Badger Chemist - Department of Chemistry - University of Wisconsin ...

Samuel H. Gellman, Evan P. Helfaer
and Ralph F. Hirschmann Professor of
Chemistry, “Foldamers: A New Way to
Control Molecular Shape and Function”
F. Fleming Crim, John H. Willard and
Hilldale Professor of Chemistry, “Using Lasers
to Control Chemical Reactions”
Helen E. Blackwell, Assistant Professor
of Chemistry, “Expanding the Language of
Bacterial Communication Using Synthetic
Ligands”
Shannon S. Stahl, Associate Professor
of Chemistry, “Use of Molecular Oxygen in
‘Green’ Catalytic Oxidation Reactions”
John C. Wright, Andreas C. Albrecht
Professor of Chemistry, “Light-Our Most
Precious Gift”
Larry R. Faulkner, President, Houston
Endowment, Inc. and President Emeritus,
University of Texas at Austin delivered the
keynote lecture, “Lessons from the Cavendish
Laboratory.”
On Friday evening, the Department of
Chemistry hosted an informal dinner at
Blackhawk Country Club in honor of Irv
and his family. In attendance were former
students, chemistry faculty, and colleagues,
including former chancellor Edwin Young
who drafted Irv to be his vice chancellor
and former Vice Chancellor Bernie Cohen,
who served with Irv in the University
administration. Also present were five of
the six faculty members who joined the
department as assistant professors during
Irv’s last year as chairman and subsequently
achieved tenure. Members of this “Class
of ‘70” are Shainfest organizer Professor
Bassam Shakhashiri, Dean Emeritus
Phil Certain, Professor Emeritus John
Schrag, and Professors Hans Reich and
Tom Record.
Also present were Gary Anderson, the
president of the national chemistry fraternity
Alpha Chi Sigma, who announced the
election of Irv Shain to the fraternity’s Hall
of Fame making him the first Alpha Chapter
initiate to be so honored, Mark Bugher,
current director of University Research Park
which was founded by Irv in 1984, and
Wayne McGown who was its first director.
Dean Certain led an after-dinner program
of many heartfelt testimonials to Irv’s vision
and accomplishments and to Millie Shain
for the support she gave to make it all possible.
With his usual grace, Irv concluded
the emotional and joyous evening.
Irv Shain may be best known to chemists
for a paper on electrochemistry he coauthored
with graduate student Richard
S. Nicholson, which was named by the
Journal of Analytical Chemistry as the fourth
most cited paper of the period 1945-1999.
The paper established the experimental
technique for electrochemical studies now
called “cyclic voltammetry”. During the
Shainfest Scientific Symposium, Chemistry
Professor Dennis H. Evans of the University
of Arizona (and former UW Chemistry
Department chair) discussed the importance
of the paper and subsequent developments
in his talk “Forty Years after ‘Nicholson
and Shain’”.
Irv’s influence extends far beyond chemistry.
As Chancellor, he began planning for
the UW-Madison Research Park, presided
over the UW Hospital’s move to the west
campus, established the School of Human
Ecology as an independent academic unit,
and started the School of Veterinary Medicine,
the Chancellor’s Scholars Program and
the Academic Computing Center, which
became the Division of Information Technology.
However, his greatest legacy, he says,
is the 27 students who earned their Ph.D.s
working with him.
Irv also was devoted to promoting the
arts. As a young man, Irv considered pursuing
a career in music, though he has no
regrets about choosing chemistry instead.
“Art and science are merely two aspects of
the entire range of human endeavor”, he
says, and during his tenure as Chancel-
badger chemist
lor he backed several Music Department
initiatives, including establishment of the
Beethoven Piano Sonata Competition. The
School of Music honored Irv with a public
concert May 5th in Music Hall. The program
included the Quartet for Flute and
Strings in D Major by Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart played by Stephanie Jutt and members
of the Pro Arte Quartet, the Sonata in
C# Minor by Ludwig Van Beethoven, played
by Catherine Kautsky, and Sonata for Piano
and Cello in G Minor by Frederic Chopin,
played by Parry Karp and Howard Karp.
AN EDITORIAL IN THE MADISON CAPITAL TIMES
SUMMERARIZED IRV’S CONTRIBUTIONS:
“His years as chancellor were sometimes
tense. There was turmoil in the athletic
department, and there were incidents when
students complained they were left out of
decision-making, but he handled the duties
with firmness and grace. A relatively quiet
man, Shain not only brought stability to
the chancellorship, but he reached out to
the Madison community to make it feel
like a partner.
He oversaw the building of a new
University Hospital and numerous other
advancements on campus. But his most impressive
achievement was the establishment
of the UW Research Park, which embodies
the true meaning of the Wisconsin Idea,
sharing the UW’s advancements with the
people of the state. It has become a model
of success.
We join the university community today
in praise of Irv Shain and all he has done
not only for Wisconsin, but for Madison
too. Thanks for a great job.”
The Chemistry Department web site
www.chem.wisc.edu features a salute to Irv
Shain including photographs taken at the
May 5-6 celebrations.
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