150th Chemistry

Berkeley Chemistry: 1868 to the Present

Original Chemistry Building 1897 between mining and the library

First dedicated chemistry building (in the middle) between the first mining building on the left and the library on the right; c. 1897 photo by William Letts Oliver, or his son. courtesy Bancroft Library.

Chemistry has been part of Berkeley...

Theoretical chemist Robert Harris has passed away

July 12, 2022

Robert Harris at UC Berkeley circa 1980s

(image: Robert Harris in his office circa 1980s. Photo: Dennis Galloway)

Douglas Clark announced today that Robert (Bob) A. Harris, cherished colleague and professor emeritus of chemistry, passed away on Sunday, July 10, 2022 at the age of 85.

Bob was born August 9, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois. He...

Backlit: 150 Years of High Jumps

July 5, 2022

Joel Hildebrand, a legendary chemistry professor from 1913 to 1952 and expert skier.

Joel Hildebrand, a legendary chemistry professor from 1913 to 1952 and expert skier. Photo 1935, courtesy of the Hildebrand family.

There’s something transcendent about skiing — not just in the...

Tan Kah Kee Hall

March 23, 2021

Tan Kah Kee Hall

Tan Kah Kee Hall sits to the right of Latimer Hall at the corner of the College of Chemistry complex. (Photo by Marge d'Wylde)

The newest research facility for chemical engineering and chemistry at UC Berkeley was dedicated Saturday, April 12, 1997.

Tan Kah Kee Hall (Tan Hall), was designed primarily to support research and graduate education in fields...

George Ernest Gibson

March 12, 2020

George Ernest Gibson

By W. F. Giauque, J. H. Hildebrand, and G. T. Seaborg

George Ernest Gibson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, November 9, 1884, the son of John Gibson and Karolina...

Charles William Tobias

March 30, 2020

Charles Tobias

By D. N. Hansen, H. C. Mel, R. H. Muller, and J. S. Newman

Charles William Tobias, a beloved and internationally honored member of the chemical engineering department at Berkeley, died on March 6, 1996, at his home in Orinda...

Stanley G. Thompson- a Chemist's Chemist

February 14, 2022

The UCLA Gang, Chicago, July 1944. Left to right: Leonard Katzin, Zene Jasaitis, Nathalie and Harlan Baumbach, Glenn Seaborg, Stanley Thompson, Leonard Dreher, Fred Albaugh

In looking back at the discovery of transuranium elements the name Stanley G. Thompson stands out. When he died (July 16, 1976), chemistry lost an...

Wade Kornegay: Physicist Engineer

February 4, 2021

wade Kornegay, alumnus, 1966 portrait, MIT Lincoln Lab

Dr. Wade Kornegay, MIT Lincoln Lab, 1966. Photo courtesy of MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Wade Kornegay1 (b. 1934) B.S. 1956 (...

David Henry Templeton

March 19, 2020

David Henry Templeton Portrait

by Alan Templeton and Diana Templeton

David H. Templeton was born in Houston on March 2, 1920, the second of six children of David and Miriam Templeton...