Benjamin Widom
Benjamin Widom (born 13 October 1927) is the Goldwin Smith Professor of Chemistry at Cornell University. His research interests include physical chemistry and statistical mechanics. In 1998, Widom was awarded the Boltzmann Medal "for his illuminating studies of the statistical mechanics of fluids and fluid mixtures and their interfacial properties, especially his clear and general formulation of scaling hypotheses for the equation of state and surface tensions of fluids near critical points." Academic background Widom was born in Newark, New Jersey. He graduated from New York City's Stuyvesant High School in 1945, and received his BA from Columbia University in 1949, followed by his PhD from Cornell in 1953. He became an instructor of chemistry at Cornell in 1954, was appointed assistant professor in 1955 and a full professor in 1963. He was chair of the chemistry department between 1978 and 1981. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1974 and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1979. Publications Theoretical modeling: An introduction. Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 242. Theory of phase equilibrium. J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 13190. Lekkerkerker, H.N.W.; Widom, B. An Exactly Solvable Model for Depletion Phenomena. Physica A 2000, 285, 483-492. Barkema, G.T.; Widom, B. Model of Hydrophobic Attraction in Two and Three Dimensions. J. Chem Phys. 2000, 113, 2349-2353. Weiss, V.C.; Widom, B. Contact Angles in Sequential Wetting: Pentane On Water. Physica A 2001, 292, 137-145. Widom, B. Surface Tension and Molecular Correlations near the Critical Point, J. Chem. Phys. 1965, 43, 3892-3897. Widom, B. Equation of State in the Neighborhood of the Critical Point, J. Chem. Phys. 1965, 43, 3898-3905. Widom, B.; Bhimalapuram, P; Koga, K. The Hydrophobic Effect. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. (PCCP) 2003, 5, 3085-3093. Family Widom's niece Jennifer Widom is the Frederick Emmons Terman Dean of the Stanford School of Engineering and the Fletcher Jones Professor of Computer Science. Awards New York Academy of Sciences Boris Pregel Award in Chemical Physics ACS Langmuir Medal in Chemical Physics, 1982 ACS Hildebrand Award in Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry of Liquids Carnegie-Mellon University Dickson Prize for Science, 1987 University of Wisconsin–Madison Hirschfelder Prize Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Bakhuys Roozeboom Medal Onsager Lectureship, 1994 Boltzmann Medal, 1998 IUPAP Commission on Statistical Physics, 1998 ACS Award in Theoretical Chemistry, 1999 National Academy of Sciences American Philosophical Society American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow New York Academy of Sciences Fellow Private life Widom is father to Michael Widom, a professor of physics at Carnegie Mellon University, Elizabeth Widom, a professor of geology at Miami University, and the late Jonathan Widom, a professor of biochemistry at Northwestern University. He is brother to Harold Widom, professor emeritus of mathematics at U. C. Santa Cruz. References Benjamin Widom at Cornell University's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Benjamin Widom wins prestigious Boltzmann medal The Boltzmann Award, 1998 1927 births Living people People from Newark, New Jersey Stuyvesant High School alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni