150th Celebration

Henry Frederick Schaefer, III

March 27, 2020

Henry Frederick Schaefer III

By T. Daniel Crawford

Henry Frederick ‘Fritz’ Schaefer III was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on 8 June 1944, one of three children of Henry F. Schaefer, Jr and Janice Christine Trost. Fritz's parents were both...

William A Lester, Jr., Ph.D. Gets the Star Treatment!

April 2, 2021
Interview with Star Jones | Marquis Who's Who

Professor Emeritus William A Lester, Ph.D. has participated in The Star Treatment, a prestigious video series hosted by renowned lawyer and television personality, Star Jones.

Dr. Lester, a professor emeritus at the Department of Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley, is no stranger to hard work and dedication. His work has inspired generations of students to love science and strive for excellence. Dr. Lester's journey as a scientist began as an outgrowth of "radio-only" entertainment - he was intrigued by a commercial for DuPont, which stated, "Better things,...

A very strong magnet: QB3-Berkeley’s 900 MHz NMR Facility

March 29, 2021
Riley Fricke | Schepartz Lab, UC Berkeley

Graduate student Riley Fricke sits down with Jeff Pelton (Ph.D. '90, Chem) the manager of QB3-Berkeley’s 900 MHz NMR Facility, to discuss the facility and recent research that NMR spectroscopy has helped support.

Jeff Pelton

Jeff Pelton, PhD, the NMR facility manager.

The 900 MHz NMR was installed in 2006 and...

Kenneth Sanborn Pitzer

March 29, 2020

Kenneth Sanborn Pitzer

By Robert E. Connick, William H. Miller, and C. Bradley Moore

Kenneth Sanborn Pitzer, former dean of the College of Chemistry and one of...

Meet our faculty: Alexis T. Bell

August 10, 2020
Roger Eardley-Pryor | UC Berkeley Oral History Project
Alexis T. Bell: A Career in Catalysis and University Administration at UC Berkeley

Alex Bell

Alexis T. Bell in UC Berkeley classroom, circa 1990.

Alexis T. Bell is the Dow Professor of Sustainable Chemistry in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular...

Agnes Fay Morgan, Home Economics: Berkeley

February 22, 2021
By Ruth Okey, Barbara Kennedy Johnson, and Gordon Mackinney

Agnes Fay Morgan

Agnes Fay Morgan (1884-1968)

Professor Emeritus of Nutrition Biochemist Emeritus, Agricultural Experiment Station

“There were giants in the earth in those days,” and time will...

Bruce H. Mahan, 1930 - 1982

February 18, 2021
Yuan T. Lee, Rollie J. Myers, Kenneth Sauer, and Ignacio Tinoco Jr.
Bruce Mahan

Bruce Mahan was born in New Britain, Connecticut, in 1930. He attended Harvard University both as an undergraduate and as a graduate Ph.D. student. After completing his bachelor's degree in the chemistry department, he decided to carry out his doctoral studies with George Kistiakowsky in physical chemistry....

Scientific glassblower continues century-old campus tradition

February 19, 2021
Gretchen Kell | UC Berkeley media relations

Jim Breen has been the campus’s glassblower for 18 years. (UC Berkeley video by Roxanne Makasdjian and Stephen McNally)

To find Room B63 in the nondescript, industrial basement of UC Berkeley’s Hildebrand Hall, it’s best to follow your ears. On a recent afternoon, the Troggs’ 1966 rock hit “Wild Thing” led the way. But once inside the door, don’t expect a party, despite the non-stop music and abundant glassware.

This is the College of Chemistry’s Glass Shop, the busy workspace of scientific glassblower Jim Breen. For the past 16 years, the highly-skilled artisan has...

Shop supervisor Eric Granlund retires

June 25, 2018
by Marge d'Wylde


Shop supervisor Eric Granlund retiresThe College is saying farewell to Eric Granlund, Shop Supervisor. Eric has been at the College since July 1985, concluding 33 years of service with his retirement this month.

Samuel Ruben

January 24, 2020
By Wendell M. Latimer, Melvin Calvin, and Dennis R. Hoagland

Samuel Ruben

Samuel Ruben in his lab. Photo from the Seaborg Archive, Lawrence Berkeley Lab. Undated photo, early 1940s.

Samuel Ruben was born in San Francisco, November 8, 1913. He was awarded the B.S. degree in 1935 and the Ph.D. degree in 1938 by the University of California. His death, September 28, 1943, resulted from an accident in the laboratory while he was...