“This past year (2023-24), the Wesleyan community was enriched by the presence of our first-ever Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence (S-I-R), Dr. Pawan Sharma from Kurukshetra University in India. The S-I-R program aims to promote campus internationalization by bringing scholar-teachers to campus for either a semester or a whole academic year; as Fulbright explains on its website, “S-I-Rs work across departments and curricula in a variety of ways to widely enhance or expand an existing international program, develop new world area studies programs, add an international dimension to existing coursework or provide an opportunity for U.S. students to learn about a particular world region or country.” Wesleyan is able to submit one application per year to participate in this program. In the Spring of 2022, Professors David Westmoreland (then Chair) and Brian Northrop (now Chair) of Chemistry proposed that their department could benefit from an S-I-R, and worked with Wesleyan’s Grants Office and the Fries Center for Global Studies to submit the grant application that ultimately brought us Dr. Sharma.
As Dr. Sharma’s time at Wesleyan draws to a close, he had an opportunity to sit down with Prof. Northrop and reflect together on how the year has gone. What does it mean to “internationalize” chemistry?
In some contexts, internationalization might mean bringing new languages or new cultures to bear on a field, but things are different in a field like chemistry. In some sense, chemistry is the same the world over. What Sharma and Northrop discovered, though, was that subtler differences in experiences and perspectives can still lead to fruitful learning opportunities. Sharma noted how even when the “same” pedagogical techniques are used in India and in the US, different expectations and backgrounds of students can lead to different outcomes. In Sharma’s view, these differences are something like different flavors, each with their own values, and by blending and balancing them, the result can be even better pedagogy. He offered the example of “cold calling,” which some of his Wesleyan students initially found to be intimidating. Sharma worked to understand their perspective and to allow them to see that this technique enabled them to show what they had learned (sometimes almost subconsciously). Sharma’s two courses were each very successful, each offering content that had not previously been offered by the department.
Northrop emphasized that starting at a department retreat that occurred soon after Sharma’s arrival, Sharma has been able to offer quite different perspectives on the ways that chemistry can be taught — which courses are required as opposed to electives, what order topics are taught in, and so on. “Internationalizing chemistry” thus means, at least in part, taking a step back from the way things are typically done at Wesleyan, or in the U.S., and reflecting on whether blending in other approaches might make even more sense.
Sharma also mentioned key things that he had learned about Wesleyan and more generally about higher education in the U.S. For one example: in India, elite schools are all public, whereas private colleges and universities tend to be smaller, newer, and (at least in the sciences) less rigorous. This influences the assumptions that India faculty, students, and prospective students start out with when they learn about Wesleyan: that is, they assume it will be less rigorous. Figuring out a way to change this narrative may help with graduate and even undergraduate recruiting in India. Finally, it is worth noting that Sharma’s internationalization activities also extended beyond the Chemistry Department. He gave and attended talks both at Wesleyan and regionally, some of them on topics of broad interest like the ozone hole and climate change. He also participated in an Intercultural Fair at Middletown’s Russell Library for area kids, and enjoyed volunteering to serve students Thanksgiving dinner and at the Amazing Grace Pantry. In all, Dr. Sharma has been an exemplary member of the Wesleyan community, and we are very grateful to have been able to host him.”
The Chemistry Department is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Annual Chemistry Department Awards:
ACS Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry: Terry Ye Awarded for excellence in analytical chemistry ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry: Leonard Majaducon To recognize achievement in inorganic chemistry and to encourage further study in the field ACS Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry: Justin Bracero To a student who has displayed a significant aptitude for organic chemistry ACS Undergraduate Award in Physical Chemistry: Ishraq Wasif To recognize achievement in physical chemistry and to encourage further study in the field ACS Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Safety & Ethics: Ashley Vazzana To recognize senior undergraduates who have actively demonstrated the intersectionality between chemical safety and ethical behavior ACS Connecticut Valley Section Award: Emma Davis For outstanding achievement by a graduating chemistry major American Institute for Chemists Award: Maya Goldgisser For outstanding achievement by a graduating chemistry major Bradley Prize: Anne Kiely & Jessica Luu To the senior or junior who excels in chemistry and particularly in special original work Silverman Prize: Angela Rojas-Merchan Awarded to a member of the junior or senior class for excellence in chemistry Peirce Prize: Maya Milrod & Leonard Majaducon Awarded for excellence in CHEM CRC Award (General Chemistry): Tihitina Gebeyehu For the outstanding first-year student in Principles of Chemistry CRC Award (Organic Chemistry): Christie Kim For the outstanding first-year student in Organic Chemistry Hawk Prize: Alexis Papavasiliou To the students who have done the most effective work in biochemistry Martius Yellow Award: Kayla Alexander & Aiden Parente Awarded for excellence in Integrated Chemistry Laboratory The Wallace C. Pringle Prize for Research in Chemistry: Leonard Majaducon & Jessica Luu Awarded to a student for excellence in research Peterson Fellowship: Eric Zanderigo For graduate study in biochemistry Tishler Prize: Kat Blejec Awarded to the best graduate teaching assistant in chemistry
Spring 2024 elections to Wesleyan’s Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa have been announced, and it is with great pleasure that we recognize:
Jessica Tran Luu – Chemistry, College of Integrative Sciences, Environmental Studies Leonard Vincent Anona Majaducon – Chemistry Alexis Sophia Papavasiliou – Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
To be elected, a student must first have been nominated by the department of their major. The student also must have demonstrated curricular breadth by having met the General Education Expectations and must have achieved a GPA of 93 or above.
The emblem contains the three Greek letters “Phi,” “Beta,” and “Kappa,” which are the initials of the Greek motto, Philosophia Biou Kybernetes, or “the love of wisdom is the guide of life.”
Induction will take place on Saturday, May 25, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel. Faculty and staff are invited to join the inductees.
“I am sorry to inform you that Albert J. Fry, Elisha B. Nye Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, passed away on February 1, 2024, at the age of 86.
Al received his BS from University of Michigan and his PhD from University of Wisconsin at Madison. He joined the Wesleyan faculty as a postdoctoral research fellow in 1964 and as an assistant professor in 1965. He taught here for 52 years before retiring in 2016. He published more than 170 research articles during his career, as well as two books on organic electrochemistry, and was a member of the American Chemical Society and The Electrochemical Society.
“Al Fry was an exceptionally generous and supportive colleague with a boundless knowledge of physical organic chemistry,” recalled Brian Northrop, E.B. Nye Professor of Chemistry. “His lab was a vibrant place filled with graduate and lots of undergraduate research students who were fortunate to learn directly from one of the best.”
Giselle Reyes ’18, MA’19, visiting instructor of chemistry, worked in Professor Fry’s group while completing her BA/MA. “Professor Fry was an incredibly supportive, caring, and enthusiastic mentor. He excelled at making the lab an approachable, engaging, and welcoming environment for everyone and encouraged diversity in thought and teamwork. He helped me to discover my passion for research and desire to pursue a career in chemistry and he inspired me to face challenges life throws at me with humor, grit, and grace. He was my biggest advocate in the beginning of my career, and I would not be the scientist or person that I am today without him. “
“Al was a wonderful colleague and friend for 42 years,” said George A. Petersson, Fisk Professor of Natural Science, Emeritus. “As a senior colleague he was extremely supportive when I arrived at Wesleyan. We became close friends as I joined him among the senior faculty. There were amusing moments both socially and at work. I remember back in the days before everything was done electronically, I flew to Washington to hand deliver my NSF proposal by the deadline. As I turned to climb the steps to NSF headquarters, I met Al who was descending the steps after delivering his proposal. Al Fry was one of the people who made Wesleyan a very special place. He will be missed by everyone who had the privilege to know him.”
Al is survived by his wife, Melissa; his daughter, Anne Fry and son-in-law, Steve Bozeman; son Peter Fry and daughter-in-law Rebecca Springer; son Jon Fry and daughter-in-law Kim Mergenthaler Fry; and grandchildren Morgan Bozeman, Molly Fry, Maggie Fry, Will Fry, and Mackenzie Fry. There will be a private family service at D’Angelo Funeral Home in Middletown, Connecticut. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Leopold Schepp Foundation, 950 Third Avenue, Suite 3100, New York, NY 10022.”
Nicole Stanton Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Professor of Dance
If you would like to submit a written tribute in honor of Professor Stewart E. Novick, please e-mail chemistry@wesleyan.edu.
Susanne Fusso Colleague and friend
When I came to Wesleyan in 1985, it wasn’t easy to make friends outside my department. Happily, Annie Dillard, who presided over the “round table” in the Faculty Club in Downey House, had a talent for gathering not only literary, artistic, and social-science types, but also the wittiest and most amusing scientists on the faculty to have lunch together. Without the round table, I don’t know that I would have come to know Spencer Berry, Jack MacIntosh, David Westmoreland, and other amazing thinkers from the third division. Among them, Stew Novick had a special place in my heart. Stew’s combination of brilliance, humor, acerbity, and kindness are a rare and potent mix. I felt a bond with Stew through his love of cats and exasperation with committee service, but most of all I always felt his warmth — for his students, his colleagues, and above all his wife Judy, whom he always spoke of with deep affection and acknowledged as an authority, even though there were few authorities to whom he would bow. It is very hard to realize that I will never again have lunch with Stew. I am so grateful to have known him, and I will always remember him with love.
Ellen Anderson Wesleyan PhD, colleague, and friend
I was a graduate student when Stew Novick arrived at Wesleyan in 1978. Initially, I was in a lab down the hall but I soon moved to the lab next door to Stew’s office. In 1980, my daughter was born and she spent a lot of her first year of life in my lab. Although she was often sleeping or playing in her playpen or out for a walk with me, there were times that she was not quiet, to say the least. Stew was such a good sport about the situation; he put up with the noise and never once complained to me. After I defended my Ph.D., I have come back to visit the department frequently over the past 41 years. My first stop was often Stew’s office. He was always happy to see me and we would catch up on what was going on in our lives. I am honored to count him as one of my longtime friends and I was so saddened to hear of his death. He was a superb teacher, a brilliant researcher and a consummate gentleman. You will be sorely missed, Stew.
Ellen Anderson, Ph.D. 1982 Associate Professor, Retired Department of Chemistry University of Saint Joseph
Daniel Frohman Wesleyan PhD (former student)
Some of my favorite memories of time shared with Stew are those in which we shared hobbies. These include: Stew collected coins amongst other things. I also have long shared this hobby and brought in my collection to show him. We both were excited about astronomy and would discuss meteor showers or any notable space-related news. Stew introduced me to the work of a favorite author of his, Terry Pratchett. This quickly became my favorite author, and I over the years picked up books and would loan them to Stew to read when he hadn’t read a particular one. I also fondly remember various times we got together to share a meal. Sometimes this was a group gathering. Other times were smaller gatherings, such as when we were stranded in D.C. while going to a conference, and we went to a sushi place and then walked after dinner to see the Washington Monument.
Jennifer van Wijngaarden Colleague
I first met Stew when I was a graduate student and attending my first academic conference at Ohio State University in 1998. Although my talk was scheduled for the very last day, Stew was in the audience and even asked me a question.
Although I met Stew annually at that same meeting (even after it moved to Illinois), I formed a closer scientific connection in 2004 when I accepted a Visiting Assistant Professor position for Mount Holyoke College. I reached out to Stew and asked if I could be involved in any ongoing research projects to give me a bit of an outlet as I was transitioning into my first academic appointment with a high teaching load which felt a bit isolating at times. Stew’s response was immediate and enthusiastic. I visited Wesleyan soon after and he handed me a key to his lab and invited me to come as often as I liked. I generally visited about once per week for a full day during the period 2004-2006 and worked on a few different projects with Stew’s graduate students and Pete Pringle during this time. I was also welcomed into Stew and Judy’s home to meet their cats and have dinner and in later years, we would always swap stories about our cats when we met.
In 2006, I accepted a tenure-track appointment at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada with the plan to establish my own research group in microwave spectroscopy. With limited resources to build a custom spectrometer (about $70k USD), Stew gifted me a few relics from his own collection and connected me with a colleague who’d recently retired from Rensselaer (Woody Gillies) and his partner (Jennifer Gillies) at Siena College who was leaving academia. With Stew’s introduction, I was able to collect about 90% of what I needed to build my first FT microwave spectrometer to move to Winnipeg with me in July 2006. One complication was that some of the equipment had been donated to Jennifer from NIST and while the U.S. government had deemed it surplus and didn’t want it back in Maryland, they didn’t want it going to Canada either. Stew placed many phone calls and emails on my behalf to colleagues at NIST including Jon Hougen and Gerry Fraser and it was decided that the equipment could be transferred to Stew officially and then beyond that, NIST was not interested in what happened to it. Although Stew often joked that he didn’t want to go to jail if they came looking for this equipment, the matter seemed to have been forgotten with time. Now, 18 years later, I still have that spectrometer running and generations of my undergraduate and graduate students have used it in their research. I moved to York University in 2022 to become Chair of Chemistry and have now re-assembled this well-travelled instrument in Toronto where my current students are working away most days with it.
In my early years as a faculty member, I would call up Stew for advice every few months about something I didn’t understand (e.g., Pickett’s program, complex tunneling problems, etc.) or to point me to someone who could repair something in my lab including Jens Grabow from Hannover, Germany. Stew always seemed to be ‘in the know’ and lead me in the right direction and for that, I am truly grateful. It is so difficult to believe that after 25 years, I cannot call up Stew and ask for his guidance. He was instrumental in my career progression and research success. Always incredibly supportive, kind and patient. He was an excellent role model for how we should all treat our students and colleagues and I will truly miss him.
Jennifer van Wijngaarden Chair, Professor, York University (Toronto, Canada)
John Keith Wesleyan alumni (former student)
Stew was one of my many favorite professors at Wesleyan who were in the chemistry department. I still recall my 2nd semester chemistry class where he challenged students to point to every element of the periodic table in time with Tom Lehrer’s “Elements” song. Stew somehow always managed to always balance his passion for chemistry, explaining key concepts clearly that had been muddled in my head until that moment, while also being self-disciplined as an excellent lecturer (the image of him fluidly turning off his watch alarm that started beeping two minutes before the end of lecture, not matter what he was doing at the time, always stands out to me).
At the end of my senior year, at a time when I was probably beaming with unbridled confidence, he was the only faculty member that I recall who made a point to return his comments to my undergraduate thesis in person. He handed the hardcover book to me, said he enjoyed reading it, but then he immediately opened to a page showing a figure depicting solutions to the harmonic oscillator problem that I had created. He stated that while I drew the energy differences correctly as h-bar omega, he was confused why the ground state solution drawn to be 1/2 h-bar omega as we learned in class (tacitly, in two of the classes I had taken from him). In hindsight, it was the perfect learning moment at the end of my college, and it was just one of the many subtle, precise, perfectly-timed, and wholly appropriate comments he made over the years I worked in Hall-Atwater. I am very glad I had the privilege of having classes from him.
Peter W. Park Wesleyan alumni ’93 (former student)
Stewart Novick was my General Chem and Physical Chem professor, but he also served as my unofficial advisor for years. He had a profound influence on my career and time in the department. His love of science, commitment to scholarship, and sense of humor made me want to be a scientist. When I got accepted to Princeton but rejected from a certain school in Cambridge for my PhD studies, he actually cussed them out! Jokingly, of course. I think. I can honestly say I would not have pursued a career in science were it not for Stew and Pete Pringle. Every college student needs a faculty member like Stew in their lives to seriously guide them while showing them that work should be fun.
Carol Sherwin Wesleyan alumni (former student)
Prof. Novick was a warm and caring professor. I remember when i first met him in 1987; he was funny, lighthearted, and totally committed to his research work and had time to talk with me whenever i came to see him. His impish smile sits before me now, and I recall how much he loved his wife (i think he got married while i was a student on campus). His unswerving encouragement of me as a female chemistry major still lives in my memory, and i will always be grateful to him for the countless hours that he spent inside and outside the classroom helping me understanding both theory and complex processes. May he remain always in our hearts.
Daniel McCamant Wesleyan alumni ’95 (former student)
Stew Novick was the person that got me interested in Quantum Mechanics, which later became what I built an academic career around. It was his Physical Chemistry class and my conversations with Stew in his office after nearly every lecture that got me really interested in this area of science. I will forever be thankful that I got to take those courses with him; I learned so much and he built such an extraordinary sense of community among me and my classmates. I still keep the notes from that course on my bookshelf for when I need to remember how something is *really* derived! (See photo of my 31 year old notebook, attached.) I certainly benefitted from the kindness and camaraderie that he consistently showed to all of his students.
Later, I was able to work with Pete Pringle in an exciting new research project using Stew’s FT microwave machine. That project studying van der Waals complexes was a fascinating introduction for me, where I learned how spectroscopy can reveal the hidden behavior of the tiniest molecules. It exemplified Stew’s advice to me, that “If you like quantum mechanics and you want to work with your hands, then you should become a spectroscopist. Spectroscopy is experimental quantum mechanics!” I often repeat that phrase to my own students and hope that they can benefit from Stew’s wisdom.
I’m so sorry that I cannot attend the memorial in person, but Stew would approve my excuse: I have to teach a spectroscopy class at 9 am on Monday.
Russell Smilgys Wesleyan alumni ’82 (former student)
I was an undergraduate member of Stew’s group in the early 1980s. I joined because I thought “the big mean molecular beam machine” was a marvel. I aspired to learn how to operate such an amazing scientific instrument. Alone in the lab, I’d walk up and down the aisle tracing the cables and looking in the ports. I had a lot to learn.
One afternoon I was in the lab at the bench playing with an oscilloscope. I connected a function generator to the scope using a coaxial cable I got off the cable rack. Stew came by and offered to give me a lesson in scope operation, which I accepted. Afterward he attempted to remove the cable from the scope, but the connector was stuck. He said that was strange. I agreed and showed him how I had solved the problem using a pair of pliers. As it happened, the cable I selected was MHV, not BNC, so it did not fit. Without showing any upset that I had stupidly forced the wrong connector, he patiently gave me a lesson in coaxial cables.
I have fond memories of working in the lab under Stew’s mentorship, and in the class he taught in quantum mechanics. Stew was the best science teacher I had at Wesleyan. After doing enough science to generate a publication, he assured me I was a solid candidate for graduate school, and he could guarantee my admission to Harvard’s program. He also raved about his time as a postdoc at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Ultimately that is where I went for my PhD in chemical-physics. Thank you Stew.
Russell Smilgys Class of 1982
Ken Leopold Microwave Colleague
Stew was never one to complain, even when others might have. Many years ago, we wrote a chapter with Bill Klemperer that went into a book edited by Elliot Bernstein. Stew came out to Minnesota for a few days to work on it with me. Unfortunately, being Minnesota in the middle of winter, it was 14 below zero (that’s around -26 deg C) and Stew was not dressed properly for it. But he was a real trooper and never complained. A few years later (30 years ago, to be exact), Stew and I wrote a Chem. Rev. article with Bill and Jerry Fraser. These articles have little bio-blurbs, and I collected them for everyone and sent them to the journal. This was back when we had secretaries, and mine accidentally wrote his name under the blurb as Steward, but I failed to catch it. So it got published that way. I remember sitting outside of Independence Hall at Columbus that year and apologizing profusely. Stew assured me that he wasn’t too concerned, noting that his mother was probably the only one that would care.
Stew had a way with words. The clarity and down-to-earth language in his talks always stood out to me. There were a few particularly memorable things, too. The first time I ever heard the expression “we’ll burn that bridge when we come to it” was from Stewart, and I always think of him when I use it. I also remember his comment on molecular sources. Referring to the hit-or-miss aspect of getting one to produce the species you want, he described molecular sources as “just sorcery”, which was both true and a perfect play on words.
An excellent scientist and a fine human being.
Robert Bohn Scientific Collaborator
In the early 1990’s, Stew invited me to visit Wesleyan and present a seminar on my molecular structure studies. I am not sure if he and I had met before this event but I certainly hardly knew him then. I drove to Middletown and found Stew in his office. This was his greeting. “LET’S WRITE A PROPOSAL’. Stew did not waste any time on routine greetings.
We wrote it. In the 70’s and 80’s I had changed my research interests from electron diffraction determinations of molecular structure to microwave studies using the Hewlett-Packard Stark modulated spectrometer to identify the conformations in nearly prolate symmetric tops. Nature made a lot of them.
We invited Karen Peterson, then at the University of Rhode Island, and Mark Marshall of Amherst College to join us, called ourselves the Southern New England Microwave Consortium, and were awarded a major grant which Stewart used to build the Pulsed Jet Microwave Spectrometer which was the heart of Stewart’s laboratory for many years. That instrument joined by a chirped pulse spectrometer contributed by Steve Cooke established Stewart’s lab as a leading laboratory of microwave spectroscopy.
Robert Bohn Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus University of Connecticut
Karen Peterson Colleague
Stew was a wonderful colleague and friend, not just to me, but to many people. His impact on those around him was enormous. I had known him since my graduate days in Colorado, and we were ultimately connected through a love of microwave spectroscopy. For many summers, he graciously welcomed me to conduct experiments in his lab using his FFT spectrometer. This was particularly important as I transitioned from the East to the West coast.
Stew conducted his research lab in a purposeful way, giving high priority to keeping the equipment running (not an easy feat), and giving even higher priority to his students. He prided himself in always being available to discuss projects. With regard to this, I remember him saying that he modeled his leadership style after Star Trek’s Captain Picard, who always immediately put down anything he was doing if any of his crew needed his attention. But he also modeled his style after his graduate advisor, Bill Klemperer, for whom he had the greatest admiration.
I will always remember Stew as someone who was generous with his time. He set an example for all those around him. I am very sorry he left us so soon.
Barney Ellison University of Colorado
Stewart & Me — Almost 50 years of Friendship and Chemistry
Stewart and I were postdoctoral students together in the 1970s. In 1975 I left Yale and went to join Bill Reinhardt’s theoretical group at the Joint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics (now just JILA) in Boulder, CO. Soon I was doing experiments in Carl Lineberger’s lab and Novick came out to Carl’s group in 1976 from Harvard.
JILA was a magical place then and it was one of the world’s premiere research institutes in Atomic and Molecular Physics. The JILA Fellows at that time were a team of front-line physicists: (Jan Hall, Jinx Cooper, Gordon Dunn, Alan Gallagher, Earl Beaty, Art Phelps, Sid Geltman, Judah Levine, Peter Bender, …). When joined with the combined chemical groups of Lineberger, Reinhardt, and Leone, this was a unique place in the world. At that time, there was no “laser store” to help you out. Jan Hall and Judah Levine designed and built their own AR II laser. (Now you just buy one for about $100k.) All of the experimental hardware was conceived and fabricated in the JILA instrument shops.
In Carl’s JILA labs, Stewart, Paul Engelking, and I studied the photoelectron spectra of negative ions:
For some of the ion-beams that we photodetached,
we had to use explosive samples. But no one had the laser technology that we had. And we knew what to look for and tried all sorts of anions that no one has ever seen. We just turned up the current & looked to see what happened. These were hard experiments and it was very easy to make a mistake. Stewart and I became
very close friends while struggling with these machines. We bonded even though I am an organic chemist and Novick was a real spectroscopist.
Stewart was a natural fit for JILA because he came from Bill Klemperer’s Group at Harvard. Klemperer was a pioneer in the study in interstellar molecules. Once you have a proper microwave spectrum, you know where to look in a radio telescope to identify interstellar molecules. Here is Klemperer’s group about 1974. Stewart comes from royalty.
You might think of Stewart as an Ivy-League intellectual but he was more athletic that you might guess. Here is a photo of Novick as a young guy.
Stewart actually taught me to rock climb when we were not in the lab. Here is a photo he took of me as the two of us when we were scaling the flatiron rock formations that are adjacent to Boulder.
In 1978 Stewart joined the Chemistry faculty at Wesleyan University and it was a perfect fit. He built a productive microwave laboratory in Middletown and was always regular at the International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy. Besides Stewart, I have always been a close friend of George Petersson since we overlapped at Yale. In his time at Wesleyan, George developed his own variant of molecular quantum mechanics
that he called Complete Basis Set methods. I now go to engineering conferences and see several thousand engineers modeling their large ensembles of radicals with George’s CBS-QB3 methods. Barney was an undergraduate at Trinity College in Hartford. But my college simply could never compare with Wesleyan. With Wesleyan’s faculty including scholars such as Stewart and George, they were doing research of the highest quality. To have undergraduate students exposed to basic research of the highest caliber is a unique asset of Wesleyan Univ. And Stewart was one of the guys who made it go.
Stewart has always been connected to the top circles of Chemical Physics. Here he is at the JILA Symposium, “Forty Years of Ion Chemistry.”
Stewart had a wonderful career at Wesleyan. He became Wesleyan’s Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics and has made an enormous impact on the Sciences at Wesleyan. He was an outstanding teacher.
The last time I saw Stewart was in 2020. Sally & I drove up to Harford to spend the day. Here’s what we looked like.
As Novick and I talked at this Korean Café and he told me he had a paper in press in Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy on the microwave spectra of the
radical. (J. Mol. Spectrosc. 2022, 385, 111618.) Of course I was interested because we measured photoelectron spectra of the
anion and this gave us properties of the
radical.) When I started to talk with Stewart about comparisons of his radical
and mine
, my Sally kicked me in the leg.
One of the most important people in Stewart’s life was Judy, his wife.
Fall 2023 elections to Wesleyan’s Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa have been announced, and it is with great pleasure that we recognize Anne Foley Kiely. To be elected, a student must first have been nominated by the department of their major. The student also must have demonstrated curricular breadth by having met the General Education Expectations and must have achieved a GPA of 93 or above.
The emblem contains the three Greek letters “Phi,” “Beta,” and “Kappa,” which are the initials of the Greek motto, Philosophia Biou Kybernetes, or “the love of wisdom is the guide of life.”
Anne Foley Kiely Chemistry, Science in Society
Induction will take place on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 4:30p.m.in McKelvey Room, Admissions.
It is with profound sorrow that the Chemistry Department announces the passing of Dr. Stewart Novick. Stew was an esteemed figure within the Wesleyan community, revered for his significant contributions to molecular spectroscopy, the department, and the university. In recognition of his legacy, the Chemistry Department is planning a memorial event, and shall soon share the details here. Condolences may be sent to the family here.
Announcement from the Provost:
“It is with deep sadness that I write to inform you that our dear friend and colleague, Stewart E. Novick, Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics, Emeritus, passed away last week at the age of 78.
Stew received his BS from Stony Brook University and his AM and PhD from Harvard University. He served as a research fellow at Harvard and a research associate at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, University of Colorado at Boulder, before he arrived at Wesleyan in 1978, where he taught until his retirement this past summer. During his 45 years at Wesleyan, he was named an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, a National Science Foundation Fellow, and a Woodrow Wilson Fellow.
“Stew was the consummate educator: demanding, caring, capable of intense precision and joyful inspiration,” recalled President Michael Roth. “When I think of the sciences at Wesleyan, I will always think of Stew Novick.”
David Westmoreland, associate professor of chemistry, reflected that “Stew Novick was the heart and soul of both the Chemistry Department and the Natural Sciences and Mathematics division. He was a prolific researcher, a talented and much revered teacher, and a steadfast colleague and friend to many at Wesleyan and around the world. But perhaps his greatest legacy is in the scores of undergraduate and graduate students who were transformed by his mentorship. He was truly the epitome of what a Wesleyan professor should be.”
“He was a curmudgeonly mensch. He believed in the goodness and potential of everyone, pushed me to be my best self and (thankfully) forced me to apply to grad school,” said Stew’s former student, Alison Williams ’81. “His love of chemistry was infectious. He was the epitome of a colleague, always bringing people together. The Tuesday science faculty lunch tradition that he began 33 years ago still continues. Even when he was bedridden, he was deeply concerned about Wesleyan, his colleagues, and students, and refused to dwell on his health.”
Beach Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, Joe Knee said, “Stew was beloved by students, faculty, and the entire Wesleyan community. His passion for science was extraordinary and inspired the many students he taught in his classes and the large number of graduate and undergraduate students he mentored in his laboratory.”
Former student Alison Spodek Keimowitz ’97 reflected, “He was incredibly patient in explaining difficult concepts, flexible and willing to follow students’ lead on projects. He brought a sense of fun to everything he did—from complicated quantum mechanics to catching (and releasing!) dozens of mice from the lab.”
“His guilelessness was endearing, as was his cutting sense of humor,” reflected Brian Stewart, professor of physics. “His devotion to his students, to his craft, and to science were absolute. The latter evidenced not only by the NSM Luncheon but also by his annual question at the final faculty meeting of the year. Stew was a true mensch, but his was a unique, maybe slightly cockeyed sort of Menschlichkeit.”
Stew is survived by his brother, Dennis. The family will hold a service on Sunday, October 22, at 3:00 p.m. at Summer Hill Cemetery, 564–598 Old Toll Road in Madison, Connecticut. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice, in honor of Stew.”
Nicole Stanton Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Professor of Dance
E.B. Nye Professorship of Chemistry, established 1908
Brian Hale Northrop joined Wesleyan’s Department of Chemistry in 2009 after receiving his BA from Middlebury College and his PhD from University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on physical organic and materials chemistry, particularly the design, synthesis, and analysis of new π-conjugated organic molecules, theoretical and experimental investigations of pericyclic reactions, and mechanistic details of thiol-Michael reactions. He is the recipient of several awards including a National Science Foundation CAREER award, American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator grant, and Thieme Chemistry Journals Award, and was a 2019 recipient of the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Northrop on this momentous achievement!
The Chemistry Department is proud to announce the recipients of the 2023 Annual Chemistry Department Awards:
ACS Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry: Alex Seys Awarded for excellence in analytical chemistry ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry: Jessica Luu To recognize achievement in inorganic chemistry and to encourage further study in the field ACS Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry: Jeremy Kim To a student who has displayed a significant aptitude for organic chemistry ACS Undergraduate Award in Physical Chemistry: Emma Davis To recognize achievement in physical chemistry and to encourage further study in the field ACS Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Safety & Ethics: Rachel Nguyen To recognize senior undergraduates who have actively demonstrated the intersectionality between chemical safety and ethical behavior ACS Connecticut Valley Section Award: Michael O’Sullivan For outstanding achievement by a graduating chemistry major American Institute for Chemists Award: Kelly Fenton-Samuels For outstanding achievement by a graduating chemistry major Bradley Prize: Graham Gilchrist & Emmet Sherman To the senior or junior who excels in chemistry and particularly in special original work Silverman Prize: Alex Seys Awarded to a member of the junior or senior class for excellence in chemistry Peirce Prize: Fletcher Levy & Kelly Fenton-Samuels Awarded for excellence in E&ES CRC Award (General Chemistry): Owen Dunton For the outstanding first-year student in Principles of Chemistry CRC Award (Organic Chemistry): Carlos Romo For the outstanding first-year student in Organic Chemistry Hawk Prize: Rachel Nguyen To the students who have done the most effective work in biochemistry Martius Yellow Award: Leonard Majaducon & Angela Rojas-Merchan Awarded for excellence in Integrated Chemistry Laboratory The Wallace C. Pringle Prize for Research in Chemistry: Rachel Nguyen Awarded to a student for excellence in research Peterson Fellowship: Josh Dudley For graduate study in biochemistry Tishler Prize: Angelika Rafalowski Awarded to the best graduate teaching assistant in chemistry