Mario J. Molina

Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow awarded Mario J. Molina an honorary degree
during the University's 2003 Commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 18, 2003

Medford/Somerville, Mass. [05.18.03] -- Mario J. Molina, Tufts University salutes you today for your exceptional contributions to the health and welfare of the world. In 1974 you theorized that chlorofluorocarbons, the gasses used in aerosol cans, air conditioners, refrigerators, and plastic foam, threatened the earth’s ozone layer.

The initial reaction to your scholarship was skepticism. Industry attacked your science and you personally, but you persevered. Demonstrating great courage, conviction, and meticulous scholarship, you and your collaborators conclusively established the relationship between CFC use and ozone depletion.

Your research ultimately led to the adoption of the Montreal Protocols that banned CFCs worldwide. In 1995, you shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry with your colleagues Paul Crutzen and Sherwood Rowland for your work on CFC and ozone depletion, a relationship which the Nobel Prize committee called “the Achilles heel of the universe.”

Together with your partner and scientific collaborator, Luisa Molina, you have earned great respect for the integrity of your scholarship and for the sense of global responsibility that you both impart to the scientific community. Today, you are leading an international team seeking to improve the air quality of your native Mexico City. Mario Molina, scientist and steward of our fragile planet, it is my honor to present to you today the degree of Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa.