Gary M. Hieftje

Meet Gary M. Hieftje

Motivation
Working with students and witnessing them develop, mature, and succeed.

Advice to my younger self
Don’t follow trends but carve your own path. Work hard, be enthusiastic, have fun – and sleep less.

Why is spectroscopy so exciting?
Spectroscopy, defined in its broadest terms, is one of the most flexible, informative, and powerful methods of scientific observation and characterization. Plus, photons are clean; when they enter your spectrometer they don’t gum it up. In the visible region they can be seen and tracked visually, which simplifies instrument alignment and calibration. Moreover, spectroscopy enables observation and measurement at a distance, enabling standoff and multispectral determinations. Lastly, non-linear aspects of optical interaction permit the development and use of methods that have no equivalent in other fields, leading to such techniques as LIBS, two-dimensional IR and NMR, SERS, and many others.

Nominator comment: “Gary is not only one of the leading figures in the field but also an amazing mentor.”