2007 McCoy Award Recipient
Joseph Francisco
William E. Moore Distinguished Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Chemistry


Joseph S. Francisco, Purdue University's William E. Moore Distinguished Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Chemistry, is the 2007 recipient of the Herbert Newby McCoy Award. The McCoy award was presented by President Martin Jischke on April 15 at the Annual Spring University Honors Convocation.

Comments from nominating letters include:

“Through the years, Professor Francisco has endeavored to apply new tools from theoretical and experimental physical chemistry to atmospheric chemical problems to bring about an understanding of the various chemical processes in the atmosphere at a molecular level.   In fact, he was one of the first to realize the value of computational chemistry in elucidating atmospheric chemical mechanisms and in identifying new chemical species that play important roles in atmospheric chemical processes. This work has aided in the timely assessment of the environmental impact of new industrial materials and has provided critical information to assist in making informed decisions on the environmental impact of new industrial materials.”

“It is well known that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) threaten our environment by their depletion of the protective ozone layer in the stratosphere. Yet, CFCs have been so useful to society from refrigerants to cleaning agents. What compounds might take their place? It is in answering this question that Professor Francisco has made significant contributions to determining whether certain modified CFC replacements do not decompose ozone and do not contribute to the greenhouse gas burden.”

Francisco received his baccalaureate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas and his Ph.D. in chemical physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983. He also did postgraduate studies at Cambridge University in England as a Research Fellow and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Provost Postdoctoral Fellow. In addition, Francisco has been the recipiant of a Presidential Young Investigator award, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow award, a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar award, a John Simon Guggenheim award and an Alexander von Humboldt Senior U.S. Scientist award.

In the fall of 2007, Francisco will describe his work in detail at the Annual McCoy Distinguished Lecture. Following the lecture is the Annual McCoy Distinguished Recognition Dinner honoring all McCoy award winners.