Recent News and Events
The 27th Annual Robert W. Murray Lecturer has been named. We are delighted to announce that Professor Melanie Sanford, Moses Gomberg Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry, Arthur F Thurnau Professor and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Michigan, will speak on Monday, October 12. Details will follow.
On July 1, 2026, Christopher D. Spilling will become Interim Chancellor, as Kristin Sololik retires as Chancellor after serving in the role for seven years. Chris joined UMSL in 1989. He served as Department Chair from 2004 - 2015 and is now Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic & Community Development.
The 37th ANNUAL DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI LECTURE will be presented by Richard (Rick) Hoyt BA 1976 who spent 40 years with Mallinckrodt, initially as a reseach and analytical chemist and retired as a senior executive. He will speak 0n Monday May 4, 2026 at in B-103 in the Science Complex at 4:00 pm. His topic is: "A Chemist's Life".
The Third Annual David L. Garin Science Policy Lecture was given on Feb. 23, 2026 at 4:00 pm in B-103 in the Science Complex by Dr. Max O'Connor, Science and Technology Policy Fellow - Energy, Climate, & Transportation Legislative Council Staff – Colorado State Capitol. Details may be found here.
On Monday November 3, 2025, the 26th Annual Robert W. Murray Lecture was presented by Professor Dennis Tokaryk, Professor and Chair, Department of Physics at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, CANADA.
In September 2025, Professor Michael R. Nichols was named Curators' Distinguished Professor, only the third such appointment in the department.
In June 2025, Professor James J. O’Brien received the campus′ top research honor, the Chancellor’s Award for Research and Creativity.
The 38th ANNUAL DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI LECTURE was presented by Gregg Lumetta BS 1982, PhD 1987, on May 5, 2025, in B-103 in the Science Complex at 4:00 pm. Gregg is a Laboratory Fellow in the Nuclear Chemistry and Engineering Group at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).
Sixty Years of Great Chemistry were celebrated on April 13, 2024, in an event organized by the Chemistry Alumni Council. Michael Finkes BS 1973, MS 1978, emceed the event in which each of the six decades between 1963 and 2023, in the department and in current affairs, were described. Professor Barton oversaw 1963-1972, Richard Hoyt BA 1976 did 1973-1982, Steve Kolodziej BS 1987, PhD 1992, did 1983-1992, Jean (Huhmann) Vincent BA 1992, PhD 1996, did 1993-2002, James (JB) Carroll BS 2008, PhD 2013 did 2003-2012, and Professor Dupureur oversaw 2013-2023. About 60 alumni, students and faculty were in attendance on the third-floor rotunda of the student Millennium Center. For further details visit UMSL Daily.
Event: A Celebration of the Life of Charles W. Armbruster was held on the 3rd floor Rotunda of UMSL Millennium Student Center at 3:00-5:00 pm on Sunday, 23 April 2023.
An Alumni Reception on May13, honoring the 50th Anniversary of the class of 1973, was held at 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. in the Science Learning Building - Solarium, UMSL North Campus. About 35 students, alumni and faculty attended the event.
The Successful events honoring the 50 th anniversary of the first graduating classes continues.
The first two UMSL graduating classes were 1966-67 and 1967-68. The campus and there department celebrated these two landmarks and some details are given in the sections "About Us"/Photos/Photos of Alumni Events. This continues and the class of 1969 was honored over the weekend of May 18 - 19, 2019. Of the approximately 40 1969 graduates in attendance, five chemistry graduates attended all or part of the celebrations. They included Joe Bono, Mario Deprimo, Tim Miller, Doug Nuelle and Les Tucker. The weekend began with a check-in and mingle followed by a campus bus-tour. Then the group heard a presentation by Chancellor Emerita Touhill titled UMSL: The Early Years. The evening Golden Alumni Reception for alumni from 1967, 1968 and 1969 was held in the Millennium Center from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. All five 1969 chemistry alums were there along with Mike Finkes, BS 1973, MS 1978, Ray Novak, BS 1968, and Harold Messler BS 1970.
On the Saturday morning, following breakfast the 1969 graduates were robed and participated in the Commencement Ceremony. Following the latter, the 1969 graduates participated in the Golden Grad Luncheon, in the Touhill Performing Arts Center, Lee Theater, and the 2019 chemistry and biochemistry graduates and their families enjoyed a more informal luncheon with some faculty and alums in the Whittaker Room also in the Touhill. About 85 attended this luncheon. This latter, organized by the Chemistry Alumni Council and the Alumni Association was followed by a reception in the Solarium of the Science complex where both 1969 and 2019 chemistry graduates were honored. Find photos where one can see department photos from all the Chemistry Alumni Council events.
