The Department of Chemistry will honor 50 years of being a stand-alone department at Illinois State on October 22.
The public is invited to a day of events, kicking off with the CheMagic Show at 10:30 a.m. in Felmley Hall Annex, room 133. Emeritus Chemistry Professors Jim Webb and Otis Rothenberger will bring their nationally touring show back home to Illinois State with their trademark question, “Is it Chemistry, or is it Magic?” Local school groups have been invited to the performance.
“The study of chemistry has been around since Illinois State’s earliest days, but it was only 50 years ago that the Department came into being, along with several others in the College of Arts and Sciences,” said Department of Chemistry Chair Craig McLauchlan. “October 22, or ‘Mole Day’ Eve to chemists, is a day to honor five decades of wonderful teaching and research that has inspired generations of students to discover chemistry.”
The day continues with a talk from Illinois State Archivist April Anderson on why the Department of Chemistry set out to form its own department 50 years ago. The day will also feature chemistry faculty speaking on the history of the department and current research and an open house. The full schedule can be found at the Department of Chemistry 50th anniversary site.
For more information, contact McLauchlan at (309) 438-7661.
