Jackson Wins Lilienfeld Prize

William Jackson, distinguished professor emeritus of chemistry, has been awarded the American Physical Society’s Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize.

The Lilienfeld Prize honors “outstanding contributions to physics by a single individual who also has exceptional skills in lecturing to diverse audiences.” Jackson’s research on chemical reactions in asteroids and comets provided fundamental information about our universe. He also helped found local and national programs promoting diversity in science, including the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. 

Jackson’s research and mentoring has also been recognized with the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Lifetime Mentor Award, the Arthur B.C. Walker II Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the UC Davis Distinguished Emeritus Professor Award, the UC Davis Emile A. Dickenson Award, the Catholic University of America Alumni Achievement Award in Science, and the Morehouse College Bennie Trailblazer Award. The Planetary Society named asteroid 1081 EE37 as Billjackson in his honor.

— Becky Oskin, content strategist in the College of Letters and Science