The Chemistry Building (now renamed Schmitt Hall) is forty years old. To celebrate the anniversary of the building and the department, a Grand Chemistry Alumni Homecoming was held last December.
There are many things to celebrate at the Chemistry Department—the achievements of its students, alumni, faculty, and staff; innovative new programs and evolution of old ones; new research directions; and renovations in its infrastructure.
In the Jesuit tradition of “not many, but more,” the department has grown, but remains a focused group of dedicated chemists with a strong tradition of excellence and leadership – a legacy from the late William J. Schmitt, S.J., the late Armando F. Kapauan, Ph.D., the late Ana Maria Javellana, Ph.D., and Modesto T. Chua, Ph.D.
During the late 1980s, the department identified four key areas in research in which it wanted to make a difference – analytical and instrumental chemistry, materials and polymers, bioactive compounds – and chemistry education.
These remain to be the key growth areas in chemistry in the 21st century. This growth is also mirrored by developments in these areas within the Department of Chemistry.
Analytical chemistry is allied with all the other disciplines and with environmental science research. It is supported by the National Chemistry Instrumentation Center, home to the country’s only Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometer and a high resolution Mass Spectrometer. While these are commonly used in research for structural analysis of compounds, they also have applications for more mundane uses, such as determining the tax rates for imported ingredients for plastics or assessing the export quality of soy sauce.
Materials and polymers research generated the new MSE program, as well as collaborations with the paints and coatings industry, the semiconductor industry, and others.
Bioactive natural products and biochemistry research work is behind some herbal medicine products as well as new directions in molecular medicine in collaboration with The Medical City; the upcoming Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health; and the Department of Biology.
Chemistry education research is highlighted by faculty involvement in national educational policy formulation and by classroom innovations. For example, an MS Chemistry Education thesis by Chona Maderal of the Makati Science High School evolved into Science beyond the Classroom: A Tele- Collaborative Link between the School and the Global Community, involving high school students from as close as Indonesia to as far away as Finland.
Through the years, the department has also lent its members as leaders for the university, such as the Dean of the School of Science and Engineering, Fabian M. Dayrit, Ph.D., and the incoming Loyola Schools Vice President, Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng, Ph.D.
Some recent department highlights include awards such as the DOST-PCASTRD award of graduate student and instructor Lorna Arao-de Leoz, the BPI Award of undergraduate student David P. Peralta, and the Outstanding Part-time Teacher Award from ASPAC of Mary Jocelyn Ang.
All these are part of the culture of service and excellence that the department seeks to nurture in its students, faculty, and staff: living the call to be persons-for-others by also being professionals-for-others.
On the 17th of December 2005, the Ateneo de Manila Department of Chemistry and the Ateneo Chemical Society (ACheS) co-presented the first ever Grand Chemistry Alumni Homecoming, with the theme, “Ateneo Chemistry at 40: Building on Schmitt’s Legacy.” The event aimed to gather past and present Chemistry majors of the University to celebrate forty years in the life of the Chemistry Building, which was inaugurated on November 28, 1965, and later renamed Schmitt Hall. The celebration honored those who contributed significantly to the growth of the department, especially William J. Schmitt, S.J. and Amando F. Kapauan, Ph.D.
Members of the Chemistry Department and ACheS welcomed the alumni at the department for some refreshments and a tour of the building. A mass, co-presided by Jesuit chemists Arsenio Nunez, S.J., Antonio Samson, S.J., and Mario Francisco, S.J., was held at the Church of the Gesù.
Dinner and a program followed at PLDT-CTC 201. Fabian M. Dayrit, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Science and Engineering welcomed the guests, while the university president, Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J. shared memorable personal experiences with Fr. Schmitt and Dr. Kapauan, and credited them for starting and fostering the culture of scholarship, discipline, and mentoring that the department keeps alive today. Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng, Ph.D. shared her fond memories of Fr. Schmitt and Dr. Kapauan. Professor Gen Sato recalled his fruitful dealings with the Department and shared what he knew of the genius of Dr. Kapauan. Nina Rosario L. Rojas, Ph.D., Chair of the Chemistry Department, gave an overview of the Department’s current offerings, its programs, and its plans for the future.
The William J. Schmitt Foundation and Amando F. Kapauan Chair were re-introduced that night with a recap of the various pledges already made. The William J. Schmitt Foundation was instituted with a threefold purpose. First, to promote and encourage research in the field of Chemistry and other related sciences with the end of realizing tangible results that meet specific human needs. Second, to conduct, sponsor and publish results of scientific/technical research to benefit the public and to establish scholarships and professorial chairs in chemistry or related sciences. Finally, to provide financial support to the chemistry faculty doing research, to junior researchers, and to the researches of retired faculty members. The Amando F. Kapauan Chair was established in 2000 for the use of scholarships, research grants, and awards to Filipino institutions or individuals that have made a distinguished contribution in analytical or instrumentation chemistry or related field.
Guests enjoyed watching
videos showcasing Ateneo Chemistry through the years and musical performances
by chemists, young and old. Games such as “How well do you know Fr.
Schmitt?” livened up the night. Testimonials of different batch representatives
of fond moments and on how their numbers diminished from first year to
graduation amazed the younger guests. “Sole survivors” shared
on how they would start out as a group of more than twenty freshmen, and
end up with only a handful of graduates— perhaps an indication of
the discipline needed for a chemistry degree in Ateneo. The night was
capped by dancing led by members of the Ateneo Chemical Society. The homecoming
was a memorable event that brought together chemists of all ages to celebrate
the place and the people that formed them as great chemists and Ateneans.
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