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Nobel Prize winner in chemistry to speak at Lycoming College

Nobel Prize winner in chemistry to speak at Lycoming College

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Lycoming College is pleased to welcome 1981 Nobel Prize winner Roald Hoffmann, Ph.D., the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters, Emeritus at Cornell University, to speak as part of the James and Emily Douthat Distinguished Lectureship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. Hoffmann’s lecture, titled “Chemistry’s Essential Tensions: Three Views of a Science in Culture,” will take place on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in Mary Lindsay Welch Honors Hall. His talk will focus specifically on chemistry’s psychological dimension and its tie to the arts. This event is free and open to the public.

Born in Poland and having survived World War II, Hoffmann moved to the United States in 1949. He studied chemistry at both Columbia and Harvard Universities, receiving his Ph.D. in 1962. Since 1965, he has been a professor at Cornell, and has achieved outstanding accomplishments within and outside of his field.

Although Hoffmann’s background lies in chemistry, his experience embodies Lycoming’s liberal arts tradition of fusing the arts and the sciences. In addition to sharing the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and receiving the American Chemical Society’s Priestley Medal, Hoffmann’s scientific output includes 639 articles and two books, and he also hosted the PBS television series “The World of Chemistry.” His other writings include five collections of poetry, and five books and three plays that have bridged the gaps between science, poetry, religion, and philosophy.

“The Douthat lecture brings top scholars and researchers to Lycoming College,” stated Charles Mahler, associate professor of Chemistry. “Dr. Hoffmann is a world-renowned chemist and an engaging speaker. We are very pleased to welcome him to our campus for this presentation.”

The lecture is sponsored by the James and Emily Douthat Distinguished Lectureship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. Named for the valuable contributions made to Lycoming by both James Douthat, former president of the college, and his wife Emily, this lectureship attracts renowned scholarly speakers from all fields.

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