UC Berkeley professor Omar Yaghi wins Nobel prize in chemistry

UC Berkeley professor Omar Yaghi a Jordanian immigrant molded by the American society school system reached the pinnacle of his field on Wednesday sharing the Nobel Prize in Chemistry After receiving the award for his work on metal-organic frameworks MOFs which have incalculable applications Yaghi acknowledged the role his American schooling played in the realization of his work at a press conference This recognition is really a testament of the power of the populace school system in the U S that takes people like me with a major disadvantaged background a refugee background and allows you to work hard and distinguish yourself Yaghi explained Especially UC Berkeley where the faculty are given full freedom to explore fail and succeed Related Articles UC Berkeley professor Omar M Yaghi shares Nobel Prize in chemistry with two other scientists UC Berkeley s John Clarke wins Nobel Prize for discovery that led to iPhone quantum computers George Smoot dies at Nobel laureate researched the universe s origins at UC Berkeley UC Berkeley scientist and two others win Nobel Prize in Physics for work advancing quantum equipment Bay Area universities spend millions on lobbyists in search of favor funding Yaghi s discoveries with MOFs along with co-winners Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne Australia and Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University Japan have broad implications for emerging technologies such as water capture from desert winds toxic gas containment and carbon sequestration from the atmosphere The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in its announcement lauded the MOF breakthroughs for their ability to craft customizable materials with applications across the scientific field Yaghi built on Robson and Kitagawa s discoveries by creating a stable MOF that could be modified to have new properties Imagine a porous filter programmed to selectively remove any atom or molecule at the command of a scientist Since the trio s discoveries chemists have built tens of thousands of different MOFs the academy wrote in its award announcement noting that chosen may be key to solving humanity s greatest challenges Metal organic frameworks have enormous likely bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions mentioned Heiner Linke Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry On Wednesday Yaghi spoke with reporters via Zoom from Brussels Belgium to discuss the award He described the moment he was exiting a plane in Frankfurt Germany when his phone buzzed with a call from Sweden On the line was the secretary of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry with the news that he had won It was absolutely thrilling You cannot prepare for a moment like that Yaghi disclosed Since then my phone hasn t stopped ringing buzzing receiving emails hundreds and hundreds of emails I have no idea how I m going to respond to all of them Yaghi commented his two biggest influences were his father and his Ph D adviser Walter Klemperer who each pushed him to challenge the status quo and accept failure as an inevitable part of progress and also instilled in him his belief in the power of the experiment His father s belief in Yaghi s academic foreseen pushed him to send his son alone to Troy New York for school That takes incredible commitment We didn t have a lot of the conveniences that a large number of others do but we had a lot of love and a lot of care Yaghi mentioned I m quite emotional to see my refugee parents spend every minute of their time dedicated to their kids and to their kids schooling because they saw that as a way to lift themselves and their kids out of challenging situations Yaghi addressed the challenges facing the scientific district as President Donald Trump s administration cuts funding for research and discovery Masses funding from his first grant from the National Science Foundation was crucial to securing the materials and funding that laid the foundation for his research he announced The grant allowed Yaghi to take creative risks and explore new directions in chemistry ultimately leading to the discoveries that earned him the Nobel Prize The Jordanian refugee turned Nobel Prize winner mentioned that scientists face a predicament of our times in the present day as citizens aid for science fades He called on scientists to renew their historical commitment to the pursuit of knowledge exploring the frontiers of science without fear Only when scientists can explore their curiosities he reported does that lead to building the industries of the next morning improving residents wellbeing and securing the future Science is an absolute essential part of an enlightened society and building a robust society that improves the quality of life for its people Yaghi reported Our science is a jewel in the crown of our country so we cannot allow that to slip