From the Chair
O
Jeffrey Johnson
A. Ronald Gallant Distinguished Professor; Department Chair
On Mother’s Day I had the privilege of giving the com-
mencement address to an exceptional cohort of newly
minted degree recipients at the Department of Chem-
istry’s commencement exercises. The very loose title
of the talk was “And One.” If there happen to be any
basketball fans (!) and/or former denizens of Wollen
Gymnasium among the readership, you will immedi-
ately recognize the phrase to describe the event when
a shooter is fouled, makes the shot, and is awarded a
free throw, the latter being the ‘and one.’ Fundamental-
ly, the ‘and one’ is a reward for being tough.
The ‘And One’ of May’s commencement talk began,
but did not end with where we found ourselves in the
department’s history. Many of you are aware that the
UNC Department of Chemistry was founded in 1818
and last year the department celebrated its bicenten-
nial. In April 2018 we welcomed over 300 alumni and
friends back to Chapel Hill to share the history and sto-
ries and successes of Carolina Chemistry. Much of what I wrote about last year focused on the rich history
of the department.
So what is the connection to the notion of ‘And One’? Celebrations and milestones are important, critically
so. They can represent culminations and achievements and longevity, strength and accomplishment. But
milestones are very seldom the end of the journey, but rather a pause – we are metaphorically pulling off the
highway to view a spectacular yet ephemeral sunset. The department celebrating its bicentennial allowed us
to pause and reflect on our staying power, our advances, our amazing people…but the march to year 201 was
ineluctable, inevitable, and necessary. The department’s history moves on; the past is critically important,
but we live in the present and have to embrace the opportunity and uncertainty in shaping our future. Two
hundred ‘and one’, or n+1, is always coming.
The entropy of a system is increasing. For our graduating seniors considering their ‘system,’ their disor-
der was about to take a step function up. Life very seldom looks more complex, or can even be conceived
of being more complex or disordered than the moment you currently inhabit. Your high school self could
scarcely conceive of how simple things were for your middle school self, while the college graduate chuck-
Continued on page 19
CHEM.UNC.EDU | CHEMISTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA |
3