J. Bevan Ott is the Joseph K. Nicholes Professor of Chemistry Emeritus, Brigham Young University, USA. He has spent 40 years teachingthermodynamics to undergraduate and graduate students and has written 120 papers in the scientific literature as well as authoring andcontributing to a number of books. Professor Ott has received major awards from Brigham Young University that recognize his accomplishments in teaching and in research, including the Distinguished Faculty Lecture Award, the most prestegious award given by the university.