Charles D. Hurd Lectures: Department of Chemistry

Charles D. Hurd Lectures

The Charles D. Hurd Lectures were established to educate Northwestern students and faculty about industrial research via direct interaction with distinguished scientists. It is fitting that the lectureship be named in honor of the late Charles D. Hurd, Clare Hamilton Hall Research Professor Emeritus. From his initial appointment to Northwestern in 1924, Professor Hurd maintained close ties with industry. He served as a consultant to various companies over a period of four decades, received twelve patents, and utilized grants from industry to help establish research in organic chemistry at Northwestern.

Professor Hurd authored roughly 300 scientific publications, including the seminal monograph “Pyrolysis of Carbon Compounds.” In addition, he was a founding editor of the Journal of Organic Chemistry, served as a consultant on all chemical terms in the unabridged Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, and contributed to various encyclopedias. His passion for correct nomenclature and the precise use of language was recognized by the 1971 Austin M. Patterson Award. Furthermore, the books, Organic Nomenclature: A Programmed Introduction by J. G. Traynham, Organic Chemistry by Smith and Cristol, and The Chemist’s English by R. Schoenfeld, were dedicated to Charles D. Hurd.

Past Hurd Lecturers

2020	Rebecca Ruck	Associate Vice President	Process R&D Enabling Technologies, Merck
2019	Jeffery Bricker	Senior Director of Research	UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company
2018	Joseph M. Desimone	CEO / Co-founder	Carbon, Inc
2016	James P. Sullivan	Vice President of Discovery	AbbVie
2015	Marvin Caruthers	Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry	University of Colorado
2014	Keith Carron	President	Snowy Range Instruments
2013	John Santini	President and CEO	RadioRx, Inc.
2012	David L. Stern	Refining and Supply	ExxonMobil
2011	William F. Banholzer	Chief Technology Officer	Dow Chemical Company
2010	Michael T. Flavin	Founder, Chairman and CEO	Advanced Life Sciences
2009	Jai Nagarkatti	President and CEO	Sigma-Aldrich Corporation
2008	Katie Hunt	Corporate Sustainability Director	Rohm and Haas Company
	Cathie Markham	VP, CTO, Electronic Materials
	Cheryl Martin	Corporate Vice President
2007	Stephanie Burns	Chief Executive Officer	Dow Corning Corporation
2007	Gregory Zank	Chief Technology Officer	Dow Corning Corporation
2006	Michael J. Natan	President	Oxonica, Inc.
2005	Miles P. Drake	Vice President and Chief Technology Officer	Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
2004	Steven J. Martin	Chief Scientist	Dow Chemical Company
2003	Andrew J. Ouderkirk	Corporate Scientist	3M Company
2002	David M. Pond	Vice President, Chemicals Technology	Eastman Chemical Company
2001	Paul S. Anderson	Senior Vice President, Chemical & Physical Sciences, Research & Development	DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company
2000	Cherry A. Murray	Director, Physical Research Laboratory	Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies
1999	Peter T. Kissinger	President, CEO, and Chairman, Bioanalytical Systems, Inc.	Professor of Chemistry, Purdue University
1998	James M. Meyer	Vice President, Central Research & Development	E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company
1997	George T. Kwiatkowski	Manager of Research and Development	Amoco Chemical Company
1996	Anthony B. Baylis	Vice President, Technology & Business Development	Hoechst Celanese Corp.
1995	Angelo Lamola	Director of Corporate Exploratory Research	Rohm & Haas
1994	David V. Milligan	Vice President, Pharmaceutical Products Research and Development	Abbott Laboratories
1993	Thomas Manuel	General Manager, Corporate Science and Technology Center	Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
1992	Donald R. Weyenberg	Senior Vice President and Chief Scientist	Dow Corning Corporation
1991	Robert M. Novak	Chief Scientist and Director of Central Research	Dow Chemical Company
1990	James A. Cusumano	Chairman	Catalytica, Incorporated
1988	Jack C. Chang	Director, Corporate Research Laboratories	Eastman Kodak Company
1987	Thomas J. Savereide	Executive Director, Corporate Research	3M Company
1986	George S. Hammond	Executive Director, Biosciences, Metals & Ceramics	Allied Corporation
1985	Ralph F. Hirschmann	Senior Vice President, Basic Research	Merck & Company, Incorporated
1984	Robert E. Naylor	Vice President, Corporate Director of Research	Rohm & Haas Company
1983	Donald J. Peterson	Director, Corporate Technology Division	The Procter and Gamble Company
1982	Robert K. Grasselli	Senior Scientist	The Standard Oil Company Research Center
1981	Keith McHenry	Vice President of Research and Development	Amoco Oil Company
1980	Alan Schriesheim	General Manager of Engineering Technology	Exxon Research and Engineering Company
1979	James F. Roth	Director of Process Sciences	Corporate Research Laboratories, Monsanto Co.
1978	Ulrich Merten	Vice President, Corporate Research and Chemicals	Gulf Research and Development Company
1977	Howard L. Gerhart	Director, National Coatings Center	Carnegie-Mellon Institute of Research
1976	Turner Alfrey, Jr.	Research Scientist, Central Research	Dow Chemical U.S.A.
1975	William P. Slichter	Executive Director of Research for the Materials Science and Engineering Division	Bell Laboratories
1974	Vladimir Haensel	Vice President, Science and Technology	Universal Oil Company
1973	William A. Franta	Director, Research & Development Division, Plastics Department	E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company
1972	Byron Riegel	Director of Research	G.D. Searle & Company
1971	Wesley T. Hanson	Director of Research	Eastman Kodak Company