Gordon Kane, Victor Weisskopf Distinguished University Professor of Physics and director emeritus of the Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, was awarded the 2017 American Physical Society J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, “for instrumental contributions to the theory of the properties, reactions, and signatures of the Higgs boson.” The prize recognizes and encourages outstanding achievement in particle theory. Kane has worked for more than 50 years on enhancing understanding of the fundamental structure of matter. The J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics was endowed in 1984 as a memorial to and in recognition of the accomplishments of J. J. Sakurai, a particle physicist and theorist.
Corinna Schindler, the William R. Roush Assistant Professor in LSA’s Department of Chemistry, was recently awarded a 2016 Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering for her innovative work in modern synthetic organic and organometallic chemistry. The fellowship, which totals $875,000 and will be awarded over five years, is given to 18 promising early-career scientists in order to promote creativity and enable risk-taking in their fields. Schindler’s research group seeks to develop “sustainable alternatives to precious metal catalysts that are commonly used in the industrial processes that provide today’s society with new technologies, medicines and materials.” She expects to use the Packard funds to continue to support and expand her team’s work in the future.
