The award was announced on Jan. 25 by the Israeli-based Wolf Foundation in recognition of Zare's "ingenious applications of laser techniques for identifying complex mechanisms in molecules and their use in analytical chemistry. There is no doubt that Zare has taken chemistry to its limits, in more ways than one."

The $100,000-prize will be presented to Zare by Moshe Katsav, president of Israel, during a ceremony at the Israeli Knesset (parliament) in Jerusalem on May 22.

Zare is the seventh Stanford faculty member to receive a Wolf Prize since the awards were established in 1978. A total of 224 scientists and artists from 21 countries have been awarded Wolf prizes for outstanding achievement "in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among peoples, irrespective of nationality, race, color, religion, sex or political view."

In announcing the award, the Wolf Prize jury cited Zare's "seminal contributions to the theory and practice of both physical and analytical chemistry" by developing "a series of novel techniques in applied physical chemistry that subsequently became indispensable to progress in chemical and biochemical analysis, particularly in relation to detection at the single-molecule, area-selective and sub-cellular levels."

The jury also noted that Zare "has worked relentlessly and successfully for chemistry in the national as well as international arena. He is an outstanding spokesman for science."

"I am thrilled to be selected," said Zare, who joined Stanford's chemistry faculty in 1977. "But I'm also mindful that so many others are also well deserving, so it is humbling. These awards don't come by accident. People have to submit nominations and write letters of support, so I'm very aware of and thankful to my friends. I am proud to be a 'lone W
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Contact: Mark Shwartz
mshwartz@stanford.edu
650-723-9296
Stanford University
26-Jan-2005