From the Chair
Continued from page 3
les conspiratorially at its 18-year-old predecessor, won-
dering how he or she had it quite so easy. The assistant
professor dreams of inventing the 25th and 26th hour of
the day, while the department chair looks longingly at his
or her 30-year-old version who only had to worry about
teaching and research and service. To our graduates, I
conveyed that even with my limited wisdom I could con-
fidently share that there are two ways one can meet the
inevitable march of rising entropy. The first is to struggle,
fret, and worry over the demands, the deadlines, all the
“adult” stuff; however, it’s called a law of thermodynam-
ics for a reason. So I recommended a second course of
action, which is to embrace the disorder and look at it
as the challenge and opportunity that it is. The world one
enters as a B.S. or B.A. or Ph.D. graduate is undeniably
entropic, messy and complex, but I would contend that
it is those very characteristics that are nearly custom
built to allow us to assert our vision and make an impact.
However, it means accepting that life gets more complex
as we go, and that is probably a good thing.
The march in “year 201” continues unabated. We wel-
comed three new faculty colleagues to our ranks in July,
with the arrival of Professors Zhiyue Lu, Alex Zhukovits-
kiy, and Anna Curtis. The department has commenced a
new student wellness initiative, SWELL, and its launch
coincides with the complete upgrade and renovation of
the graduate student lounge. Professors Jillian Dempsey
and Jeffrey Dick launched a Cyclic Voltammetry Boot
Camp. Professor Frank Leibfarth was recognized as a
Beckman Young Investigator and as one of Chemical and
Engineering News’s ‘Talented 12,’ while Professor Leslie
Hicks rang the awards bell multiple times, having been
selected by Iota Sigma PI, the National Honorary Soci-
ety for Women in Chemistry, to receive the 2019 Agnes
Fay Morgan Research Award, by the ACS Women Chem-
ists Committee as a 2020 Rising Star Awardee, and by
Marshall University for the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Emeritus Professor Tom Baer was celebrated by former
co-workers with a symposium on the occasion of his
80th birthday, while alumni of Professor Jim Jorgenson’s
group returned to Chapel Hill in May to fête Jim on the
occasion of his retirement from the university, recogniz-
ing a remarkable career filled with scientific excellence.
These are but small vignettes in the vibrant 201st year of
the department. I invite you to explore the pages of this
missive to learn more about what is happening here at
UNC Chemistry.
Finally, I would like to share that my term as the depart-
ment chairperson ends on June 30, 2020. It has been an
honor to lead such an impressive group of people. There
will be a local decrease in entropy associated with this
particular member of the faculty, but I feel confident that
global disorder will continue to obey all the relevant ther-
modynamic laws, and that the department will continue
to embrace the opportunities that circumstance pres-
ents.
As always, we welcome visitors to the department and
I extend an open invitation if you find yourself in Chapel
Hill. Of course, I am wishing all of our Carolina Chemistry
community a very prosperous and happy 2020.
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