Jeffrey Peterson, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Rochester and a resident of Rochester, will receive the 2006 Graduate Student Award from the New York Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. The award will be presented to Peterson on May 21 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Peterson will be recognized for his work on single molecule spectroscopy experiments with lead sulfide quantum dots. Quantum dots are extremely small semiconductor crystals that may potentially be utilized in future nanotechnology advances. The award consists of $500, a plaque, a one-year membership to the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, and a nomination for the National Society for Applied Spectroscopy award.
In 2005, Peterson was one of 60 graduate students nationwide selected by the National Science Foundation to attend the 55th meeting of the Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany. He has been awarded several fellowships, including the Hooker Fellowship, the Weissberger Fellowship, and the Ewart Fellowship. He also has received the Curtis Teaching Award from the Department of Chemistry.
Peterson received his bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in Chicago. He is originally from St. Paul, Minn.