Eli Ruckenstein’s inspirational life story is one of great difficulties but also of great satisfaction. In fact, Ruckenstein believes that joy and pain are mixed not only in life but also in scientific research, because you cannot come to the joy of discovery without the painful process of formulating the right questions and developing ideas in order to solve them. Ruckenstein was born in a small agricultural town in northern Romania. In his formative years he suffered great hardships of poverty, forced labor, and political oppression. Nevertheless, his insatiable curiosity and his intellectual passion led him to persist in his studies, and to pursue knowledge wherever he could find it. His drive led him to succeed against great odds. His contributions were hidden behind the Iron Curtain for more than two decades, but when he eventually became known to the West his talent was immediately recognized, and he was invited to several universities. He visited Clarkson for a year, obtained a permanent position at Delaware, and then was lured to Buffalo where he is presently Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. As of this writing Eli Ruckenstein is 81 years of age, and yet his productivity has been steadily increasing for at least the past 20 years. His lifetime contributions touch an astonishing variety of areas, including fundamental topics in transport phenomena, thermodynamics, and kinetics, as well as specific topics in catalysis, colloids, polymers, and proteins. As the author of more than 800 publications and several patents, he has received almost all of the major awards for which he is eligible, culminating in the National Medal of Science in 1999 and the Founder’s Award of the National Academy of Engineering in 2004. Eli Ruckenstein’s life story is a profile in courage and dedication, and a demonstration that hardship can temper one’s being.

Catalysis,Surface phenomena,Colloids and emulsions,Biocompatible surfaces and materials