Ott Lectureship to feature renowned chemist

A professor of chemistry, physics and astronomy, who is recognized for his research in molecule probing, will be the featured speaker at the Arnold C. Ott Lectureship in Chemistry at Grand Valley State University.

Wilson Ho is currently the Donald Bren Professor of Physics and Astronomy at University of California, Irvine. Ho’s research has been guided by the development of new instrumentation and experimental procedures for probing molecules by adsorbing them on solid surfaces.

Public Lecture: “Visualization of Chemistry: Seeing is Believing”
Thursday, April 16 at 6 p.m.
Loosemoore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Student Seminar: “Bond, Chemical Bond”
Friday, April 17 at 1 p.m.
Kirkhof Center, Pere Marquette Room, Allendale Campus

A reception will precede Ho’s lecture at 5 p.m. in Hager Lubbers Exhibition Hall, room 105E, in DeVos Center. All Ott Lecture events are free and open to the public.

Ho received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, and his doctorate in physics from the University of Pennsylvania. He spent years as a member of the technical staff at the AT&T Bell Laboratories and was on the faculty at Cornell University prior to joining the University of California, Irvine in 2000.

Ho has published 270 papers and his work has been recognized by Fellowships in the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Bonner Chemistry Prize, Alexander von Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists, Medard Welch Award of the American Vacuum Society, and Irving Langmuir Prize of the American Physical Society.

The Arnold C. Ott Lectureship in Chemistry was created and endowed by a gift from Arnold C. and Marion Ott. Arnold Ott was a leading chemist and entrepreneur in West Michigan. He was also one of the co-founders of Grand Valley and served on the Board of Trustees for 28 years.

For more information, contact Grand Valley’s Chemistry Department at (616) 331-3317 or visit www.gvsu.edu/chem.