About the Martin and Mary Kilpatrick Lecture Series
IIT's annual Kilpatrick Lecture honors Martin and Mary Kilpatrick, who were outstanding researchers and educators. Martin served as chair of IIT's Department of Chemistry from 1947–1960, leading the department to national prominence in both undergraduate and graduate instruction and research. As a scientist, Martin made his mark in fundamental chemical research in areas of physical and inorganic chemistry, and material science. Mary was a chemistry faculty member from 1947–1964. The Kilpatricks devoted their lives to the critical and creative study of chemistry, particularly chemical kinetics, acid-based reactions, and electrolyte chemistry. Before coming to IIT in 1947, Martin was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and assisted Harold Urey in the Manhattan Project at Columbia University. Both Kilpatricks were Fulbright research scholars who studied in Denmark under the legendary J. N. Bronsted.
As chair at IIT, Martin guided the department during a period of vigorous growth and development in both teaching and research. Initially, the department occupied all of Wishnick Hall—one of the three new buildings by Mies van der Rohe that marked the beginning of today's modern Main Campus.
In recognition of the Kilpatricks's achievements at IIT, Martin's successor, Arthur E. Martell, and faculty colleagues instituted the now permanently endowed Kilpatrick Lecture Series.
Past Kilpatrick Speakers
1965 Ronald Percy Bell
1966 Lord Wynne-Jones
1967 Henry Eyring
1968 Martin Karplus
1969 John D. Roberts
1970 Manfred Eigen
1970 George B. Kistiakowsky
1971 John R. Platt
1972 George C. Pimentel
1973 Roald Hoffman
1974 Richard B. Bernstein
1975 Henry Taube
1976 William N. Lipscomb
1977 Melvin Calvin
1978 Symposium: Fast Time Spectroscopy and Chemistry
1981 Symposium: Carbenes, Carbenoids, Cyclopropanes in Organic Synthesis
1982 Symposium: Chemistry at Metal Surfaces
1984 Jack Halpern
1985 David L. Beveridge
1986 Symposium: Polymers (in memory of Paul Flory)
1989 Jaqueline K. Barton
1991 Mark S. Wrighton
1992 Symposium: Conducting Polymers
1993 Mary Anne Fox
1995 Symposium: Synchroton Radiation in Chemistry
1996 Symposium: Host-Guest Interactions and Supramolecular Structures
1997 K. C. Nicolaou
1999 Wolfgang Gopel
2000 Symposium: Computational Chemistry with John Pople
2001 Symposium: Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
2003 Barry M. Trost
2004 Symposium: Enzyme Dynamics
2008 Fraser Stoddart
2009 Susan V. Olesik
2010 Symposium: Advancements in Polymer Science and Technology
2011 George Whitesides