Mercer Times

Physical chemist Giacinto Scoles, known for his contributions to the study of intermolecular forces and molecular beam technology, passed away at the age of 89 in Sassenheim, Netherlands. Scoles was Princeton University's Donner Professor of Science, Emeritus. His wife of nearly 60 years was by his side.

Salvatore Torquato, Princeton's Lewis Bernard Professor of Natural Sciences, remembered him as "a superb scientist and an even better human being," noting his passion and influence in scientific discussions. Kevin Lehmann, a former colleague at Princeton and now at the University of Virginia, emphasized Scoles' creativity in choosing significant scientific problems over popular or well-funded ones.

Scoles' career spanned six decades across Italy, Canada, the United States, and the Netherlands. He made notable advancements in chemistry and physics, including the development of the cryogenic bolometer. Roberto Car from Princeton described him as "a great experimentalist" who significantly advanced molecular beam techniques.

Annabella Selloni recalled Scoles as positive and helpful during her early career at Princeton. She highlighted their research on self-assembled molecular overlayers on metal surfaces.

His daughter Gigi Scoles shared memories of her father's enthusiasm for science education. She mentioned how he inspired young minds with demonstrations like shattering a rose dipped in liquid nitrogen during her school days.

Giacinto Scoles was born in Torino, Italy, on April 2, 1935. He began his academic journey at the University of Genoa before contributing to various institutions worldwide. Among his accolades were fellowships with The Royal Society and awards such as the Franklin Medal in Physics.

After retiring from Princeton in 2008, he continued teaching at Italy's International School for Advanced Studies. His family has requested that donations be made to CurePSP to honor his memory by supporting research into Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).