150th 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...

Frederick Cottrell

March 17, 2020
Research Corporation for Advance Science

Frederick CotrellUndated portrait of Frederick Gardner Cottrell (Smithsonian)

From the about section of the Research Corporation For Advance Science>

A native of Oakland, California, Frederick Gardner Cottrell (1877-1948) early revealed the intense scientific curiosity and drive toward achievement that...

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...

Joseph Cerny

March 18, 2020

Joseph Cerny

By: Paul Preuss

Joseph Cerny (Ph.D. '61, Chem) Professor Emeritus and Professor of the Graduate School, retired after more than half a century of research and leadership at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley. The former head of the Nuclear Science Division and...

Joel Henry Hildebrand

March 19, 2020

By Kenneth S. Pitzer, D. H. McLaughlin, G. C. Pimentel, and J. M. Prausnitz

Scientist in lab

Photo: Joel Henry Hildebrand

Joel Henry Hildebrand (b. November 16, 1881, d. April 30, 1983) was born in Camden, New Jersey. His ancestors came to America before the revolution from the upper Rhine valley. When asked about his longevity, Joel replied, “I...

William Garfield Dauben

March 3, 2020
By Paul A. Bartlett, Rollie Myers, and Andrew Streitwieser

Professor Dauben seated in his office, holding papers.

William Dauben died in his sleep during the night of January 1, 1997. His death was sudden and unexpected. He was born on November 6, 1919, the youngest of three sons of Hyp J. and...

Berkeley Chemistry: 1868 to the Present

Chemistry has been part of Berkeley since the University's charter was signed on March 23,1868. The chemist Robert Fisher was one of the first ten faculty to be hired.

Edmond O'Neill

March 17, 2020
by C. W. Porter | Industrial and Engineering Chemistry

Edmond O'Neil

After forty-five years of service in the department of chemistry of the University of California, Edmond O’Neill retired with a Carnegie pension on June 30, 1925. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1858, but the San Francisco Bay region has been his home since 1864. He was graduated from the University of California in 1879 and was appointed instructor in chemistry the same year. His graduate...

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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Paul Allan Bartlett

March 26, 2020

Paul A. BartlettEmeritus Professor Paul A. BARTLETT grew up in New England, did his schooling in the Boston area, and graduated with an A.B. (Phi Beta Kappa) and an A.M. in Chemistry from Harvard University in 1969. As an undergraduate, he did research with David Dolphin on the synthesis of the alkaloid...