Bradley Professor Named Chemist of the Year

By Trish Blattenberger

Dr. Kurt Field of the Mund-Lagowski Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was recently named the 2015 Chemist of the Year by the Illinois Heartland section of the American Chemical Society (ACS).  According to its website, “With more than 158,000 members, the ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and one of the world’s leading sources of authoritative scientific information.” Their mission is to “advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people.” 

The ACS is divided into different sections throughout the nation based on geography. Bradley University participates in the Illinois Heartland section of the ACS, along with Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Eureka College, Knox College, Illinois Central College and other numerous community colleges. Every year, nominations based on candidates’ scholarly research and service to their institutions and communities are sought by each ACS section.  The winner is chosen by a selection committee comprised of past section chairpersons.  When asked about how he felt about the nomination, Field responded, "Several months ago I received from the Illinois Heartland Section of the American Chemical Society, a request, as all members did, to nominate an individual for this award.  Although, I did not nominate anyone, I put together a mental list that included many deserving chemists employed at the seven colleges, the community colleges, research laboratories, and industries within the Section.  My name was not on that list!  I was truly humbled to learn that I had been selected to receive the award."

Dr. Field received his doctorate in organic chemistry from Case Western Reserve University and has been at Bradley since 1976.  In his 40 years at Bradley, Field has taught a variety of classes.  In recognition of his achievements in both the classroom and the research lab, he was awarded the prestigious Charles M. Putnam Award for Excellence in Teaching in October, 2007.  His teaching style has been described as a mix of, “humor and personal anecdotes to explain difficult chemistry concepts while also bringing together the relationships between chemistry and other disciplines.” 

As mentor and advisor to over 100 undergraduate research students and 6 graduate research students (MS), Dr. Field has included them in every aspect of his scholarly research.  According to a former student, “Dr. Field’s expertise in literature searching gave me an appreciation for the chemical literature and taught me important literature searching skills that I still use in my own research.”  The student goes on to say that it was only upon entering graduate school, that he realized that students from other institutions were ill-equipped with this critically important skill. 

Dr. Field has authored 24 scholarly publications and presented 72 posters or talks at local, regional, and national chemistry professional meetings.  He has published in prestigious journals such as Journal of the American Chemical Society and Journal of Organic Chemistry.  He has also received funding for numerous research and instructional improvement grants.  Since his time as department chair, the department instrument holdings have tripled in size and the level of extramural funding has increased from $78,000 in his first year as chair to nearly $780,000 last year.

Service to the Mund-Lagowski Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and to Bradley University are a testament to Field’s leadership.  He has served as department chair for 18 consecutive years, during which time, he has fostered both curricular initiatives and development activities. Field has also served as University Senate president, Interim Dean of the Graduate School, has been a member of the Presidential Search committee and has been the President of the Bradley’s American Association of University Professors (AAUP). 

Dr. Field’s commitment to chemistry education and service extends to the community as well.  In 1978, Dr. Field instituted the Annual Chemistry contest for high school students in the central Illinois area. The contest has been held annually since its inception and is co-sponsored by the ACS Heartland Section. He has held numerous positions in the local ACS section including Hospitality, Education, Treasurer, and Chair, and currently serves as Alternate Councilor.

How did Field find out that he was the winner?  "When I received the mailing from the Illinois Heartland Section, I opened the letter and saw that it dealt with the award.  My immediate thought was that I was pleased that the Section had carbon copied me with the name of the winner.  It was several hours later that I actually read the letter and realized that I was the award recipient!"