Marilyn Alder Marquis received her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Utah, went to Berkeley for a month for graduate school, and then returned to Utah to study with Henry Eyring. Marilyn worked on dynamic mechanical testing of polyamides and the relationship between their rheological response and their chemical structure. While a graduate student, she produced a set of lecture notes from Henry Eyring’s classes which became the start of a textbook, “Statistical Mechanics and Dynamics”, co-authored by Henry Eyring, Doug Henderson, Betsy Stover, and Ted Eyring. Marilyn’s notes were mimeographed and bound with a yellow cover and were referred to by students as the yellow peril. Dr. Marquis was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Utah. Dr. Marquis also earned an M.B.A. in Finance and Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. Dr. Marquis worked for several large corporations and government labs, including Utah’s Dugway Proving Ground. Her research contributions are broad, including arc plasma processing of chemicals, synthesis of tetrafluoroethylene, synthesis of polymer intermediates from low btu methane, kinetics and mechanism of ozone reactions, and solvent effects in molecular decomposition reactions. She also worked on project management in the private sector and for the US Department of Energy in Magnetically-Confined Fusion, Radioactive Waste Management, and Geothermal-Based Electric Power Generation.
Bill McKenna earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Utah. Bill joined the technical staff at Eastman Kodak as a Senior Scientist working in vibrational spectroscopy and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. At Kodak, he was promoted to Senior Research Associate. He received several other promotions, his last being the Program Manager for the Flexible Display Program. When Dow Chemical acquired Kodak’s Flexible Display Program, Bill became Director of Research for Optical Display Films Display Technologies at Dow. In 2010, Bill retired from Dow and co-founded The Avout Group, which provides consulting in technology scouting and development in materials and materials applications.
Norm Dovichi was the first doctoral graduate of Joel Harris’s lab. At the University of Wyoming, Dr. Dovichi and their faculty launched a research prog high-sensitivity, small-volume detection methods for liquid chromatography. In 1986, Norm moved to the University of Alberta, where he developed multi-capillary detection for sequencing DNA. In 2001, Norm was appointed to an endowed chair at the University of Washington. A decade later, he moved to Notre Dame as the Grace Rupley Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Ted Eyring retired in 2013 after more than 50 years of service as a chemistry faculty member. To honor his dedication and contributions to the department, the Edward M. Eyring Undergraduate Scholarship was established as part of the Ragsdale Scholarship Endowment. A unique component of these scholarships is that recipients design, carry out, and report on a scholarly research project under the guidance of a chemistry faculty member.
Ryan Looper was one of four recipients of Amgen’s Young Investigator Awards. These awards are given annually and recognize young scientists who demonstrate research excellence and make significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry and biotechnology that impact the practice of drug discovery. Looper also received one of only two Young Investigator Awards from Eli Lilly & Co.
Emeritus Professor David Grant passed away on April 13, 2013. He was the former Chair of the Department of Chemistry and former Dean of the College of Science. He was a pioneer in the development of NMR spectroscopy. The David M. Grant NMR Center (Gauss Haus) was named in his honor in 2006. During his career, he received the Department of Chemistry’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology, the University’s Distinguished Alumnus accolade, and the Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence.
The Thatcher Presidential Endowed Chair of Biological Chemistry was established in the spring of 2013 by the generosity of the Lawrence E. Thatcher family to support cutting-edge biological chemistry research in the Thatcher Building. Cindy Burrows was named the inaugural Thatcher Presidential Endowed Chair of Biological Chemistry and held the position to this day.
In July 2013, Cindy Burrows succeeded Henry White as Chair of the Department, and Henry became Dean of the College of Science. During his tenure as Chair, Henry hired 11 new professors, including four women, established three endowed chairs, and oversaw the completion of the $24M Thatcher Building. At the time, the department ranked 11th nationally in graduating B.S. chemistry majors with ACS-certified degrees.
On September 20, 2013, the Department of Chemistry, in partnership with Waters Corporation, held a symposium on Innovations in Biological Mass Spectrometry. The event also included a Dedication Ceremony for the Waters Advanced Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, featuring the Waters Xevo G2-S QTof instrument, which the Waters Corporation generously donated for the lab in the Thatcher Building. The device, worth over $500,000, ionizes chemical compounds to generate charged molecules or molecule fragments and measures their mass-to-charge ratios. It is designed to be adaptable with true innovations in the field, ensuring the instrument remains current.
Former faculty members, John Gladysz and Janet Bluemel announced a planned gift endowing the John A. Gladysz and Janet F. Bluemel Chair of Chemistry, which an outstanding researcher in any area of organic or inorganic chemistry will fill. Funds from the endowment will support the holder’s teaching, research, service, and professional development.
Dr. Marilyn Marquis, the first woman to earn a Ph.D. from the College of Science, passed away on August 26, 2013. She received her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the U, then returned to study with Henry Eyring. Dr. Marquis worked on dynamic mechanical testing of polyamides and the relationship between their rheological response and their chemical structure and completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1951. Dr. Marquis worked for several large corporations and government labs, including Utah’s Dugway Proving Ground. Her research contributions are broad, including arc plasma processing of chemicals, synthesis of tetrafluoroethylene, synthesis of polymer intermediates from low btu methane, kinetics and mechanism of ozone reactions, and solvent effects in molecular decomposition reactions. She also earned an MBA in Finance and Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She founded Alderwood Associates, a consulting firm specializing in technology management and financial planning. In 2012, Dr. Marquis was inducted into the second class of Distinguished Chemistry Alumni.
After nearly two decades of teaching, Professor-Lecturer Laya Kesner retired at the end of 2013. Kesner taught thousands of students in a wide variety of classes, including General Chemistry II, Environmental Chemistry, Pre-nursing Chemistry, and Quantitative Analysis. One of her students, Dr. Rebecca Uhlig, created the Laya Kesner Awards to show her appreciation for Dr. Kesner. “As my professor so long ago, Dr. Kesner was a genuinely caring person. She wanted to see me succeed not just in my understanding of chemistry and passing her class but also in my career goal of becoming an eye doctor,” Dr. Uhlig said. “She gave generously of her time… I wanted to ensure that, for once, a mentor would be thanked for their time spent!” The awards are given to deserving undergraduate chemistry majors who enhance the learning climate in the Department of Chemistry.
