Dennis G. Peters
{{Short description|American chemist (1937–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Dennis G. Peters
| image = Dennis G. Peters (cropped).jpg
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| caption = Peters in April 2018
| birth_date = {{birth date |1937|04|17}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, US
| death_date = {{death date and age |2020|04|13|1937|04|17}}
| death_place = Bloomington, Indiana, US
| fields = {{Plainlist|
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| workplaces = Indiana University
| education = {{Plainlist|
- California Institute of Technology (B.S.)
- Harvard University (Ph.D.)
}}
| alma_mater =
| thesis_title = Chronopotentiometric studies with platinum and gold electrodes
| thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/302091593/
| thesis_year = 1962
| doctoral_advisor = James J. Lingane
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| awards = {{ublist|2020 Roland F. Hirsch Award}}
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| website = http://www.indiana.edu/~echem/index.php
| footnotes =
}}
Dennis Gail Peters (April 17, 1937 – April 13, 2020) was an American analytical chemist who specialized in electrochemistry and was named the Herman T. Briscoe Professor at Indiana University in 1975. Peters led his own research group at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana until his death in 2020. Peters' research focused on the electrochemical behavior of halogenated organic compounds, more recently moving to focus on transition metal catalysts in regards to the oxidation and reduction of organic species.{{cite web |title=Peters Group Dr. Dennis G. Peters |url=http://www.indiana.edu/~echem/index.php?page=drpeters |website=Indiana University Bloomington |accessdate=1 November 2018 |ref=1 |archive-date=September 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930193626/http://www.indiana.edu/~echem/index.php?page=drpeters |url-status=dead }} He authored or co-authored over 210 publications and 5 analytical chemistry textbooks.{{cite news |last1=Eckelbarger |first1=Emily |title=IU Professor Named American Chemical Society Fellow |url=https://www.idsnews.com/article/2017/07/iu-professor-named-american-chemical-society-fellow |accessdate=2 November 2018 |publisher=Indiana Daily Student |date=July 19, 2017}}
Early life and education
Dennis Peters was born on April 17, 1937, in Los Angeles, California. He completed his Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1958 and graduated cum laude before completing his PhD in analytical chemistry at Harvard University under James J. Lingane.{{cite thesis |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/302091593 |title=Chronopotentiometric studies with platinum and gold electrodes |date=1962 |publisher=Harvard University |degree=Ph.D. |last=Peters |first=Dennis Gail |url-access=subscription |oclc=1035219754 |id={{ProQuest|302091593}} }} After completing his PhD in 1962, Peters went to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.{{cite web |title=Indiana University Chemistry Department Faculty Dennis Peters |url=http://www.chem.indiana.edu/faculty/dennis-peters/ |website=Indiana University Bloomington Department of Chemistry |accessdate=1 November 2018}}
Career
Peters served as the chemistry department's graduate student advisor from 1969 to 1971 where he recruited the department's largest incoming class.{{cite web |title=Scientist at Work: Dennis Peters |url=http://newsinfo.iu.edu/web/page/normal/16019.html |website=IU News Room |accessdate=2 November 2018}} His research has focused on the mechanistic and synthetic properties of the oxidation and reduction of halogenated organic compounds and electrocatalysis in organic synthesis.{{cite web |title=Dennis Gail Peters Honors and Awards |url=https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/search-awards/honoree.shtml?honoreeID=1952 |website=IU University Honors & Awards |accessdate=2 November 2018 |archive-date=November 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130030506/https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/search-awards/honoree.shtml?honoreeID=1952 |url-status=dead }} Peters was still actively teaching up to the time he suffered a fall during spring break 2020 and was taken to a hospital.
Death
Peters died from hospital-acquired COVID-19 on April 13, 2020, four days before his 83rd birthday.{{cite web |title=In memory of Prof. Dennis G. Peters 1937-2020 |url=https://www.chem.indiana.edu/2020/04/in-memory-of-prof-dennis-g-peters-1937-2020/ |website=Indiana University Department of Chemistry |accessdate=16 April 2020 |date=14 April 2020}}{{cite news |url=https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/iu-confirms-death-of-longtime-chemistry-professor-dennis-peters.php |title=IU Confirms Death Of Longtime Chemistry Professor Dennis Peters |website=WFIU |date=April 14, 2020 |first=Emma |last=Atkinson}} He contracted the virus while in a Bloomington hospital recovering from a fall.{{cite news |url=https://www.idsnews.com/article/2020/04/iu-chemistry-professor-dennis-peters-dies-from-complications-of-covid-19 |title=IU chemistry professor Dennis Peters dies from complications of COVID-19 |newspaper=Indiana Daily Student |date=April 14, 2020 |first=Shelby |last=Anderson}}
Peters' name was included in the May 2020 New York Times tribute U.S. Deaths Near 100,000, An Incalculable Loss to the 100,000 Americans who lost their lives as a direct result of the pandemic.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/24/us/us-coronavirus-deaths-100000.html |title=U.S. Deaths Near 100,000, an Incalculable Loss |newspaper=New York Times |date=May 24, 2020 |page=A.1 |edition=Late (East Coast) |last=Barry |first=Dan |id={{ProQuest|2405964358}}}} A reporter for the Indiana Daily Student wrote that "Peters had a roaring voice that filled lecture halls".{{cite news |url=https://www.idsnews.com/article/2020/04/theres-a-void-in-the-world-students-staff-remember-iu-professor-dennis-peters |title='There's a void in the world': Students, staff remember IU professor Dennis Peters |newspaper=Indiana Daily Student |date=April 19, 2020 |first=Joey |last=Bowling}}
Awards and honors
- 1990, American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Teaching{{cite web |title=J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education |url=https://analyticaldivision.sites.acs.org/excellenceineducation.htm |website=ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry |accessdate=2 November 2018 |archive-date=January 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119012309/http://analyticaldivision.sites.acs.org/excellenceineducation.htm |url-status=dead }}
- 2002, Electrochemical Society Henry B. Linford Award for Distinguished Teaching{{cite web |url=https://www.electrochem.org/linford-award |title=Henry B. Linford Award for Distinguished Teaching |work=Electrochemical Society}}
- 2006, W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service, Indiana University Bloomington{{cite web |url=https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/service/george-pinnell-award/index.shtml |title=W. George Pinnell Award |work=Indiana University}}
- 2007, Elected Fellow of the Electrochemical Society{{cite web |url=https://www.electrochem.org/fellow |title=Fellow of The Electrochemical Society |work=Electrochemical Society}}
- 2012, Electrochemical Society Division of Organic and Biological Electrochemistry, Manuel M. Baizer Award{{cite web |url=https://www.electrochem.org/baizer-award |title=Organic and Biological Electrochemistry Division Manuel M. Baizer Award |work=Electrochemical Society}}
- 2012, Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science{{cite web |title=AAAS Elected Fellows |url=https://www.aaas.org/fellows/listing |website=AAAS |accessdate=2 November 2018}}
- 2017, Elected Fellow of the American Chemical Society{{cite web |title=2017 ACS Fellows |url=https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/funding-and-awards/fellows/list-of-2017-acs-fellows.html |website=ACS |accessdate=2 November 2018}}
- 2020, American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry, Roland F. Hirsch Award for Distinguished Service{{cite web |url=https://www.chem.indiana.edu/2020/02/prof-dennis-peters-receives-2020-acs-division-of-analytical-chemistry-award-roland-f-hirsch-award-for-distinguished-service-in-the-advancement-of-analytical-chemistry/ |title=Prof. Dennis Peters receives 2020 ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Award Roland F. Hirsch Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Analytical Chemistry |date=February 19, 2020 |work=Indiana University}}{{cite web |url=https://acsanalytical.org/awards-resources/national-acs-awards/acs-measurement-science-lectureships/ |title=The Roland F. Hirsch Award for Distinguished Service |work=ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry|date=April 4, 2019 }}
Publications
=Books=
- {{cite book |title=Quantitative Chemical Analysis, Third Edition |year=1968 |first1=Robert B. |last1=Fischer |first2=Dennis G. |last2=Peters |publisher=W.B. Saunders |edition=3rd |isbn=978-0721636962}}
- {{cite book |title=A Brief Introduction to Quantitative Chemical Analysis |year=1968 |first1=Robert B. |last1=Fischer |first2=Dennis G. |last2=Peters |publisher=W.B. Saunders |isbn=978-0721637006}}
- {{cite journal |first1=Robert B. |last1=Fischer |first2=Dennis G. |last2=Peters |title=Chemical equilibrium (Fischer, Robert B.; Peters, Dennis G.) |journal=Journal of Chemical Education |date=1971 |volume=48 |issue=7 |pages=A461 |publisher=W.B. Saunders |doi=10.1021/ed048pA461.1 |isbn=9780721637051}}
- {{cite book |title=Chemical Separations and Measurements |year=1974 |first1=Dennis G. |last1=Peters |first2=John M. |last2=Hayes |authorlink2=John M. Hayes (scientist) |first3=Gary M. |last3=Hieftje |authorlink3=Gary M. Hieftje |publisher=W.B. Saunders |isbn=978-0721672038}}
- {{cite book |title=A Brief Introduction to Modern Chemical Analysis |year=1976 |first1=Dennis G. |last1=Peters |publisher=W.B. Saunders |isbn=978-0721672021}}
References
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External links
- http://www.indiana.edu/~echem/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119213950/http://www.indiana.edu/~echem/ |date=November 19, 2019 }}
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Category:Indiana University Bloomington faculty
Category:California Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Harvard University alumni
Category:Writers from Los Angeles