A Visit with Harry Gray

Our department seminar speaker, Dr. Harry Gray from CalTech, designated time in his schedule to meet with CSUN undergraduate and graduate students on Monday, February 18, 2019.

We had impressive turnout for the event with 2 undergraduates and 11 graduate students. Joining us were 3 faculty and 1 staff member. In total, 7 of the attendees are members of the American Chemical Society. The visit was held in our chemistry conference room, EH 2102B betweeen 2 and 3pm. His demeanor was jovial and warm, creating an intimate space for connecting with students.

Dr. Gray began by acknowledging that courses in general and organic chemistry can be dull for students. He told us about how he tried to reform the curriculum to make it more exciting and applied by dividing it into three topics: Structure, Dynamics, and Synthesis. However it was in his words a "Big failure!" There was (and is) nothing wrong with the curriculum, it's fine the way it is.

The best way to learn chemistry is to get involved with undergraduate research, the earlier the better. Doing research creates a "need to know." That need makes the coursework more relevant. In his experience, the 21st century belongs to chemistry. Chemists don't have to feel like "second-rate" physicists anymore, the problems of today need knowledge of chemical principles. Batteries!

He encourages all faculty to recruit and encourage undergraduates to pursue a chemistry major and to get involved in a research group. "If we don't get them, they will go to computer science or worse... machine learning," he quipped. The hot topics of today are: Energy, Environment, and Health. All of these three topics rely on a good understanding of chemistry.

Dr. Gray leads a movement called the "solar army" which is testing novel metal oxides for their properties in energy collection. He noted that the cost of photovoltaics from China has come down so greatly that in the future we will all have "free electrons." Getting our energy from fossil fuel will be unnecessary, leaving petroleum and natural gas as precursors for synthesis of organic compounds.

A research roundtable ensued with Dr. Gray asking the young investigators questions about their project such as: What's your wavelength? Quantum yield? Laser color? Pulse energy? Pulse width? It was exciting to see the students thinking on their feet and learning that an expert in the field is interested in the details of their work. 

He encouraged everyone write it up -- publish their results! In his words: "If you can't write, you can't talk. You're going nowhere. You can't do it enough. No one can teach you how to write. Stick with it. Don't get discouraged. You're going to make mistakes. Write too much. You've just got to do it."

On a more serious note, Dr. Gray advised students to "Really pay attention to safety. It's dangerous. You can hurt yourself. You can hurt others. Scaling up. Go over it with someone. Do you have a lab coat? Do you wear it? If not, better rethink that."

He invited us to visit his Molecular Observatory. They have a facility that does X-ray diffraction, NMR, MS. Dr. Mike Kaiser, CSUN's Instrument Manager, asked a question about nanoscale phenomena. Small molecules to materials. But what's between? Dr. Gray answered "Reactions require cavities." In the future people will be answering the question: What hybrid materials are needed? Surfaces coated with large biomolecules. 3D cavities. Organic-inorganic hybrid spaces.

Towards the end of our time together, Dr. Gray told a story about himself as an 11-year old in rural Kentucky growing up on a farm. He impersonated an adult and was able to obtain acids from a chemical company by mail order. He had quite a lab for a child. He remembers the first time he synthesized a compound: Prussian Blue. It's partly why he became interested in inorganic chemistry.

In conclusion, he left us with the inspirational knowledge that sunlight-driven electrocatalysis has already outpaced fossil fuel in terms of cost. Right now, the cost of solar energy is 4-5 cents per kilowatt-hour, whereas natural gas costs 6 cents per kilowatt-hour. We want to thank Dr. Gray for valuing the students at CSUN for the brilliant and promising scientists they are.