Professor Craig Anderson and Bard College Receive the Jean Dreyfus Lectureship Award to Bring Preeminent Chemist Donna Blackmond to Campus

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.— Craig Anderson, Wallace Benjamin Flint and L. May Hawver Professor of Chemistry and Director of Undergraduate Research at Bard, and Bard College have received a 2023 Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions Award. The prestigious award provides an $18,500 grant to bring a leading researcher to a primarily undergraduate institution to give two lectures in the chemical sciences, one of which will be open and accessible to the general public. Chemical engineer and kineticist Donna Blackmond, who is best known for pioneering the methodology of “Reaction Progress Kinetic Analysis (RPKA)” for fundamental mechanistic studies of complex organic reactions, as well as for streamlining pharmaceutical process research, will give a series of lectures at Bard College during the Fall 2024 semester. Professor Blackmond currently serves as the John C. Martin Endowed Chair of Chemistry and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at Scripps Research Institute. During her visit to Bard, Blackmond will substantively interact with undergraduate students and faculty. The Jean Dreyfus Lectureship Award will also support summer research for two undergraduates who will be working with members of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Program during Bard College’s eight-week summer research program, Bard Summer Research Institute.
 
“We are extremely excited to receive this award that will allow our students access to such an elite research chemist like Professor Blackmond, as well as support novel chemistry research for two exceptional Bard students,” professor Anderson said. “I would like to thank my colleagues in the Chemistry Program and Karen Unger and Johnny Brennan in Bard’s Office of Institutional Support for their help and support in submitting this successful proposal. I especially would like to acknowledge Emily McLaughlin, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Associate Dean of the College, for her help in securing such a preeminent speaker through her extensive connections in the chemistry community.”
 
Donna G. Blackmond is recognized for her work in probing organic reaction mechanisms, particularly in asymmetric catalysis, and for investigations aimed at understanding the origin of biological homochirality. She was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and received her PhD in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1984. She began her career as an assistant professor in chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She has also held academic positions in Germany (Max-Planck-Institut) and the UK, where she held Chairs in Physical Chemistry (University of Hull) and Catalysis (Imperial College London).  She has also worked in the pharmaceutical industry (Merck & Co., Inc). She is currently the John C. Martin Endowed Chair in Chemistry and Chemistry Department Chair at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. Blackmond has been recognized internationally for her research including awards from the American Chemical Society, the British Royal Society, the German Max-Planck-Gesellschaft and the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung. She is an elected member of both the US National Academy of Sciences and the US National Academy of Engineering, as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Learn more about Blackmond’s research interests here.
 
Bard College is among eight institutions to receive a 2023 Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions grant. Learn more here.  
About the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation
The purpose of the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., is to advance the science of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related sciences as a means of improving human relations and circumstances throughout the world. Established in 1946 by chemist, inventor, and businessman Camille Dreyfus as a memorial to his brother Henry, the Foundation became a memorial to both men when Camille Dreyfus died in 1956. Throughout its history the Foundation has sought to take the lead in identifying and addressing needs and opportunities in the chemical sciences through a series of programs and awards. Learn more about the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation by visiting its website.
 
About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year, residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in more than 40 academic programs; graduate degrees in 13 programs; eight early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 163-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at our main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu. PHOTO CAPTION: Craig Anderson, Wallace Benjamin Flint and L. May Hawver Professor of Chemistry and Director of Undergraduate Research at Bard College. Photo by Pete Mauney ’93 MFA ’00

For a high-resolution image, please email: [email protected]

This event was last updated on 11-17-2023

Back to Top