Gillespie invested as Member of Order of Canada

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Gillespie_Ronald.jpg” caption=”Ronald Gillespie, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry. “]Ronald Gillespie, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry, will be invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in Ottawa this morning. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the prestigious award. Members of the Order of Canada are recognized for a lifetime of service in or to a particular community, group or field of activity.

“I am very proud and honoured to have received this very significant recognition of my work in chemistry, which always has been, and continues to be, most enjoyable and rewarding,” said Gillespie.

His research interests include the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) model of molecular geometry, a familiar concept to anyone who has taken introductory chemistry. In addition to the VSEPR model, Gillespie is also known for his research on super acids.

Brian McCarry, chair of the Department of Chemistry, explained the significance of Gillespie's research.

“The Order of Canada recognizes Ron Gillespie's pioneering
research in main-group inorganic chemistry, particularly in the areas of fluorine chemistry, super acid media and concepts of chemical bonding,” said McCarry. “Every chemistry student learns and uses Gillespie's VSEPR model. The excitement surrounding Ron's research program attracted some of the best graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from around the world.”

In addition to his research, McCarry added that Gillespie is well-known for his talent as a lecturer and educator, describing him as a “driving force” behind a series of introductory chemistry textbooks that focused on descriptive chemistry, basic chemical transformations and molecular structures.

“Dr. Gillespie has made a tremendous impact on science and the Faculty of Science continues to benefit from his contributions and influence in teaching and research within the field of chemistry,” said John Capone, dean of the Faculty of Science. “We are proud of him
and his accomplishments and are delighted with his appointment to the Order of Canada.”

The Order of Canada was first awarded in 1967.

Republish this Article for Free

Republish this Article

We believe in the free flow of information. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivs 2.5 Canada (CC BY-ND 2.5 CA), so you can republish our articles for free, online or in print.

All republished articles must be attributed in the following way and contain links to both the site and original article: “This article was first published on Daily News. Read the original article.”

[img_inline align="right" src="http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Gillespie_Ronald.jpg" caption="Ronald Gillespie, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry. "]Ronald Gillespie, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry, will be invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in Ottawa this morning. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the prestigious award. Members of the Order of Canada are recognized for a lifetime of service in or to a particular community, group or field of activity.<br />
<br />
<p>"I am very proud and honoured to have received this very significant recognition of my work in chemistry, which always has been, and continues to be, most enjoyable and rewarding," said Gillespie.<br />
<br />
<p>His research interests include the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) model of molecular geometry, a familiar concept to anyone who has taken introductory chemistry. In addition to the VSEPR model, Gillespie is also known for his research on super acids.<br />
<br />
<p>Brian McCarry, chair of the Department of Chemistry, explained the significance of Gillespie&#039;s research. <br />
<br />
<p>"The Order of Canada recognizes Ron Gillespie&#039;s pioneering<br />
research in main-group inorganic chemistry, particularly in the areas of fluorine chemistry, super acid media and concepts of chemical bonding," said McCarry. "Every chemistry student learns and uses Gillespie&#039;s VSEPR model. The excitement surrounding Ron&#039;s research program attracted some of the best graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from around the world."  <br />
<br />
<p>In addition to his research, McCarry added that Gillespie is well-known for his talent as a lecturer and educator, describing him as a "driving force" behind a series of introductory chemistry textbooks that focused on descriptive chemistry, basic chemical transformations and molecular structures.<br />
<br />
<p>"Dr. Gillespie has made a tremendous impact on science and the Faculty of Science continues to benefit from his contributions and influence in teaching and research within the field of chemistry," said John Capone, dean of the Faculty of Science. "We are proud of him<br />
and his accomplishments and are delighted with his appointment to the Order of Canada."<br />
<br />
<p>The Order of Canada was first awarded in 1967.

Media Enquiries

Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 24073
Email: comms@mcmaster.ca

The Communications and Public Affairs Office is staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

The University has a broadcast quality television studio to facilitate live and pre-recorded interviews with media. Learn more about our experts.