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Tribute to W. E. Moerner
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The Journal of Physical Chemistry B

Cite this: J. Phys. Chem. B 2022, 126, 6, 1157–1158
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https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00136
Published February 17, 2022

Copyright © Published 2022 by American Chemical Society. This publication is available under these Terms of Use.

This publication is licensed for personal use by The American Chemical Society.

Copyright © Published 2022 by American Chemical Society

Special Issue

Published as part of The Journal of Physical Chemistry virtual special issue “W. E. Moerner Festschrift”.

This special issue of the Journal of Physical Chemistry is dedicated to William Esco (W. E.) Moerner, a pioneer in the fields of single-molecule spectroscopy and photorefractive materials and a dedicated mentor, advisor, and family man. While W. E. is most widely recognized as a recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, his education, research, and advising have transcended the boundaries of a single discipline, spanning physics, electrical engineering, biology, biophysics, and (of course) chemistry. This diversity in his scientific expertise is reflected not only in the breadth of his research program but also in the education and careers of the many scientists that he has mentored throughout the years, including 24 undergraduate students, 51 graduate students, and 58 postdoctoral scholars to date.

Born in California, W. E. spent the majority of his childhood in Texas, where he showed an early interest and aptitude for scientific exploration. A read of his Nobel Prize autobiography (1) reveals not only early scientific successes but also several (amusing!) mishaps along the way. The latter informed his scientific philosophy of learning from─and then moving past─mistakes, ideally with a sense of humor (and W. E.’s characteristic laugh!). As an undergraduate, W. E. attended Washington University in St. Louis, graduating in 1975 with three Bachelor degrees in Physics, Electrical Engineering, and Mathematics. During that time, he also developed a taste for experimental research in the lab of Professor James G. Miller in the Department of Physics. This passion led him to pursue graduate research in Physics, and he joined the lab of Professor Albert J. Sievers, with whom he received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics in 1978 and 1982, respectively. Notably, his thesis work shifted toward chemistry with spectroscopy of molecular vibrational modes but in a crystalline host at low temperatures. Following his degrees, W. E. returned to the state in which he was born, beginning his independent career at IBM Research in San Jose, CA.

It was at IBM that W. E. transformed the landscape of optical spectroscopy and microscopy as we know it, performing the first experiments in which optical signatures of single molecules were observed. While measuring optical signals from single molecules is almost routine today, these pioneering experiments were the first to suggest that such a thing was even possible. Alongside postdoctoral researcher Lothar Kador, W. E. used two different double frequency modulation techniques to measure the optical absorption from single pentacene dopant molecules embedded in a transparent crystalline matrix at liquid-helium temperatures. (2) This inspiring set of experiments set the stage for subsequent reports on measuring fluorescence from single molecules, the strategy that now forms the basis for most modern single-molecule studies. In addition to his work in single-molecule spectroscopy, W. E. also developed an interest in optical data storage during his time at IBM, and he was a key player in the fields of spectral hole-burning and photorefractive polymers.

After 13 years at IBM, W. E. made the transition to academia, first through a visiting professorship with Professor Doctor Urs P. Wild at ETH-Zürich, Switzerland, and then as a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego. Key collaborations at UCSD not only expanded the scope of W. E.’s research into the field of biology but also led to another significant advance in the field of single-molecule imaging: the discovery of photoblinking and photoswitching of single fluorescent molecules at room temperature. Working with postdoctoral fellow Robert Dickson, they reported the ability to use different wavelengths of light to transition single molecules of green fluorescent protein between an emissive and non-emissive state. (3) The ability to exert active control over the photophysics of single fluorophores laid the foundation for localization-based super-resolution imaging, allowing fluorophores that are too close to be resolved in space (because of the optical diffraction limit) to be resolved subsequently in time. Although there are many acronyms to describe the various techniques that fall under the umbrella of localization-based super-resolution imaging, we honor W. E. by promoting his preferred general descriptor, Single-Molecule Active Control Microscopy, or SMACM. Today, SMACM is widely applied across biology, chemistry, and materials science to attain images with unprecedented spatial resolution.

In 1998, W. E. moved to Stanford University where he remains to this day. Although he continued to develop new insight into photorefractive polymers during his early years at Stanford, his lab eventually transitioned to focus almost exclusively on single-molecule imaging. As one might expect, this work continues to push interdisciplinary boundaries, with efforts ranging from single-molecule imaging in living cells to the development of new fluorescent probes. In addition, W. E. and his lab have pioneered several new, complementary experimental techniques, including the anti-Brownian electrokinetic (ABEL) trap and the development of novel phase masks to encode three-dimensional localization information into the images produced by fluorescence microscopes. More recently, he has returned to experiments at cryogenic temperatures, evoking memories of those first single-molecule experiments in the late 1980s. He remains one of the leaders in the field of single-molecule imaging, with multiple patents, hundreds of invited lectures, and numerous awards, including the Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, and the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. An expanded list of W. E.’s accomplishments can be found in his abbreviated curriculum vitae, which is included as part of this special issue.

However, if one digs deeper into W. E.’s CV and associated publications list, one finds hints that he is far more than just a decorated scientist. In his childhood, W. E. was actively involved in the Boy Scouts, reaching the level of Eagle Scout in 1967. Fifty years later, W. E. was recognized with the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, the highest honor bestowed by the organization and a recognition of W. E.’s lifelong commitment to service and mentoring. Within his publication list, one can find three publications with a particularly important co-author: W. E.’s wife of almost 40 years, Sharon Moerner. (4−6) The two share a longstanding interest in amateur (aka ham) radio, leading to three co-authored publications in this field (and multiple antennae on the roof of their home for many years!). W. E. and Sharon are also passionate about music, having met while appearing in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, and many Moerner lab alumni fondly reminisce about lab gatherings with sing-alongs and musical performances. The two share a son, Daniel, who is a Philosophy Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. During Daniel’s childhood, W. E. would always leave lab by 5:30 PM to make sure he was home to have dinner with his family, setting an excellent example of work–life balance for the members of his group.

Given the outsize influence that W. E. has had on his students, colleagues, collaborators, and friends, we are extremely pleased to share this collection of work as part of this special Festschrift. We are especially grateful to the many scientists who were able to contribute despite the challenges of performing research during the COVID pandemic. We believe that this collection of articles shows a depth and breadth of research that perfectly reflects the myriad scientific pursuits and accomplishments of W. E., and we hope that readers find much to captivate and inspire them herein.

Supporting Information

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The Supporting Information is available free of charge at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00136.

  • Table of contents for the W. E. Moerner Festschrift (PDF)

  • A full caption for the front cover art that includes citations to all 38 ACS journal papers used as sources for images in the cover art (PDF)

Terms & Conditions

Most electronic Supporting Information files are available without a subscription to ACS Web Editions. Such files may be downloaded by article for research use (if there is a public use license linked to the relevant article, that license may permit other uses). Permission may be obtained from ACS for other uses through requests via the RightsLink permission system: http://pubs.acs.org/page/copyright/permissions.html.

Author Information

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References

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This article references 6 other publications.

  1. 1
    William E. Moerner - Biographical. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2021. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2014/moerner/biographical/ (accessed August 30, 2021).
  2. 2
    Moerner, W. E.; Kador, L. Optical detection and spectroscopy of single molecules in a solid. Phys. Rev. Lett. 1989, 62 (21), 25352538,  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.62.2535
  3. 3
    Dickson, R. M.; Cubitt, A. B.; Tsien, R. Y.; Moerner, W. E. On/off blinking and switching behaviour of single molecules of green fluorescent protein. Nature 1997, 388 (6640), 355358,  DOI: 10.1038/41048
  4. 4
    Moerner, W. E.; Moerner, S.; Palmer, D. In FINDER – The Family INformation Database for Emergency Responders. Proceedings of the 6th Computer Networking Conference, American Radio Relay League, Redondo Beach, CA, August 29, 1987; pp 134141.
  5. 5
    Moerner, W. E.; Moerner, S.; Palmer, D. In ARES/Data Update: A Packet Radio Database for Emergency Communications with Conference Bridge. Proceedings of the 8th Computer Networking Conference, American Radio Relay League, Colorado Springs, CO, October 7, 1989; pp 134143.
  6. 6
    Moerner, W. E.; Moerner, S.; Palmer, D. ARES/Data – A Packet Database for Emergency and Public Service Communications. QST Magazine 1990, 75

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The Journal of Physical Chemistry B

Cite this: J. Phys. Chem. B 2022, 126, 6, 1157–1158
Click to copy citationCitation copied!
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00136
Published February 17, 2022

Copyright © Published 2022 by American Chemical Society. This publication is available under these Terms of Use.

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  • References


    This article references 6 other publications.

    1. 1
      William E. Moerner - Biographical. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2021. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2014/moerner/biographical/ (accessed August 30, 2021).
    2. 2
      Moerner, W. E.; Kador, L. Optical detection and spectroscopy of single molecules in a solid. Phys. Rev. Lett. 1989, 62 (21), 25352538,  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.62.2535
    3. 3
      Dickson, R. M.; Cubitt, A. B.; Tsien, R. Y.; Moerner, W. E. On/off blinking and switching behaviour of single molecules of green fluorescent protein. Nature 1997, 388 (6640), 355358,  DOI: 10.1038/41048
    4. 4
      Moerner, W. E.; Moerner, S.; Palmer, D. In FINDER – The Family INformation Database for Emergency Responders. Proceedings of the 6th Computer Networking Conference, American Radio Relay League, Redondo Beach, CA, August 29, 1987; pp 134141.
    5. 5
      Moerner, W. E.; Moerner, S.; Palmer, D. In ARES/Data Update: A Packet Radio Database for Emergency Communications with Conference Bridge. Proceedings of the 8th Computer Networking Conference, American Radio Relay League, Colorado Springs, CO, October 7, 1989; pp 134143.
    6. 6
      Moerner, W. E.; Moerner, S.; Palmer, D. ARES/Data – A Packet Database for Emergency and Public Service Communications. QST Magazine 1990, 75
  • Supporting Information

    Supporting Information


    The Supporting Information is available free of charge at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00136.

    • Table of contents for the W. E. Moerner Festschrift (PDF)

    • A full caption for the front cover art that includes citations to all 38 ACS journal papers used as sources for images in the cover art (PDF)


    Terms & Conditions

    Most electronic Supporting Information files are available without a subscription to ACS Web Editions. Such files may be downloaded by article for research use (if there is a public use license linked to the relevant article, that license may permit other uses). Permission may be obtained from ACS for other uses through requests via the RightsLink permission system: http://pubs.acs.org/page/copyright/permissions.html.