On April 8, 1982, Dan Shechtman identified the icosahedral phase while conducting research at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C. This observation initiated the study of quasiperiodic crystals, or quasicrystals, fundamentally altering the scientific understanding of atomic structure and the long-held definitions of ordered, non-periodic crystalline matter.
Academic Foundation
Born in 1941 in Tel Aviv, Shechtman pursued an extensive technical education at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He earned a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering in 1966, followed by an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in materials engineering in 1968 and 1972, respectively. Following his doctoral studies, he served as an NRC fellow at the Aerospace Research Laboratories at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where he conducted a three-year examination of the microstructure of titanium aluminides.
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Shechtman joined the faculty of the Technion department of materials engineering in 1975. During a 1981–1983 sabbatical at Johns Hopkins University, he conducted research on rapidly solidified aluminum transition metal alloys in collaboration with the National Bureau of Standards. His identification of the icosahedral phase met with significant skepticism from the broader scientific community, including Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling. Despite initial opposition that labeled the findings as non-scientific, subsequent empirical confirmation by other groups by 1987 validated the existence of these structures.
Professional Contributions and Recognition
Shechtman has held appointments at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, alongside his ongoing research at the Technion, where he leads the Wolfson Centre. His work garnered numerous honors, including the 1998 Israel Prize, the 1999 Wolf Prize in Physics, and the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His expertise spans extractive metallurgy and crystallography, with memberships in institutions such as the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the National Academy of Engineering.
Political Engagement
In January 2014, Shechtman announced his candidacy for the presidency of Israel. Supported by the required ten members of the Knesset, he participated in the national election held in June 2014, where he secured one vote.
Fast facts
- Born: 1941, Tel Aviv
- Education: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
- Discovery: Icosahedral phase, 1982
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry: 2011
- Citizenship: Israel, United States
- Languages: English, Hebrew
Questions readers ask
What is a quasicrystal?
A quasicrystal is a structure that is ordered but lacks translational symmetry, meaning its patterns follow mathematical rules but never repeat themselves.
Did Shechtman receive any major awards besides the Nobel Prize?
Yes, his honors include the 1999 Wolf Prize in Physics, the 2002 EMET Prize in Chemistry, and the 2000 Gregori Aminoff Prize.
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