a surface pre-covered with an adsorbate, causing a reaction to occur between the surface and the adsorbate. The reactions observed include dissociation, desorption, and absorption into the bulk of the substrate. In addition, she discovered that electron energy loss spectroscopy
Electron energy loss spectroscopy
In electron energy loss spectroscopy a material is exposed to a beam of electrons with a known, narrow range of kinetic energies. Some of the electrons will undergo inelastic scattering, which means that they lose energy and have their paths slightly and randomly deflected...
can be used to detect species absorbed in the bulk of a substrate, and can be used to differentiate between bulk and surface species. This paved the way for her discovery that hydrogen atoms absorbed in the bulk of a nickel sample are the key reactant in the hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons. Another major discovery involved the reaction of fluorine molecules with a silicon surface (a reaction that is key to semiconductor device etching), in which the silicon surface abstracts a fluorine atom from the incident fluorine molecule, and the remaining fluorine atom scatters into the gas phase. This is the reverse of the Eley-Rideal
Reactions on surfaces
By reactions on surfaces it is understood reactions in which at least one of the steps of the reaction mechanism is the adsorption of one or more reactants...
mechanism, one of the fundamental mechanism of gas-surface chemical reactions.
Awards and honors
Prior to holding the John C. Sheehan Chair in Chemistry, Prof. Ceyer held the Class of 1943 Career Development Chair from 1985–1988 and the W. M. Keck FoundationW. M. Keck Foundation
The W. M. Keck Foundation is an American charitable foundation supporting scientific, engineering, and medical research in the United States. It was founded in 1954 by William Myron Keck, founder and president of Superior Oil Company . The Foundation's trust fund currently has assets in excess of 1...
Professorship in Energy from 1991-1996.
In 1988, she was awarded the Harold E. Edgerton Award, the Baker Memorial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate teaching and the Young Scholar Award from the American Association of University Women
American Association of University Women
The American Association of University Women advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. It was founded in 1882 by Ellen Swallow Richards and Marion Talbot...
. In 1993, Prof Ceyer was given the Nobel Laureate Signature Award from the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
and the School of Science Teaching Prize. She was a MacVicar Faculty Fellow in 1998.
Prof Ceyer is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. She has held the Langmuir Lectureship of the American Chemical Society and the Welch Foundation Lectureship.
She was presented with the Willard Gibbs Award
Willard Gibbs Award
The Willard Gibbs Award, which consists of an eighteen-carat gold medal, the Willard Gibbs Medal, was founded in 1910 by William A. Converse. The medal was named after J. Willard Gibbs. The award recognizes "eminent chemists who .....
on May 26, 2007 for her research on heterogeneous catalysis.
External links
- Sylvia Ceyer's homepage at MIT
- MIT Chemistry Department homepage
- 5.112 Principles of Chemical Science video lectures by Profs. Sylvia Ceyer and Christopher Cummins
- Phoenix S&T, Inc.: Dr. S.T. Ceyer (M.I.T.) and Dr. G.W. Parshall (Science Director of DuPont, retired) to join Science Board of Advisors