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1981-82 › Don Kouri
4th Farfel Recipient
Department of Chemistry
Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Physics
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Donald Kouri joined the University of
Houston in 1967 and was named Cullen Distinguished Professor of
Chemistry in 1996. Throughout his career he has pioneered in the
study of molecular collision theory, an interdisciplinary blend
of physics, chemistry, and mathematics. To Professor Kouri, collision
processes “are the underlying phenomena that constitute the
heart of chemistry.” Typical of all Farfel recipients, Kouri
has followed where his learning has led him. He’s taught and
carried out research in Israel and Germany, and participated in
international conferences throughout the world.
Professor Kouri’s newest work is
in digital signal processing, which can be applied to a variety
of industrial and medical needs, including the fight against breast
cancer. “Signal processing is at the cornerstone of what we’ll
be doing in the future,” he explains. “This will be the
dominant technique of the next century.” In his teaching, Professor
Kouri focuses on leading students to see how mathematics relates
to the real world. “I try to help students learn that mathematical
equations are very compact statements that communicate how things
behave.”
In 1998, Professor Kouri received the
Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award. He has also won the
National Science Foundation’s Special Creativity Award and
numerous other citations recognizing his work and dedication to
science. He greatly values the “pat on the back” that
receiving the Farfel gave him for his groundbreaking research. “You
never really know what’s going to lead to important advances
for mankind,” he believes. “Society needs people who have
that kind of freedom and flexibility.”
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