Takeshi Oka

, , is a Japanese-American spectroscopist and astronomer specializing in the field of galactic astronomy, known as a pioneer of astrochemistry and the co-discoverer of interstellar trihydrogen cation . He is now R.A. Milliken Distinguished Service Emeritus Professor, Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Chemistry; Enrico Fermi Institute; and the College of University of Chicago.

Education Oka received his BS and PhD degrees in 1955 and 1960, respectively, at the University of Tokyo. Following a lengthy search Thomas R. Geballe and Oka detected the infrared spectrum of in two interstellar clouds. Since then Oka and his colleagues have published numerous papers on their observations of interstellar .

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Awards 2004 - Davy Medal. 2004 - Norman MacLean Faculty Award. 2002 - E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy 1998 - Ellis R. Lippincott Award. 1997 - William F. Meggers Award. 1990 - Burlington Northern Achievement Award. 1982 - Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy 1973 - Steacie Prize.

Titles 2004 - Wei Lun Visiting Professorship. 2004 - Honorary DSc from the University College London. 2003 - Earl W. McDaniel Lecture Georgia Institute of Technology. 2001 - Honoris caua, University of Waterloo. 2000 - George Pimentel Memorial Lecture, University of California, Berkeley. 1998 - Medaili Jana Marca Marci. 1997 - Distinguished JILA Visitor. 1995 - Golden Jubilee Lecture, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. 1992 - Special Issue, Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy, Vol. 153. 1992 - Lecturer, International School of Physics, "Enrico Fermi". 1992 - Lord Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1989 - McDowell Lecturer, University of British Columbia. 1985-1986 - Chancellor's Distinguished Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley. 1981-1982 - Centenary Lecturer, Royal Society.

Membership in learned societies Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow, American Physical Society Fellow, Optical Society of America Fellow, Royal Society of London Fellow, Royal Society of Canada

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