Edward M. Purcell (1912–1997) was the recipient of many awards for his scientific, educational and civic work. In 1952 he shared the Nobel Prize for Physics for his independent discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance in liquids and in solids, an elegant and precise way of determining chemical structure and properties of materials which is widely used today. During his career he served as science advisor to Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
