Inaugural Olsen Chemistry Lecture Features Antibiotic Expert

Utah State University’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department welcomes renowned organic chemist Dale L. Boger to campus Wednesday, Oct. 18, as the inaugural speaker of the Richard Olsen Lecture Series. Boger presents “Vancomycin: Synthetic and Mechanistic Studies” at 4 p.m. in the Eccles Science Learning Center, basement classroom 046. His talk is free and open to all.

Boger is the Richard and Alice Cramer Professor of Chemistry in the department of chemistry and the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif.

 

“It’s a distinct honor to have Dr. Boger join us to discuss his research on the antibiotic Vancomycin,” says Bradley Davidson, associate professor in USU’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. “Dr. Boger is internationally recognized for his work and has made seminal contributions to understanding the DNA-agent interactions of antibiotics.”

 

Vancomycin is considered an antibiotic of last resort for a number of Gram-positive bacterial infections, including life-threatening staphylococcal infections.

 

Boger’s many awards and honors include the 1999 Aldrich ACS Award for Creativity in Organic Synthesis, the 2002 Paul Janssen Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis and the 2003 Royal Society of Chemistry Adrien Albert Medal. In 2006, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

 

Boger’s appearance is the inaugural lecture of the Richard Olsen Lecture Series, which was established by USU Emeritus Professor Richard Olsen and his wife, LaVina Hymas Olsen. The lectureship was established in honor of Olsen’s parents, Kenneth Beal Olsen and Sarah Young Olsen, who, Olsen says, “made many things possible.”

 

Olsen says the lectureship was also established in appreciation to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and to Utah State for providing him with the opportunity to pursue his professional goals of teaching and research in the field of organic chemistry.

 

During Olsen’s distinguished career at Utah State, which spanned more than three decades, he received research grants from a number of prestigious agencies, including the National Institutes of Health. Olsen authored nearly 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals and mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students.

 

Parking for the lecture is available in the new USU parking terrace at 700 E. 600 North. The parking terrace is within short walking distance of the Eccles Science Learning Center. 

 

For more information about the lecture, contact the USU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at 435-797-1619.

 

 

Contact: Bradley Davidson, 435-797-1628; davidson@cc.usu.edu