PASADENA, Calif. — Harry Gray still recalls the day in 1982 when, after eight years of research, he and his colleagues finally proved that electrons can literally jump from one molecule to another. "I was ecstatic," recalls the California Institute of Technology chemist. "My whole group was ecstatic." Gray is referring to electron transfer (ET), the process of moving an electron from one place to another, which is critical for life.

The quest for a cheap and robust fuel cell for future cars may be a bit closer this week to the "grail" moment. Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have announced that they're getting promising results with a new material that solves various limitations of previously tested fuel cells.

Just as Ishmael always returned to the high seas for whales after spending time on land, an atmospheric researcher always returns to the air for new data.

Ahmed Zewail elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

First there was liquid metal, that wondrous substance from Bill Johnson's materials science lab at Caltech that is now used for golf clubs and tennis rackets. Now a couple of Johnson's enterprising grad students have come up with a new invention-liquid metal foam.

PASADENA, Calif. — What do leukemia, the evergreen plum-yew tree in southeast Asia, and California Institute of Technology faculty member Brian Stoltz have in common?

Stoltz, an assistant professor of chemistry, is utilizing the yew to create antileukemic drugs.

To assist him in this effort, health-care product manufacturer Johnson & Johnson has awarded Stoltz a $180,000 grant over three years as part of its Focused Giving Program.

PASADENA, Calif. — The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has elected three California Institute of Technology faculty members as academy fellows. They are Fred C. Anson, Elizabeth Gilloon Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus; Joseph L. Kirschvink, professor of geobiology; and Colin F. Camerer, Rea A. and Lela G. Axline Professor of Business Economics.

The 2003 class of 187 fellows and 29 foreign honorary members includes four college presidents, three Nobel laureates, and four Pulitzer Prize winners.

Six Caltech professors recently received Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships for 2003.

Harry B. Gray, Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry and founding director of the Beckman Institute at the California Institute of Technology, has been awarded the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Award in Chemical Sciences.

PASADENA, Calif. — The American Philosophical Society (APS) recently announced that Pamela J. Bjorkman, professor of biology at Caltech and investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and Peter B. Dervan, Bren Professor of Chemistry, are two of the 37 new members elected in this year.

Bjorkman is being recognized for her work with molecules needed for cell-surface recognition, and their role in the immune system.