Dr. Gerhard Herzberg joined the National Research Council in 1948, and shortly after became the director of the Division of Pure Physics. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1971 for his work in the field of spectroscopy. Spectroscopy is the study of the absorption and emission of light and other radiation by matter. It involves the splitting of light into its constituent wavelengths (a spectrum), which is done in much the same way as a prism splits light into a rainbow of colours.

The social media campaign commemorated the 50th anniversary of Dr. Herzberg’s Chemistry Prize and promoted the Herzberg50 Project aimed to educate on his life and the legacy of his research.