150th Celebration

Samuel Benedict Christy, first dean of mining and metallurgy

September 15, 2021

Hearst Mining Building, UC Berkeley

Interior, Hearst Mining Building. (Photo: Joe Parks via Wikimedia Commons)

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Lester Andrews (Ph.D. ’66, Chem) reminisces about his experience in George Pimentel’s lab

October 1, 2021
Professor Emeritus Lester Andrews |University of Virginia

George Pimentel, 1960sGeorge Pimentel in the 1960s. Photo courtesy of Jeanne Pimentel.

In 1963, the last Sunday in September, I flew from my home in Starkville, Mississippi to SFO and took ground transportation to the I-House where I would live for three semesters. Qualifying exams were given the next day, Monday, and on Tuesday we were given the results and told to interview...

In Memoriam: Philip Schutz

September 10, 2021
by Kenneth S. Pitzer

Philip Schutz

The First Faculty in the Dept of Chemical Engineering:

Undated photo of Philip Schutz while he was a professor at Columbia University. (Courtesy University Archives, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries; ...

In Memoriam: Professor Michael Charles Williams

January 5, 2021
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Michael Williams, CBE faculty

Michael Charles Williams, undated photograph taken at UC Berkeley. (Photo courtesy College of Chemistry)

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Michael Charles Williams, a longtime member of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE)...

Theodore Vermeulen

March 5, 2020
By C. R. Wilke, D. Hanson, K. S. Pitzer, and C. W. Tobias

Theodore Vermeulen

Undated photo of Professor Theodore Vermeulen in his office in Gillman Hall. (Photo College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley)

Professor Theodore (Ted) Vermeulen (1916-1983),...

Edward Booth

June 1, 2021

Born July 1857; died August 24, 1917, in California. Married Robina McArthur Brodie (Canadian) born March 1862. Daughter Jean born Sept 1886. Marriage Jan 1885, North Georgetown, Quebec, Canada.

Graduated from UC Berkeley with a PhB. in 1877.

From 1877 until 1880 he was an instructor at the College. In 1880 he became a Chemist and Assistant State Mineralogist in the California State Mining Bureau. Later he was the Assayer and Assistant Superintendent of a reduction works at Auburn, Placer county. He engaged in private practice as a chemist and as an engineer.

He left...

The cyclotron's history at Berkeley

July 22, 2021
Lynn Yarris | Berkeley Lab

Ernest O. Lawrence, Glenn T. Seaborg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer in early 1946 at the controls to the magnet of the 184-inch cyclotron

(l to r) Physicist Robert Oppenheimer, chemist Glenn Seaborg and, physicist Ernest Lawrence in 1946 at the control panel of the...

John Gofman: Medical school to nuclear chemistry at UC Berkeley

August 5, 2021
Harry Blackburn, Ph.D.

Excerpt from "John ‘Jack’ Gofman. Researcher and Social Activist. ‘Fair-haired Boy’ and ‘Enemy Within’" American Journal of Cardiology,

John Gofman at Berkeley Lab

John Gofman circa 1950 at the...

In honor of Ahmed Zewail (1946-2016)

August 8, 2016

Charles Harris with Ahmed Zewail (left to right)To appreciate the magnitude of the advance that Zewail introduced to chemistry, one has to ponder the minuteness of the time intervals that he could routinely employ with his special lasers: a femtosecond is a millionth of a billionth of a second. It is one second divided by ten to the power of fifteen.

In memoriam: Alum Harvey Itano and the journey to sickle cell research

July 13, 2021
Jackie Carr | UC San Diego

Harvey Itano photographed by Dorethea Lange

Image: Harvey Akio Itano, 21, 1942 graduate from the University of California where he received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry degree. He was chosen by the faculty as University Medalist for 1942 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. Mr. Itano went to the Japanese Assembly center prior to...