It's not every day that one of your graduates wins the Nobel Prize. When it happens, you want to do something to mark the occasion. In July, the Department of Chemistry invited Nobel laureate Rudolph Marcus back to the campus where he completed two degrees in chemistry (BSc'43, PhD'46) for the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in his honour in the Otto Maass Chemistry Building.

The Montreal-born Marcus currently plies his trade at the California Institute of Technology. He hasn't forgotten the role McGill played in helping him prepare for his Nobel Prize-winning career (Marcus earned the prize in 1992 for chemistry). In a 1993 interview, Marcus paid tribute to the professors he had at McGill. "The teachers were wonderful. Men like Carl Winkler and Raymond Boyer  they made their subjects come alive."

As a PhD candidate, Marcus took part in the Chemistry Department's World War II research on RDX, a potent chemical explosive. His theoretical work on electron transfer reactions in chemical systems influenced colleagues around the world.

When McGill awarded Marcus an honorary degree in 1988, the chemist took the opportunity to warn young scientists that they might encounter a few bumps in the road as they began their careers and urged them not to get too discouraged.

Marcus related how, after completing a post-doctoral fellowship, he applied for a starting position at 35 different universities. "I can't say that I received 35 No's, since not all of them replied!"

While he was in town, Marcus took part in the closing ceremonies of the 29th International Chemistry Olympiad, an event hosted this summer by the Department of Chemistry. Over 200 students from 53 different countries took part in the Olympiad, a competition designed to put the know-how of some of the world's top budding young chemists to the test.