The program will feature chemistry Nobel Laureate Herbert Brown, Wetherill Research Professor emeritus at Purdue University, and adviser to two of the first four Ph.D.s, which were granted by WSU in June 1948.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Brown won the Nobel in 1979 for his development of methods for synthesizing organic compounds based on boron. His methods now are widely used in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals. Ruth Davis McNair of West Bloomfield Township , the first student admitted to the Ph. D. program in 1945 and one of the first four to receive the degree, will be on hand for the event. The other three recipients were Arthur Ash, Paul Bartlett and Howard Pearsall, all of whom are deceased. Kathryn Ash, wife of Arthur Ash, will attend the luncheon.