creation of the University of Brasilia and funded the Department of Fundamental
Chemistry of the Federal University of Pernambuco, where he remained as
Emeritus Professor until his death. Ricardo was associated with several research
and teaching institutions in Brazil and abroad: the California Institute of Technology, Indiana University, Columbia University and Earlham College in the
United States, l’Université de Genève and the Oxford University in Europe, the
Brazilian Center of Physical Research (CBPF) (Fig. 1), Universidade de São Paulo,
Universidade Federal de São Carlos and Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in
Brazil. He was awarded a number of honors, in special the Grã-Cruz da Ordem
Nacional do Mérito Científico from the Brazilian Presidency (1995), Almirante
Alvaro Alberto Price from CNPq (1996), Medalha Simão Mathias from the SBQ
(1997), Emeritus Researcher of the CBPF (1999) and Emeritus Professor of the
Federal Universities of Pernambuco, UFPE (2001) and Alagoas, UFAL (1979). As
a last tribute, the asteroid 158520 discovered by the amateur astronomers Paulo
Holvocem and Charles Juels was named after him. It is remarkable that among
these distinguished honors, the one most cherished by Ricardo was an annual
scholarship named after him to support chemistry undergraduate students enrolled
at Earlham College, USA. The “Ferreira Scholarship” is funded by a generous
donation of a former student tutored by Ricardo many decades ago.
Ricardo had a life-lasting impact on his students and colleagues. He influenced
two generations of Brazilian physicists, chemists, and biologists. The eminent
Brazilian physicist Constantino Tsallis wrote [7]: I have met, during my life, only
two people to whom I would immediately and heartily reserve the title of natural
Fig. 1 Robert Oppenheimer speaks at CBPF in 1961. Ricardo Ferreira is the first one in the first
row from left to right (Revista O. Cruzeiro, October 7, 1961)
xxii
Obituary
Chemistry of the Federal University of Pernambuco, where he remained as
Emeritus Professor until his death. Ricardo was associated with several research
and teaching institutions in Brazil and abroad: the California Institute of Technology, Indiana University, Columbia University and Earlham College in the
United States, l’Université de Genève and the Oxford University in Europe, the
Brazilian Center of Physical Research (CBPF) (Fig. 1), Universidade de São Paulo,
Universidade Federal de São Carlos and Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in
Brazil. He was awarded a number of honors, in special the Grã-Cruz da Ordem
Nacional do Mérito Científico from the Brazilian Presidency (1995), Almirante
Alvaro Alberto Price from CNPq (1996), Medalha Simão Mathias from the SBQ
(1997), Emeritus Researcher of the CBPF (1999) and Emeritus Professor of the
Federal Universities of Pernambuco, UFPE (2001) and Alagoas, UFAL (1979). As
a last tribute, the asteroid 158520 discovered by the amateur astronomers Paulo
Holvocem and Charles Juels was named after him. It is remarkable that among
these distinguished honors, the one most cherished by Ricardo was an annual
scholarship named after him to support chemistry undergraduate students enrolled
at Earlham College, USA. The “Ferreira Scholarship” is funded by a generous
donation of a former student tutored by Ricardo many decades ago.
Ricardo had a life-lasting impact on his students and colleagues. He influenced
two generations of Brazilian physicists, chemists, and biologists. The eminent
Brazilian physicist Constantino Tsallis wrote [7]: I have met, during my life, only
two people to whom I would immediately and heartily reserve the title of natural
Fig. 1 Robert Oppenheimer speaks at CBPF in 1961. Ricardo Ferreira is the first one in the first
row from left to right (Revista O. Cruzeiro, October 7, 1961)
xxii
Obituary