West Virginia University professor Kenneth Showalter was recently recognized with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Re-Invitation Award and has been invited to the Fritz Haber Institute (FHI) of the Max Planck Society of Berlin, one of Germanys premier research institutions.

This is the second time the WVU professor has been honored by the world-renowned European center. The international award is presented only to recipients of the Alexander von Humboldt Forschungspreis (Research Prize), which Showalter received in 1999.

This award reflects on the high quality of our chemistry program at WVU ,said Showalter, WVU s C. Eugene Bennett Chair of Chemistry.The Fritz Haber Institute is one of the worlds premier institutions for physical chemistry. It is an honor to be affiliated with FHI .

Showalters award supports his research efforts with other scientists and mathematicians affiliated with FHI .

The WVU professor will co-author the book,Design and Control of Self-Organization in Chemical Systems,with Alexander Mikhailov, whose research group is one of the worlds leading units studying pattern formation and dynamical behavior in chemical systems.

Showalters research colleagues at WVU will collaborate with Mikhailovs group to develop new methods for controlling pattern formation in chemical systems. The research will provide insights into biological processes such as cardiac fibrillation�€the rapid, irregular contraction of the cardiac muscle fibers.

Showalter has worked with Mikhailov in the past. The pair wroteControl of Waves, Patterns and Turbulence in Chemical Systems,which was published in Physics Reports in 2006.

In 2005, Showalter received a $500,000 grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation for his continued research in spatiotemporal dynamics and complex systems.

His work has also been featured in Science, among other national publications.

For more information, contact Dr. Showalter at Kenneth.Showalter@mail.wvu.edu .