School of Molecular Sciences explained

The School of Molecular Sciences is an academic unit of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU). The School of Molecular Sciences (SMS) is responsible for the study and teaching of the academic disciplines of chemistry and biochemistry at ASU.

History

Chemistry instruction at ASU can be traced back to the early 1890s. At that time, the educational institution, a Normal School for the Territory of Arizona, “acquired...a supply of chemicals” for instructional purposes.[1] Chemistry classes were held in Old Main during the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, taught by Frederick M. Irish.[2]

In 1927, President Arthur John Matthews hired George Bateman, the first faculty to hold a PhD who was not also a principal or president of the school.[3] Bateman taught chemistry classes, among other things, for forty years. He oversaw the development of the physical sciences at ASU, including new science facilities and degrees.[1]

In 1946, new majors leading to degrees were added, including Physical and Biological Science. In 1947 the State of AZ designated $525,000 for a new science building.[1]

In 1953 the first college, the College of Arts and Sciences was established with 14 departments.[1] In 1954 Arizona State College was restructured into 4 colleges, which went into effect in the 1955–56 academic year: the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Education, the College of Applied Arts and Sciences, and the College of Business and Public Administration.

In 1957, the Department of Chemistry first appeared in the Arizona State College Bulletin[4] (Vol. LXXII No. 2, April 1957), listed under the Division of Physical Sciences. Early chemists, such as LeRoy Eyring helped build ASU's strong science reputation; Roland K. Robins conducted cancer research as early as 1957.[2]

In 1958, Arizona State College was renamed Arizona State University. Chemistry was the first department to be approved to offer a doctoral degree.

In 1960, George Boyd, the university's first coordinator of research, helped secure a portion of Harvey H. Nininger’s meteorites for ASU, making it the largest university-based meteorite collection in the world.[2] [5]

In 1961, Geochemist Carleton B. Moore became the first director of the Center for Meteorite Studies,[6] [7] which at the time was housed in the Department of Chemistry.[7]

In 1963, Peter R. Buseck, who pioneered high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) research on meteorites and terrestrial minerals.[8]

In 1963, ASU awarded its first doctoral degrees to four students, one of whom, Jesse W. Jones, was the first Chemistry PhD of ASU and the first African American to earn a PhD at ASU.[9] Jones went on to teach chemistry at Baylor University for over 30 years.[10]

In 1965 Robert Pettit was hired and began developing marine-organism research that led to the creation of anti-cancer drugs and, in 1973, what became the Cancer Research Institute.[2] Pettit taught at ASU until his retirement in 2021.[11]

In 1967, George Bateman, after enjoying a productive forty-year career at ASU, retired. The Bateman Physical Sciences Complex was named to honor his many contributions and years of service in 1977.[1]

In 1992 the Department of Chemistry was renamed the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

In 2015 the department became the School of Molecular Sciences to recognize the fact that modern chemical science has impact well beyond the traditional disciplinary boundaries of chemistry and biochemistry. Rather than being discipline-based, the school's mission is to tackle important societal problems in medicine, technology, energy and the environment from an atomic and molecular perspective.

Chairs and Directors

Location

The administrative offices of the School of Molecular Sciences are located within the Bateman Science Complex on ASU's Tempe campus. Faculty labs are located in the Bateman Complex, in the Biodesign Institute, and the ISTB1 and ISTB5 buildings.

Research

Research in the School of Molecular Sciences is organized around six themes:

Scientific Firsts

Notable Current and Former Faculty Members

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hopkins, Ernest Jerome. The Arizona State University story. 1960. Southwest Pub. Co. 2015138.
  2. Book: R., DeLuse, Dr. Stephanie. Arizona State University. 2012. Arcadia Publishing Inc. 978-1-4396-4990-9. 1108523516.
  3. Web site: George M. Bateman Memorial Scholarship.
  4. Arizona State College Bulletin, Vol. LXXII, No. 2, April 1957
  5. Web site: George Boyd, University Portrait. 2021-12-14. azmemory.azlibrary.gov. en.
  6. Web site: Dr. Carleton Moore Meteorite Times Magazine. 2021-12-14. www.meteorite-times.com.
  7. Web site: Klemaszewski. James. 2021-10-06. Celebrating ASU history: Carleton Moore, meteorites and moon rocks. 2021-12-14. ASU News. en.
  8. Web site: Klemaszewski. James. 2020-04-28. Pioneering ASU Regents Professor reflects on legacy after 57 years at university. 2021-12-14. ASU News. en.
  9. Web site: African American Contributions to Tempe History. www.tempe.gov.
  10. Web site: Professor of Chemistry: Dr. Jesse W. Jones D.Sc.. 2022-01-03. issuu.
  11. Web site: Klemaszewski. James. 28 September 2020. Distinguished ASU cancer researcher George R. Pettit retires after 55 years of service. ASU News.
  12. Kvenvolden. Keith. Lawless. James. Pering. Katherine. Peterson. Etta. Flores. Jose. Ponnamperuma. Cyril. Kaplan. I. R.. Moore. Carleton. 1970. Evidence for Extraterrestrial Amino-acids and Hydrocarbons in the Murchison Meteorite. Nature. en. 228. 5275. 923–926. 10.1038/228923a0. 5482102. 1970Natur.228..923K. 4147981. 1476-4687.
  13. Web site: Klemaszewski. James. 2021-10-21. ASU Regents Professor receives prestigious award for excellence in aerosol research, technology. 2022-01-03. ASU News. en.
  14. Web site: Home page School of Molecular Sciences. 2022-01-03. sms.asu.edu.
  15. Web site: 2012 AAEAHP Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. Jesse W. Jones.
  16. Web site: 2021-05-19. ASU alumnus Spencer Silver lived life as an inventor. 2022-01-03. ASU News. en.
  17. Web site: Spencer F. Silver. 2022-01-03. www.msthalloffame.org.
  18. Web site: Congressman Ed Pastor. 2022-01-03. publicservice.asu.edu. en.
  19. Web site: Cheryl L. Shavers. 2022-01-03. www.nndb.com.
  20. Web site: Post, Jeffrey. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
  21. Web site: Caltech Names Laurie Leshin Director of JPL. 2022-02-01. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). en-US.
  22. Web site: 2022-01-28. From ASU to the stars. 2022-02-01. ASU News. en.