This book is dedicated to Dr Victor S.-Y. Lin, who was a professor of chemistry at Iowa State University from 1999 until he unexpectedly passed away in 2010. Victor received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from National Chung Hsing University in Taichung, Taiwan and earned a PhD in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996, working under the direction of Professor Michael Therein. Following graduate studies, he was awarded a Skaggs postdoctoral fellow at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA with Professor Reza Ghidari. Victor became a member of the chemistry faculty at ISU in 1999. He joined the Department of Energy—Ames Laboratory in 2001 and became program director for its Chemical and Biological Sciences Program in 2007. Victor was also director of the Center for Catalysis at the ISU Institute for Physical Research and Technology.
His colleagues and students remember Victor as a highly creative chemist with a seemingly endless supply of energy; I often see him in my mind's eye under the poster of Einstein stating how imagination is more important than knowledge. Victor is best known for his seminal contributions to the syntheses and applications of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), a term he coined to describe nanometre-sized mesoporous silica materials with a well-defined and controllable morphology. He not only developed reliable synthetic protocols for MSNs but also demonstrated the applications of this interesting class of nanomaterials in including heterogeneous catalysis, renewable energy, biosensing, and nanomedicine. He is still frequently cited and the techniques we developed together are still visible in the current literature today.
Victor was profoundly interested in focusing research time and effort on exploring heterogeneous catalysis, specifically those supported on MSNs. He developed novel methods to effectively control the pore environment to tune catalytic properties. He also developed a bifunctional mesoporous calcium-silicate mixed-oxide heterogeneous catalyst for the cooperative and economic conversion of bio-based high-free-fatty-acid feedstocks into biodiesel, and founded a startup company, Catilin, to bring this technology to the market. Shortly after his death, Catilin merged with a multinational catalyst company, Albemarle.
One characteristic that comes to mind when I think about Victor was his generosity with his time and knowledge. He always answered the door to his office with a smile on his face and was sincerely happy to see you. He played the role of an important father figure for those of us working in his research group. Along with his astounding intelligence, Victor had a very clever sense of humor and knew exactly when a mood needed lightening with a joke. He allowed and often encouraged us to pursue our own ideas in the research laboratory, offering both financial and intellectual support to them. This exemplary attitude extended outside our laboratory, frequently inviting other students to group meetings and into the lab, openly discussing research ideas and goals. His positive attitude rubbed off on the people around him, often turning a gray day sunny; even when every reaction failed, Victor would find the silver lining and you would leave his office feeling much better than when you arrived. If you ever had the opportunity to meet Victor and spend even a little bit of time with him, I am sure you understand what I mean – his smile was contagious.
Victor made a number of significant accomplishments in his brief scientific career, holding an impressive number of professional honors. In addition to his appointment as the John D. Corbett Professor in Chemistry that he received shortly prior to his passing, Victor was recognized for his outstanding research contributions with a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the LAS Award for Early Achievements in Research, an Outstanding Technology Development Award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium, and the ISU Award for Mid-Career Achievement in Research. He was also very proud to serve on the Editorial Advisory Board of Advanced Functional Materials.
I will never forget the time I spent with Victor, first as a graduate student in his research group (one of his first) and later as a research scientist assisting him in running his group. Today I have my own research group in the chemistry department at the Colorado School of Mines and hope to be a fraction as successful as he was in the short time he spent on earth. I frequently find myself thinking “What would Victor do in this situation?”, thankful to have known such a great man.
Brian Trewyn
