hungarian scientists in the us - Columbia University

esearch favored research institutes rather
than university settings, in 1954, Olah
joined the Central Chemical Research Institute
of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
and started a research project in organic
chemistry. Also in 1954, his first son
was born, George John.
The popular uprising in 1956 brought
more unrest to Hungary. The Olahs, and
200,000 other Hungarians, left the country.
The Olah family went first to London,
then Montreal, then Sarnia, Ontario, where
Olah worked for Dow Chemical. He rose
to the title of company Scientist. His second
son, Ronald Peter, was born in 1959.
George Andrew Olah
Olah began his work on carbocations at
this time. Olah transferred to the Dow facility
in Massachusetts in 1964, and then
George Andrew Olah was born May 22,
1927, in Budapest, Hungary, nine years after
the close of World War I and two years versity in Cleveland in 1965 as professor
joined the faculty at Western Reserve Uni-
before the Great Depression. His parents and department Chair. When the chemistry
departments of Western Reserve Uni-
were Julius Olah and Magda Krasznai. He
grew up during tumultuous years, which versity and Case Institute of Technology
included World War II, when Hungary was were merged in 1967, Olah served at Chair
again on the losing side of a war.
of the joint department until 1969 when he
The Olah family lived a middle-class life returned to research fulltime.
and Olah received his early education at a In 1976, he accepted an appointment to
Catholic Gymnasium where he studied humanities
and languages. He then attended Los Angeles in the newly established Loker
the University of Southern California at
the Technical University of Budapest. He Hydrocarbon Research Institute, where he
chose a major in chemistry. The university is currently Distinguished Professor and
followed a rigorous program where only Loker Chair in Organic Chemistry.
the most successful students were allowed Olah was awarded the Nobel Prize in
to remain. Small class sizes and an emphasis
on achievement meant Olah received carbocation chemistry and for uncover-
Chemistry in 1994 for his research in
a good foundation for his research. After ing new ways to use hydrocarbons in the
graduation, he became an unpaid research petroleum industry.. His current research
assistant to his professor, Geza Zemplen. involves converting excess carbon dioxide
Olah was interested in fluorine chemistry. and methane into fuels and derivatives and
He needed to pay for his own material and a methanol fuel cell. Olah has authored
equipment. When the fumes from his projects
became too noxious, Zemplen agreed holds more than 100 patents. The George
over 1000 papers and 15 books, and he
to allocate space that included a balcony, A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum
Chemistry, formerly the ACS Award
so that the odors could be vented. Olah
referred to this as his “balcony laboratory. in Petroleum Chemistry, is awarded from
In 1949, he married Judith Lengyel. They an endowment initially funded by The
had known each other since childhood, Morris S. Smith Foundation and the Dow
and she was a secretary at the Technical Chemical Company.
University. Since the Soviet approach to
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