Photos from the 2018 Christopher S Foote Lecture events are now available for viewing.
On Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, Professor Eric Block from the Department of Chemistry and the University of Albany, SUNY, gave the afternoon Foote lecture titled “Fifty Years of Smelling Sulfur: From the Chemistry of Garlic to the Molecular Basis for Olfaction”. The photo gallery of the Foote Lecture events can be viewed here.
Following the lecture, Prof. Christopher Foote’s family joined faculty, alumni, friends, and the Foote Fellows in Organic Chemistry (a graduate student fellowship endowed by the Foote family), for a dinner celebration at the UCLA Faculty Center. At the lecture, Dean Miguel Garcia-Garibay talked about Christopher Foote and the great things he did in science and as a teacher and leader at UCLA. At the dinner, Foote’s wife, Professor Judith Smith, Founding Dean of UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, spoke about her husband and about her family members in attendance. The current Foote Fellows at UCLA introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their research and goals.
The Foote lectures honors UCLA Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Christopher Spencer Foote who passed away in 2005. An organic chemist, Foote discovered the role of singlet oxygen in photooxidations, and spent much of his career elaborating the chemistry of this simple but highly reactive molecule. His work on DNA damage and on the photophysical properties of the fullerenes were among other influential discoveries from his laboratories.
Miguel García-Garibay (left), Dean of the Division of Physical Sciences in the UCLA College and professor of chemistry and biochemistry spoke about the life and career of Christopher S. Foote. Professor Ken Houk (right) presented a plaque to Foote Lecturer Professor Eric Block (University of Albany, SUNY).
(From left) Dean Miguel Garcia-Garibay, Alice Jung, Dean Judith Smith, Professor Michael Jung. Alumni supporter Dr. Gordon Goldman and Professor Carlos Gutiérrez (California State University, Los Angeles).
Shelli Vanderzee (Prof. Block’s wife), Prof. Block, Professor Paul Weiss. Dominic Larubina (Prof. Sletten’s husband), Professor Ellen Sletten, and Professor Anne Andrews.
(From left) Florence Foote, Dean Judith Smith, Spencer Foote and Tom Foote (Chris Foote’s son). Judi Smith speaks about Foote and her grandson Spencer.
Foote Fellows – Back row: Jacob Dander, Elias Picazo, Benjamin Wigman, Brian Levandowski, Francesca Ippoliti, Jason Chari, Dean Judith Smith, Michael Yamano, Alex Bagdasarian, Margeaux Miller, Emily (Maly) Cosco. Front row: Emma Pelegri-O’Day, Marco Messina, Emma Baker-Tripp, Lucas Morrill, Adam Simon.
About the Christopher S. Foote Fellowship in Organic Chemistry – The Christopher S. Foote Fellowship in Organic Chemistry is awarded to outstanding applicants to the UCLA graduate program in organic chemistry (Junior Fellowship) or recognizes accomplishments in graduate studies and research in organic chemistry as well as performance on the qualifying examination for the Ph.D. degree (Senior Fellowship).
In 2005, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, UCLA organic professor Dr. Christopher S. Foote and Professor Judith Smith endowed the Foote Fellowships. Sadly, Foote passed away soon after the fellowship was established. His 43-year academic career at UCLA established Foote as one of the world leaders in the field of physical organic chemistry, and as a brilliant teacher and academic leader at UCLA.
Photos by Penny Jennings/UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
