Negishi Sculpture Unveiling

2014-04-19

Purdue University unveiled a sculpture of Nobel laureate and Chemistry professor Ei-ichi Negishi during a ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday April 18, 2014 on the south steps of the Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry.

The bronze bust was created by sculptor Rita Hadley and her husband, Rick, who also created The Block P sculpturein Academy Park, north of Stewart Center. The bust will join that of the late Herbert C. Brown, Negishi's mentor and Purdue's first Nobel Prize winner, in permanent display inside the Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry.

"My memories of working with Dr. Negishi on campus and celebrating with him when he received the Nobel Prize in Stockholm will be with me for the rest of my life," said Jeffrey Roberts, the Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science. "The work of art we are unveiling will be a powerful reminder to future generations of students, faculty and staff of Dr. Negishi’s everlasting impact on his university, on chemistry and on humanity."

"The chemistry department at Purdue has a long tradition of excellence in synthetic organic chemistry, most visibly recognized by the two Nobel Prizes that have been awarded to our faculty, first with H.C. Brown, and in 2010 with Ei-ichi Negishi," Zwier said. "This occasion of the unveiling of a bust of Dr. Negishi provides us with another opportunity to celebrate this amazing achievement, and more generally to celebrate this signature area of synthetic organic chemistry within our department."

Negishi currently serves as the inaugural director of Purdue's Negishi-Brown Institute, which supports basic research in catalytic organometallic chemistry through graduate and postdoctoral fellowships, regular workshops and symposia, and relationships with industrial partners.