News Release

Kit H. Bowen, E. Emmet Reid Professor in the Department of Chemistry at The Johns Hopkins University, has been named 2005 Maryland Chemist of the Year by the American Chemical Society's Maryland Section.

A resident of Roland Park, Bowen has served on the faculty of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins since 1980. He earned his B.S. degree in chemistry at University of Mississippi in 1970 and his Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1978. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the recipient of a Senior Humboldt Research Award.

The Chemist of the Year award is considered the most prestigious given by the Maryland Section of the American Chemical Society.

"Kit Bowen was selected based on his extraordinary professional accomplishments in extending the frontier of modern physical chemistry. Specifically, he is known worldwide for his pioneering studies of how atoms and molecules are held together," said Gary Posner, Scowe Professor of Chemistry at Johns Hopkins and chair of the Department of Chemistry Awards Committee, which nominated Bowen for the prize.

Bowen's research interests are centered on clusters and nanoparticles, with particular emphasis on condensed phase phenomena that lack atomic or molecular counterparts.

"I am humbled to have been recognized with this honor by the Maryland Section of the American Chemical Society," Bowen said.

The Maryland Chemist of the Year Award was established in 1962 to recognize and annually honor a member of the ACS Maryland Section for outstanding achievements in the field of chemistry.

The organization will hold a reception in Professor Bowen's honor on Wednesday, Dec. 7, in Towson.