First African-American chemistry Ph.D., former faculty member honored with landmark
February 07, 2019
Contact:
Joan Coyle, American Chemical Society
Michael Tullier, APR, 快活视频 Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
St. Elmo Brady, a former 快活视频 faculty member and the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry, was honored by the American Chemical Society (ACS) on Feb. 5 with a National Historic Chemical Landmark. The designation, which coincides with Black History Month, was celebrated at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which awarded Brady his doctorate in 1916.
鈥淏rady鈥檚 most enduring legacy involves his efforts to enhance and create undergraduate curricula, graduate programs and fundraising efforts at four historically black colleges and universities: Fisk University, 快活视频, Howard University and Tougaloo College,鈥� said Jonathan Sweedler, Ph.D., director of the UIUC鈥檚 School of Chemical Sciences. Each of those campuses will host a celebration of Brady鈥檚 achievements and mount a plaque in his honor.
鈥淭his landmark designation recognizes the outstanding accomplishments and leadership impact that Dr. Brady has had on the chemical profession,鈥� says ACS Immediate Past President Peter K. Dorhout, Ph.D., UIUC alumnus who presented the university with a bronze plaque about Brady at the designation ceremony.
Brady was born in 1884 in Louisville, Kentucky. After earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree at Fisk in 1908, he taught for four years at Tuskegee and then earned his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. He returned to Tuskegee to teach for four more years, then continued his career at Howard and Fisk 鈥� where he served as chair of the chemistry departments 鈥� and at Tougaloo. Brady died in 1966. Additional information about Brady鈥檚 life and achievements can be found at .
ACS established the National Historic Chemical Landmarks program in 1992 to recognize seminal events in the history of chemistry and to increase awareness of the contributions of chemistry to society. Past landmarks include the discovery and production of penicillin, the invention of synthetic plastics, and the works of such notable scientific figures as educator George Washington Carver and environmentalist Rachel Carson. For more information, visit .
The , the world鈥檚 largest scientific society, is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.
ACS offers a variety of resources for Black History Month. They include:
An about Brady, George Washington Carver and three other African-Americans who have made notable advances in the chemical sciences in the past 170 years
A of 11 African-Americans who overcame great odds to pioneer some of the most important scientific discoveries and developments in U.S. history
Videos about African-American chemists: (which highlights the work of George Washington Carver) and
Previously dedicated landmarks for African-American chemists , and .
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