William H. Zoller
Professor (Analytical, Environmental, and Nuclear, Ph.D.,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1969)
543-1643
zoller@chem.washington.edu
Bill Zoller was born in Cedar Rapids Iowa, on March 3, 1943, but grew up in Alaska during the 1950’s and 60’s. He Graduated in Chemistry from the University of Alaska in 1965 and went to Graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied Nuclear Chemistry and Graduated in 1969 with a Ph.D. He became an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Maryland in 1970 after a brief Post Doc at the University of Hawaii. He became a Full Professor in 1979 at Maryland, and while there published numerous research papers and led research programs in Urban air pollution, Volcanic Chemistry, and Atmospheric Chemistry in Antarctica. Most of his research has been to use Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis to measure trace elements in samples from the Atmosphere. His work also has been with the measurement of RadioIsotopes in the environment from atmospheric weapons testing and reactor accidents such as Chernobyl in the Former Soviet Union.
In 1984 he moved to the University of Washington in Seattle as a Professor of Chemistry where he still works. Within two years of arriving in Seattle, he suffered a serious auto accident in which he suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury that has removed much of his memory of both the past, and day-to-day functions. Because he had to learn how to teach Freshman Chemistry with out having a memory himself, he devoted his time to learning how to teach in a different way. He learned to teach Chemistry using a computer and the Computer program PowerPoint,. Since then, he has produced over 500 computer slides for teaching Freshman Chemistry. These slides are now used with the Silberberg Freshman Chemistry book (McGraw Hill), since then, all major textbooks also have obtained computer slides, which the students love!
Several areas of research have been pursued by Professor Zoller, including atmospheric chemistry, volcanic chemistry, and the environmental sciences.
One area of current interest to Professor Zoller is the development of analytical techniques that can be used for non-destructive chemical analysis of both industrial process streams and waste streams (gas and liquid) from industry. This work is done in cooperation with national laboratories at Los Alamos, New Mexico and Lawrence Livermore in California. There, the radioisotope 252Cf is used as a neutron source, in addition to 14-Mev accelerated-produced neutrons, to excite gamma rays emitted upon neutron capture. Other projects will involve the use of neutron activation analysis to measure trace metals in different specimens, such as fish, shellfish, or source pollutants to Puget Sound.
Also of interest to Zoller were studies of the chemical composition of particles and gases released by volcanism. These showed that many elements are highly enriched in the volcanic plumes. Past studies of volcanic chemistry focused on the role played by the halogens, chlorine, and fluorine in the enrichment of platinum group metals Ir, Os, and Re in volcanic gases. In addition, the mechanism of release and impact on the atmosphere of elements such as Se, As, Sb, Cd, In, and Pb was investigated.
Areas of atmospheric chemistry that have been of interest to Zoller involved the collection and chemical analysis of particles and gases from remote areas of the earth's atmosphere. His studies focused on identifying the sources of these particles and gases and on assessing the impact of anthropogenic emissions to the atmosphere in these remote areas. Some of these projects involved fieldwork in Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. Special emphasis was placed upon the sulfur cycle and the cycles of the volatile metals Se, Sb, and As in the marine atmosphere, with particular emphasis upon the source of these natural enriched elements in the atmosphere. Professor Zoller's work attempted to answer the question as to how the ocean, or organisms in the ocean, affected the concentration of the elements in remote areas.
Selected Publications
"Variations in Trace Metal and Halogen Ratios in Magmatic Gases through an Eruptive Cycle of the Pu'u O'o Vent, Kilauea, Hawaii, July-August 1985," T.L. Miller and W.H. Zoller, J. Geophys. Res., 12, 607 (1990).
"Elemental Composition of Particulate Material Sampled from the Arctic Haze Aerosol," P.J. Sheridan and W.H. Zoller, J. Atmos. Chem., 9, 363 (1989).
"Vapor Phase Concentrations of Arsenic, Selenium, Bromine, Iodine and Mercury in the Stack of a Coal-fired Power Plant," M.S. Germani and W.H. Zoller, Environm. Sci. Technol., 22(9), 1079 (1988).
"Residential Wood Combusion: A Source of Atmospheric Polycyclic Hydrocarbons," J. High Resolution Chromatogr. and Chromatog. Comm., 11, 761 (1988).
"Iridium in the South Pole Atmosphere: Estimation of a Meteoritic Component," G. Tuncel and W.H. Zoller, Nature, 329, 703 (1987).
Information
about Professor Zoller's Injury
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****FEB 22, 2000 ARTICLE ABOUT PROFESSOR ZOLLER
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