[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 85 (Friday, June 14, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO DR. JOSEPH S. FRANCISCO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TODD ROKITA

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2013

  Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Joseph S. 
Francisco, the William E. Moore Distinguished Professor of Earth and 
Atmospheric Sciences and Chemistry at Purdue University in West 
Lafayette, Indiana.
  Dr. Francisco, who also is the associate dean of research and 
graduate education for the College of Science at Purdue, will be 
inducted into the National Academy of Science next April in recognition 
of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original, 
pioneering research. His research has revolutionized the understanding 
of chemical processes in the atmosphere and its ability to break down 
and remove pollutants. He solved a 40-year search for an unusual 
molecule essential to the atmosphere's ability to break down nitric 
acid, a compound that causes acid rain. He also mapped the atmospheric 
breakdown of chlorofluorocarbons, chemical compounds that destroy the 
Earth's ozone layer, and leads research into the design of 
environmentally benign materials to replace these compounds.
  His recent work focuses on understanding the effect of water on 
fundamental chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Dr. Francisco 
discovered that clouds significantly affect levels of important 
atmospheric free radicals and identified a new type of chemical 
bonding, radical-hydrogen bonding.
  Dr. Francisco is a past president of the American Chemical Society, 
the world's largest scientific society, and served as president of the 
National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black 
Chemists and Chemical Engineers. He is a fellow of the American Academy 
of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious 
honorary societies, and is a fellow of the American Physical Society, 
American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American 
Chemical Society. He has received four honorary doctorates from other 
universities.
  President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Francisco as a member of the 
President's Committee on the National Medal of Science in 2010 and 
reappointed him this year. This committee is responsible for evaluating 
nominees and selecting recipients of the National Medal of Science, the 
highest honor awarded by the U.S. government to scientists, engineers 
and innovators. He also currently serves on the National Research 
Council Board of Science Education. Dr. Francisco co-authored the 
textbook ``Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics,'' published by Prentice-
Hall, and has published more than 450 peer-reviewed publications in the 
fields of atmospheric chemistry, chemical kinetics, quantum chemistry, 
laser photochemistry and spectroscopy. He becomes only the second 
African-American inducted into the academy from the field of chemistry.
  In light of this career accomplishment, I ask the 4th District and 
all Hoosiers to join me in congratulating Dr. Francisco for this great 
honor and achievement.

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