On October 12, 2009, graduate students at Dartmouth College had the opportunity to sit down and have lunch with the internationally acclaimed Dr. Roald Hoffman, who is most notably known for receiving the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. During this intimate encounter, students were given the opportunity to learn about Hoffman's life, which includes his epic tale of surviving the Holocaust War. Upon completing his education at both Columbia and Harvard Universities, Hoffman has been a long-time standing faculty member of Cornell University, where he has been named as the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters Emeritus. Perhaps one of the most memorable highlights of the luncheon, the Nobel Prize winner was most flattered when Michael Miller, a Biochemistry MD/PhD graduate student, shared he was first introduced to Hoffman in grade school with an introductory television course titled "The World of Chemistry," which Hoffman co-produced on PBS in 1990. An accomplished poet and playwright, Hoffman is currently working on a new play entitled, "We Have Something That Belongs To You," which is expected to be released in the upcoming year. When asked what does he recommend for anyone who wants to follow in his footsteps, Hoffman suggests, "There is no secret formula...I guess everyone has a passion. It is our obligation to give recognition to [these] passions, and the rest will follow suit." Hoffman currently serves as a Montgomery Fellow here at Dartmouth.
Roald Hoffman (l) and Michael Miller (r) presented in the above picture.
