Meeting a Nobel Prize Laureate is a dream for many; some LHS students and staff had this very opportunity on Monday, Nov. 18. The 2021 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry, Dr. David MacMillan, was able to visit LHS.
MacMillan won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2021 for his advancements in the organic chemistry field. Additionally, he has received several other honors for his research, including the Birthday Honors in 2022, the Centenary Prize in 2019, the Gabor A. Somorjai Award in 2018, and many more that commemorate his work. Specifically, MacMillan is praised for pioneering advancements in asymmetric organocatalysis, a field of chemistry which uses small organic molecules as catalysts to drive chemical reactions in a way that is safer, more efficient, and more sustainable than traditional methods. He has also founded the May and Billy MacMillan Foundation that works to fund programs that provide educational opportunities for financially disadvantaged students in Scotland, and now, he works as an A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Chemistry at Princeton.
The talk was moderated by seniors Kate Santoli and Eric Reilly. “Moderating the talk was really cool because I was able to talk to him before, and after and I was able to choose some of the best student-submitted questions to ask him,” Reilly explained. Santoli agreed: “It was exciting to talk with Dr. Macmillan and ask him all the questions that the students and I wanted to know. It was nice to have such a fun and inspiring conversation with someone so important.”
entranced students. Photo courtesy of Andrew Garcia
MacMillan came to speak to the students since he completed his doctorate program and is friends with social studies teacher David Rabinowitz’s brother Dr. Michael Rabinowitz. Science Department Chairperson Charles Vessalico explained, “I believe [MacMillan] agreed because of his generous nature and the value he places on inspiring the next generation of scientists.” David added, “I met him 34 years ago through my brother Michael and have been in touch with him ever since. Hearing [Dr. MacMillan] speak was a great honor and pleasure.”
To kick off the talk, MacMillan discussed an overview of his research. Reilly, whose senior science research project is based on MacMillan’s work, articulated, “My favorite part was when he went in depth into the implications of his research. I have been following his research for the last three years, and my last three projects were based on his research. Hearing his talk about how it can change the world was really eye-opening and made me realize my research is actually significant.”
Next, MacMillan spoke about his upbringing while growing up in Scotland. Freshman science research student Noah Berkowitz shared, “He told us about how his parents wanted him to go into physics like his older brother, but then he shared how he didn’t like it and went his own path choosing to do chemistry in college. My experience from this talk inspired me a lot to keep on with my dreams even though it’s okay to change paths.”
Finally, MacMillan explained how he felt when he first heard he won the Nobel Peace Prize. When asked about his favorite part of the talk, Berkowitz replied, “My favorite part was when he told us about how he didn’t believe he became a Nobel Peace Prize winner at first until later he saw it in The New York Times.” MacMillan was asleep when he woke up to numerous notifications–phone calls and texts–one being from his friend whom he worked on the project with. He did not believe he had won, though, and thought it was a prank, so he went back to sleep.
Prize Medal. Photo courtesy of Andrew Garcia
The experience was very inspiring for students, especially since MacMillan was so personable and taught many life lessons. Santoli noted, “It was so cool to meet someone who has made such important contributions to their field, and especially to learn that he was so personable and inspiring in all other aspects of his life as well. My favorite part was hearing all his lessons and advice for us in college, especially about the importance of putting yourself out there and collaboration.” Vessalico added, “I loved the message Dr. MacMillan shared about generosity being the most important thing in life.” Freshman science research student Sylvia Sullivan also commented, “The experience was incredible. I never would have thought that I would have had the honor to have met him. My favorite part was when he was telling us stories about his life and his experiences. It was amazing that he let us pass around the Nobel Prize. Never in a million years did I think that I would be holding the Nobel Prize.” MacMillan also described how he and his friends were out one day and played heads or tails with the Nobel Prize medal, when all of a sudden, it started rolling across the floor of the restaurant they were in and almost fell into a storm drain.
Ultimately, the event was one for the books. “Having helped plan the event, I was hopeful it would be a worthy experience for the students. I can honestly say it far exceeded my expectations. The interactions between our students and Dr. MacMillan were priceless. Eric and Kate did an amazing job moderating the talk, and the students attending had fantastic questions,” Vessalico remarked.
