Michael Morse, professor of chemistry, has won the 2019 William F. Meggers Award from the Optical Society of America. The Meggers award honors “outstanding work in spectroscopy.” Spectroscopy is the field that uses spectra of electromagnetic radiation, including light, to infer properties of matter based on their interactions with the spectra.

According to an Optical Society of America release, Morse was honored for his spectroscopic studies of small molecules containing transition metals, allowing for analysis of the chemical bond energies of the molecules. In recent years, his techniques have enabled chemical bond measurement of about 70 small transition metal molecules.

“The field of spectroscopy has been significantly impacted by the research contributions of Michael Morse,” said 2019 OSA President Ursula Gibson. “His pioneering work on the electronic structure of small transition-metal molecules is beyond meritorious of recognition with the Meggers Award.”

Read more about the Optical Society of America and Morse’s award here.