Richard E. Smalley

About Richard E. Smalley

Who is it?: Father of Nanotechnology
Birth Day: June 06, 1943
Birth Place: Ohio, United States, United States
Died On: October 28, 2005(2005-10-28) (aged 62)\nUniversity of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center\nHouston, Texas
Birth Sign: Cancer
Alma mater: University of Michigan Princeton University
Known for: buckminsterfullerene
Awards: Irving Langmuir Award (1991) E. O. Lawrence Award (1991) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1996)
Institutions: Rice University

Richard E. Smalley Net Worth

Richard E. Smalley was born on June 06, 1943 in Ohio, United States, United States, is Father of Nanotechnology. Richard Errette Smalley was a renowned American chemist who won the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of a new form of carbon, Buckminsterfullerene. Considered to be an authority in cluster chemistry and cold ion beam technology, he was the Gene and Norman Hackerman Professor of Chemistry and a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University, USA. Born in early 1940s in Ohio, but brought up in Kansas City, he had his first lessons in science sitting on his mother’s lap. However, it was his maternal aunt, Dr. Sara Jane Rhoads, who mostly influenced him to take up chemistry. Subsequently, he earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan and his PhD from the University of Princeton. In between, he worked for few years as a chemist at the Shell Company. Later he did his post doctorate at Chicago University. After completion of the term, he joined Rice University at Houston. There he worked with Professor Curl and Professor Kroto, and the trio made the Nobel Prize winning discovery of buckminsterfullerene. Later, he conducted extensive research into nanotube single-crystal growth, and was a leading advocate of nanotechnology. It was partly because of him that the Federal Government formed the National Nanotechnology Initiative in early 2000s.
Richard E. Smalley is a member of Scientists

💰 Net worth: Under Review

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Biography/Timeline

1943

Smalley, the youngest of 4 siblings, was born in Akron, Ohio on June 6, 1943 to Frank Dudley Smalley, Jr., and Esther Virginia Rhoads. He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Richard Smalley credits his Father, mother and aunt as formative influences in industry, science and chemistry. His Father, Frank Dudley Smalley, Jr. worked with mechanical and electrical equipment and eventually became CEO of a trade journal for farm implements called Implement and Tractor. His mother, Esther Rhoads Smalley, completed her B.A. Degree while Richard was a teenager. She was particularly inspired by Mathematician Norman N. Royall Jr., who taught Foundations of Physical Science, and communicated her love of science to her son through long conversations and joint activities. Smalley's mother's sister, pioneering woman Chemist Sara Jane Rhoads, interested Smalley in the field of chemistry, letting him work in her organic chemistry laboratory, and suggesting that he attend Hope College, which had a strong chemistry program.

1965

Smalley attended Hope College for two years before transferring to the University of Michigan where he received his Bachelor of Science in 1965. Between his studies, he worked in industry, where he developed his unique managerial style. He received his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from Princeton University in 1973 with Prof. E. R. Bernstein. He did postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago from 1973 to 1976, with Donald Levy and Lennard Wharton where he was a pioneer in the development of supersonic beam laser spectroscopy.

1969

Smalley was married four times, to Judith Grace Sampieri (1968-1978), Mary L. Chapieski (1980-1994), JoNell M. Chauvin (1997-1998) and Deborah Sheffield (2005), and had two sons, Chad Richard Smalley (born June 8, 1969) and Preston Reed Smalley (born August 8, 1997).

1976

In 1976, Smalley joined Rice University. In 1982, he was appointed to the Gene and Norman Hackerman Chair in Chemistry at Rice. He helped to found the Rice Quantum Institute in 1979, serving as Chairman from 1986 to 1996. In 1990, he became also a Professor in the Department of Physics. In 1990, he helped to found the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology. In 1996, he was appointed its Director.

1985

This research is significant for the discovery of a new allotrope of carbon known as a fullerene. Other allotropes of carbon include graphite, Diamond and graphene. Harry Kroto's 1985 paper entitled "C60: Buckminsterfullerine", published with colleagues J. R. Heath, S. C. O’Brien, R. F. Curl, and R. E. Smalley, was honored by a Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award from the Division of History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society, presented to Rice University in 2015. The discovery of fullerenes was recognized in 2010 by the designation of a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society at the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

1990

Starting in the late 1990s, Smalley advocated for the need for cheap, clean Energy, which he described as the number one Problem facing humanity in the 21st century. He described what he called "The Terawatt Challenge", the need to develop a new power source capable of increasing "our Energy output by a minimum factor of two, the generally agreed-upon number, certainly by the middle of the century, but preferably well before that."

2003

Smalley was a leading advocate of the National Nanotechnology Initiative in 2003. Suffering from hair loss and weakness as a result of his chemotherapy treatments, Smalley testified before the congressional testimonies, arguing for the potential benefits of nanotechnology in the development of targeted cancer therapies. Bill 189, the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, was introduced in the Senate on January 16, 2003 by Senator Ron Wyden, passed the Senate on November 18, 2003, and at the House of Representatives the next day with a 405–19 vote. President George W. Bush signed the act into law on December 3, 2003, as Public Law 108- 153. Smalley was invited to attend.

2004

He also presented a list entitled "Top Ten Problems of Humanity for Next 50 Years". It can be interesting to compare his list, in order of priority, to the Ten Threats formulated by the U.N.'s High Level Threat Panel in 2004. Smalley's list, in order of priority, was:

2005

At the Tuskegee University's 79th Annual Scholarship Convocation/Parents' Recognition Program he was quoted making the following statement regarding the subject of evolution while urging his audience to take seriously their role as the higher species on this planet. "'Genesis' was right, and there was a creation, and that Creator is still involved... We are the only species that can destroy the Earth or take care of it and nurture all that live on this very special planet. I'm urging you to look on these things. For whatever reason, this planet was built specifically for us. Working on this planet is an absolute moral code. ... Let's go out and do what we were put on Earth to do." Old Earth creationist and Astronomer Hugh Ross spoke at Smalley's funeral, November 2, 2005.

2019

He was an outspoken skeptic of the idea of molecular assemblers, as advocated by K. Eric Drexler. His main scientific objections, which he termed the “fat fingers problem" and the "sticky fingers problem”, argued against the feasibility of molecular assemblers being able to precisely select and place individual atoms. He also believed that Drexler’s speculations about apocalyptic dangers of molecular assemblers threatened the public support for development of nanotechnology. He debated Drexler in an exchange of letters which were published in Chemical & Engineering News as a point-counterpoint feature.