Distinguished Research Professor Ken Houk was the featured guest for Pomona College’s 62nd Robbins Lecture Series, “Computational Organic and Biological Chemistry,” where he delivered four talks from February 24-27.
“I had a wonderful visit meeting everyone—from about 80 high school students who attended my first lecture and asked thoughtful questions about both my science and my career, to faculty from Pomona College, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont McKenna College, and the Department of Natural Sciences, where my former Ph.D. student Joel Mackey from UCLA is now a lecturer,” Houk said. “I gave four lectures on the evolution of computational chemistry throughout my career and on the work my research group has done in the field.”
Houk delivered the following lectures at Seaver North Auditorium in Claremont, California:
Tuesday, February 24 – “Computational Chemistry – How it Developed and What it Can Do”
Wednesday, February 25 – “Exploring Organic Reactions with Computational Chemistry”
Thursday, February 26 – “Pericyclic Reactions – Theory, Mechanisms and Synthetic Applications”
Friday, February 27 – “Pericyclases – Enzymes That Catalyze Pericyclic Reactions”
“My host was Professor Dan O’Leary, a UCLA Ph.D. alumnus who studied with Frank Anet and was a graduate student here during my early years at UCLA. It was fun to see how many UCLA connections exist across the campuses—Dan even has a photo and bio of Steve Clarke, a Pomona graduate, on his bulletin board. Neil Garg’s oldest daughter is now a freshman at Harvey Mudd, and Mike Lawson is also a Pomona graduate. There are clearly many connections among our institutions.”
At a morning fireside chat with Harvey Mudd students, Houk was introduced by Professor Maduka Ogba, a member of the Harvey Mudd faculty. Maduka is Houk’s “chemistry grandson” — he earned his Ph.D. with Houk’s Ph.D. alum Professor Paul Cheong (Oregon State University) — and he also taught organic chemistry to Professor Neil Garg’s daughter.
A leading theoretical and computational chemist, Houk’s research uses computational methods and quantum chemical calculations to understand and predict how organic and biological reactions occur. His work has helped explain reaction mechanisms, enzyme catalysis, and the design of new molecules and catalysts. Over the course of his career, Houk has authored hundreds of scientific publications and has been widely recognized for advancing the field of computational chemistry.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
