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Robert F. Curl, Jr.
<html> <head> <title>Robert F. 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Curl, Jr.</b></font><p><img src="robert-f-curl-1.jpg" height=287 width=203 align=right hspace=10 vspace=10 alt="Robert F. Curl, Jr."><b>AKA</b> Robert Floyd Curl, Jr.<p><b>Born:</b> <a href="/lists/753/000106435/" class=proflink>23-Aug</a>-<a href="/lists/932/000105617/" class=proflink>1933</a><br><b>Birthplace:</b> <a href="/geo/337/000101034/" class=proflink>Alice, TX</a><br><p><b>Gender:</b> Male<br><b>Religion:</b> <a href="/lists/870/000071657/" class=proflink>Methodist</a><br><b>Race or Ethnicity:</b> White<br><b>Sexual orientation:</b> Straight<br><b>Occupation:</b> <a href="/lists/627/000096339/" class=proflink>Chemist</a><br><b>Party Affiliation:</b> Democratic<p><b>Nationality:</b> United States<br><b>Executive summary:</b> Co-Discovered fullerines<p>American scientist Robert F. Curl, Jr. has said that his interest in chemistry was sparked by receiving a chemistry set as a Christmas present when he was nine years old. He studied at Rice University and the University of California at Berkeley, and in 1985 he was a co-discoverer of fullerenes, a sixty-atom form of carbon (C60) that is molecularly distinct from the other carbons, diamond and graphite. C60's atoms are arranged in hexagons and pentagons reminiscent of <a href="/people/187/000022121/">R. Buckminster Fuller</a>'s geodesic domes, and are named buckminsterfullerenes (or more informally, "buckyballs") in his honor. Curl shared the 1996 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with the co-discoverers of fullerenes, his colleague at Rice University, <a href="/people/802/000100502/">Richard E. Smalley</a>, and a more distant collaborator at the University of Sussex, <a href="/people/800/000100500/">Sir Harold Kroto</a>. Since conducting his Nobel Prizewinning work, his more recent research has focused on DNA genotyping and sequencing instrumentation, environmental monitoring, free radicals, gas phase chemical kinetics, and infrared laser spectroscopy.<p><b>Father:</b> Robert Floyd Curl (Methodist minister, b. 1897, d. 1971)<br><b>Mother:</b> Lessie Waldene Merritt Floyd (housewife, b. 1893, m. 8-Jun-1922, d. 1979)<br><b>Sister:</b> Mary Gessner Curl Kurio (b. 1924)<br><b>Wife:</b> Jonel Whipple (m. 21-Dec-1955, two sons)<br><b>Son:</b> Michael<br><b>Son:</b> David<br><p> High School: William Adams High School, Alice, TX (1950)<br> University: <a href="/edu/566/000068362/">BS Chemistry, Rice University (1954)</a><br> University: <a href="/edu/470/000068266/">PhD Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley (1957)</a><br> Scholar: <a href="/edu/473/000068269/">Microwave Spectroscopy, Harvard University (1957-58)</a><br> Teacher: <a href="/edu/566/000068362/">Chemistry, Rice University (1958-67)</a><br> Professor: <a href="/edu/566/000068362/">Chemistry, Rice University (1967-96)</a><br> Professor: <a href="/edu/566/000068362/">Wiess Professor of Natural Sciences, Rice University (1996-2002)</a><br> Professor: <a href="/edu/566/000068362/">University Professor, Rice University (2003-)</a><br><p> <u>IME James Clayton Prize</u> 1957 (with <a href="/people/689/000167188/">Kenneth S. Pitzer</a>)<br> <u>EGU Alexander von Humboldt Medal</u> 1972<br> <u>APS International Prize for New Materials Research</u> 1992 (with <a href="/people/800/000100500/">Harold Kroto</a> and <a href="/people/802/000100502/">R. E. Smalley</a>)<br> <a href="/honors/213/000068009/">Nobel Prize for Chemistry</a> 1996 (with <a href="/people/800/000100500/">Sir Harold Kroto</a> and <a href="/people/802/000100502/">Richard E. Smalley</a>)<br> <a href="/org/630/000117279/">Alfred P. Sloan Foundation</a> Fellowship<br> <a href="/org/811/000055646/">American Academy of Arts and Sciences</a> <br> <u>European Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities</u> <br> <u>National Research Council of Canada</u> <br> <a href="/org/692/000054530/">National Academy of Sciences</a> <br> <a href="/org/592/000071379/">National Science Foundation</a> Fellowship<br> <a href="/org/116/000116765/">Optical Society of America</a> <br> <u>Royal Society of New Zealand</u> Foreign Member<br> <a href="/gov/296/000159816/">National Institute of Standards and Technology</a> <br> <a href="/org/512/000041389/">Phi Beta Kappa Society</a> <br> <a href="/org/561/000238844/">Phi Lambda Upsilon Chemistry Honor Society</a> <br> <a href="/org/457/000041334/">Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society</a> <br> <a href="/org/918/000055753/">Democratic National Committee</a> <br> <a href="/org/805/000167304/">John Kerry for President</a> <br><p> <b>Official Website:</b><br><a href="http://www.chem.rice.edu/FacultyDetail.cfm?RiceID=589" target=_blank>http://www.chem.rice.edu/FacultyDetail.cfm?RiceID=589</a><p> <br> <p> <table> <tr> <td align=right valign=middle style="padding-right: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; color: #ff3333;">New!</span><br> <a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/" class="fotmlink" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; color: #dd0000;">NNDB MAPPER</a></td> <td valign=middle align=right style="border-left: 1px solid #bbb; padding-left: 5px;">Create a map starting with</td> <td valign=middle align=right><a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/start/?id=100498"><img src="/man.gif" border=0 style="padding: 2px;"></a></td> <td align=left valign=middle> <a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/start/?id=100498">Robert F. 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