1986 Seaborg Award: Victor E. Viola, Jr.

Award Statement C&EN (Page 3)

Viola graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Ph.D. in 1961.

In his studies, Viola has elucidated the mechanisms that characterize collisions between complex nuclei and the nuclear fission process. For instance, his research contributed to the discovery of new reactions, called strongly damped collisions, that dominate the interaction between very heavy nuclei.

Viola’s work on the origin of the chemical elements has shed light on nucleosynthesis processes in cosmic rays and supernovae. His current results relevant to the origin of the elements Li, Be, and Β are consistent with a universe that is open and will expand forever.

For the past decade Viola and his group have been studying the evolution of nuclear reaction mechanisms in the intermediate-energy region between the low-energy mean-field and high-energy nucleon-nucleon limits.

Obituary