More than 100 fellow researchers honored J. Mike White by dedicating a new 25,000-square-foot wing to his memory Monday at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory.

"He was the most inspiring scientific leader I ever met," said Chuck Peden after a ceremony at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory campus in north Richland.

White was director of PNNL's Institute for Interfacial Catalysis. He also was a professor of chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin.

White was recruited to PNNL in 2005 specifically to help create the institute, said Doug Ray, associate lab director lab.

White, 68, died from a heart attack last August while visiting family in the Midwest. He was well-known nationally as a pioneer in photochemistry research, which studies how the sun's energy can help break down or form molecules. He had published 700 research papers in a career that spanned more than four decades.

The new wing at EMSL has offices for 94 permanent staff and temporary researchers.

White's wife, Gwen, and his two sons, Mark and Paul, attended Monday's dedication. Several people spoke about White's lifelong commitment to research and his passion to help other scientists excel.

"He wanted to shine the light on someone else. You knew he cared about you, so you wanted to do well for him," said Peden, who has been named interim director of the institute.

"He brought enthusiasm and a desire to solve complex problems," said Paul Bayer, who represented the Office of Biological and Environmental Research for the Department of Energy.

"He chose to put his energy in building this team. As a supportive technical mentor, his real contribution was in helping lift the careers of others," Ray said.