A Celebration of the Life & Scientific Contributions of Harden McConnell

A Celebration of the Life & Scientific Contributions of Harden McConnell
Date
Sat April 18th 2015, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location
Braun Lecture Hall,
Seeley G. Mudd Building
Stanford University

The discoveries and pioneering advances made by Harden McConnell, Distinguished Professor in Chemistry, have had a significant impact on chemistry and biophysics. Please join us on Saturday, April 18, 2015, for the McConnell Symposium at Stanford University.

To register for the upcoming symposium and for additional details about the program agenda, kindly click on the following link.

UPDATE (2015-AUG-05) A video of the 2015 McConnell Symposium is now available online on the Stanford Chemistry YouTube Channel. Please click on the following link to view the video.

Former McConnell Students and Postdocs wished to give a personal gift of remembrance to the McConnell Family.  What transpired was a beautiful set of park benches created by Dr. Karen Mason-Kiemle, McConnell Graduate Student (1989-1995).  

Harden Marsden McConnell, the Robert Eckles Swain Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, died at his home on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 after a long illness, he was 87.  McConnell received his bachelor’s degree in 1947 from George Washington University and his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1951.  After a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago, he moved to Shell Development Company in Emeryville where he initiated fundamental studies of NMR spectra and spectral line shapes.  Following this, he moved to Caltech in 1956 where he flourished prior to his move to Stanford in 1964.

McConnell was one of the leading physical and biophysical chemists of the last half-century, contributing pioneering approaches and incisive results in diverse areas ranging from fundamental studies of the electronic structure and dynamics of molecules, largely using magnetic resonance methods, to membrane biophysics and immunology.  He was an individual of towering intellect and rigor, training many successful scientists and greatly influencing a generation of physical scientists who were interested in biological problems.

McConnell was widely recognized for his achievements with awards at the highest level including the Wolf Prize (1984), the National Medal of Science (1989), and the Welch Award in Chemistry (2002), among many others.  During the last year, he assembled a remarkable personal history that summarizes key turning points in his scientific career; this can be found at: www.hardenmcconnell.org.

Harden McConnell is survived by his widow Sophia, sons Trevor and Hunter, daughter Jane, daughter-in-law, Oksana, and one granddaughter.

Program Agenda

Saturday, April 18, 2015 | 8:30AM - 5:00PM

  • 8:30 Coffee, tea, light breakfast available
  • 9:00 Opening comments - Steven Boxer (Stanford), Keith Hodgson (Stanford, Chair, Department of Chemistry)
  • 9:15 The Early Days at CalTech - Alvin Kwiram (U of Washington) and Hayes Griffith (U of Oregon)
  • 9:45 Brian Hoffman (Northwestern)
  • 10:15 Mid-Morning Break
  • 10:30 Roger Kornberg (Stanford)
  • 11:00 Wayne Hubbell (UCLA)
  • 11:30 Lunch - Mudd Patio
  • 1:30 Mark Davis (Stanford)
  • 2:00 Gill Humphries
  • 2:30 Mid-Afternoon Break
  • 3:00 Sarah Keller (University of Washington)
  • 3:30 Arun Radhakrishnan (UT Southwestern)
  • 4:00 Closing Comments & Reception