From San Diego to Stockholm
Nobel Laureate Richard Schrock will deliver the inaugural Provosts Distinguished Lecture on April 6.
It’s a long way from San Diego to Stockholm.
For renowned Nobel Laureate Richard R. Schrock, science classes at a local high school and undergraduate research opportunities marked the path that led to a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Schrock will visit San Diego State University to deliver the inaugural Provost’s Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday, April 6, at 3 p.m. in Montezuma Hall of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union. The event is free and open to students, faculty and staff as well as the general public, but registration is requested.
The lecture, “From San Diego to Stockholm — My Path to Winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry,” will highlight his life experiences and underscore the importance of the basic research that Schrock was able to do as an undergraduate student. That research resulted in numerous international awards as well as new discoveries in chemistry that benefited both academia and industry.
About Schrock's research
Schrock, a faculty researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shared the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Yves Chauvin and Robert H. Grubbs, for the development of the "metathesis method." The three pioneered a new way to make plastics, medicines and other products with a “green” approach that reduces the production of potentially hazardous waste.
"I am delighted that Richard Schrock will be delivering the first Provost’s Distinguished Lecture,” said Provost and Senior Vice President Chukuka Enwemeka. “His lecture detailing his life as a San Diegan and as an eminent scholar who rose from humble beginnings to become a Nobel Laureate should be quite inspiring to the audience.”
According to Enwemeka, the goal of the new lecture series is to promote academic enterprise at SDSU by providing opportunities for idea exchange and active learning, as well as allowing the campus community — including undergraduate and graduate students — to hear from some of the most prestigious scholars and speakers in their fields.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for our students from all disciplines to further enrich their educational experience and expand their learning outside of the classroom setting,” he said.
