end of his life, he died on May 16, 1994, two weeks after being paralysed in a motor accident. Honors Nier was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a foreign scientific member of the Max Planck Society. The Martian crater Nier and the mineral nierite (tiny silicon nitride inclusions in meteorites) were named after him. The Nier Prize is awarded annually by the Meteoritical Society and recognizes outstanding research in meteoritics and closely allied fields by young scientists. References Further reading Obituaries: Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 17, 1994; St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 17, 1994; ; . . [Anon.] (1980) "Alfred Otto Carl Nier, American physicist", in External links 1965 Audio Interview with Alfred Nier by Stephane Groueff Voices of the Manhattan Project Annotated Bibliography for Alfred O.C. Nier from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues 1911 births 1994 deaths University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni Harvard Fellows Nier, Alfred, O. C. 20th-century American physicists Mass spectrometrists Fellows of the American Physical Society Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Thomson Medal recipients Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Recipients of the V. M. Goldschmidt Award Members of the American Philosophical Society