Page 16 - UMN Chemnews December 2020

alumni Honors
Chemistry establishes Jeannette Brown Lectureship
An endowment has been established to support this signature lectureship with a goal of raising $100,000. Thanks to $25,000 in matching pledge support from Department Head David Blank and his wife Colene and another $25,000 in matching pledge support from an anonymous donor, every dollar do- nated will be matched with equal dollars until the $100,000 goal is reached. The initial kick- off event will be in partnership with Merck where Jeannette spent the majority of her career as a pharmaceutical chemist. The plan is for a full day of talks and events capped off by the Jeannette Brown Lecture.
Alumna Angela Wilson receives Outstanding Achievement
ALUMNA ANGELA K. WILSON has received an Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) from the University of Minnesota. The OAA honors alum-
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY has es- tablished the Jeannette Brown Lectureship, honoring the career of Alumna Jeannette Brown. This lectureship will bring experts in all fields of chemistry from around the world, with emphasis on highlighting the work and careers of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC) in the chemical sciences. The lectureship reflects and celebrates the pioneer- ing work of Jeannette Brown as a talented chemist in the pharmaceutical industry for 25 years, author, historian, and tireless leader and advocate for the inclusion and advancement of African American women in chemistry-related professional pursuits and careers.
Brown was the first African American to receive a degree from the Department of Chemistry’s graduate program, earning her master’s degree in 1958. She received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Hunter College. She is a former faculty associate in the department of Pre-College Programs at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She started her industrial career as a junior chem- ist at CIBA Pharmaceutical, working there
for 11 years, and was a research chemist at Merck for 25 years. She is a Société de Chimie Industrielle (American Section) Fellow of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (2004), and
is a member of the first class of American Chemical Society Fellows (2009). For her distinguished service to professionalism, Brown received the Henry Hill Award from the American Chemical Society Division of Professional Relations in 2020.
Brown is the author of two books. Her
first book, African American Women Chemists, features outstanding chemists from the earliest pioneers to the late 1960s—a time when an explosion of career opportunities opened up to African Americans due to the passage of the Civil Rights Acts. Each mini-bi- ography is a thorough account of the chemist’s passion for the field, what inspired her, and what she has accomplished in her career. Brown rounded out this study with a narrative of her own life story and achievements, and a look at what’s in store for the future of African
16 Chemnews December 2020
American women chemists. Her second
book, African American Women Chemists
in the Modern Era, focuses on contemporary women who have benefited from the Civil Rights Act and are working as chemists or chemical engineers. This book tells the stories, taken by oral history, of 18 women who are leaders in their fields and how they succeeded.
Brown is an advocate for science education, and is passionate about serving as a mentor to and role model for underrepresented students. She has participated in countless scientif-
ic outreach programs and career days for students at all educational levels—elementary through college. For her work as a mentor to minority students and science education ad- vocacy, she was elected to the Hunter College Hall of Fame in 1991; was honored by the University of Minnesota with an Outstanding Achievement Award in 2005; and received the American Chemical Society national award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students
into Careers in the Chemical Sciences in 2005. She also was featured in the College of Science & Engineering’s spring 2017 edition of Inventing Tomorrow, an edition focused on women scientists including alumnae like Brown who have inspired future generations of women in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Award
To make a donation, visit the Department of Chemistry website at cse.umn.edu/chem.
Alumna Jeannette Brown is a talented chemist, author, historian, and tireless leader, mentor, and advocate for underrepresented students in the sciences, particularly African American women. Credit: Olivia Holmes
Angela K. Wilson
ni for their unusual distinction in their chosen professions or in public service, and who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership at a community, state, national, or international level.
Wilson earned her doctorate in chemical physics from the University of Minnesota in 1995, under the tutelage of the late Professor Jan Almløf. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Washington University.
She is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Michigan