Erik S. Skibinski, a member of the Hines group, has been awarded the 2017 Wayne B. Nottingham Prize in surface science for his investigations of the chemistry and photochemistry of metal oxide surfaces. Erik developed techniques that use solution-phase chemistry to produce controlled organic monolayers with the near-atomic perfection necessary for STM investigations of photochemical surface reactions. The Nottingham Prize has been given annually since 1966 and recognizes the most outstanding contribution to the Physical Electronics Conference based on a Ph. D. thesis.