Prasad to Receive Schoellkopf Medal

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Paras N. Prasad, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry in the University at Buffalo's College of Arts and Sciences, will receive the 1999 Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal from the Western New York Section of the American Chemical Society on May 25.

The award will be presented at the group's annual dinner in the Holiday Inn, 4600 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga.

In making the selection, the jury cited Prasad "for his outstanding achievements in spectroscopy and materials science specifically focused on photonics technology."

Prasad, a UB faculty member since 1974, is an internationally recognized leader in the field of optics and spectrometry. He is founder and director of the Photonics Research Laboratory at UB, and recently was named Samuel P. Capen Professor of Chemistry.

His research on two-photon technology offers promise for a wide variety of applications, including high-density, three-dimensional optical data storage, dental imaging and more effective photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment.

The author of more than 325 scientific publications, Prasad has co-authored seven books.

He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Optical Society of America. Recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, he received a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship Award in 1997.

A native of India, Prasad attended Bihar University, where he won several scholastic awards. He received his doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971.

He is a resident of Williamsville.