[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Schrobilgen_Gary.jpg” caption=”Dr. Gary Shrobilgen, a professor in the Department of Chemistry. File photo.”]Not only is chemistry professor Dr. Gary Shrobilgen an award-winning researcher, he also gives back to the community by mentoring elementary students at a local school.

As part of his conviction that chemistry and science need to be taught in a hands-on manner, Schrobilgen and his research group have been helping elementary students with their science fair projects at St. Bernadette's Elementary School in Dundas.

He maintains that hands-on involvement encourages kids to learn by doing because “It could ignite a career,” as it did in his case.

“A fundamental chemist/scientist is curiosity-driven,” says Schrobilgen. “Kids are fundamentally curious and enthusiastic, which makes them naturals for science. It's refreshing to work with them. We just have to make sure that we, as educators and parents, continue to foster these natural attributes.”

As a professor in the chemistry department, Schrobilgen is internationally known for his dedication to the fields of inorganic chemistry and to inorganic fluorine chemistry in particular.

The significance and creativity of his work has earned him numerous awards, including the Alcan Lecture Award and the Canadian Society for Chemistry Award for Pure and Applied Inorganic Chemistry, both received in 2002. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1999.

When asked which of his awards he was most proud of, Schrobilgen cited two awards, which acknowledge his achievements across the Periodic Table of Elements.

One was the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry that is of international standing. The other is the E.W. Steacie Award, which is awarded across all fields of Canadian Chemistry. Continuing this effort toward excellence, Schrobilgen was recently nominated for another international award in fluorine chemistry, the Prix Moissan of France.

Schrobilgen received his PhD at McMaster. After gaining experience in both Europe and the United States, he chose to return to McMaster because of the “quality of life in Canada” and the major equipment provided by the Department of Chemistry.

Schrobilgen has a strong faith in the value of fundamental research and believes it is important to keep it alive and well. This is why he does not fear the worldly push for applications, and believes there must always be a place for fundamental research in universities.

He and his graduate students live and work by one philosophy, which is to advance the state of the art and strive for spectacular breakthroughs on challenging problems, rather than settling for small, incremental improvements.

Schrobilgen and his colleagues involve themselves in very unique and difficult research. The chemical systems they deal with are at the fringes of what is possible and are among the most fragile, reactive and energetic chemical species known.

Broad and in-depth training provides each of Schrobilgen's colleagues with the ability to function independently as a researcher and to tackle a wide range of problems, providing them with the adaptability they need to survive in the real world of ever-changing technology.

His outstanding experimental and supervisory skills and commitment to academic mentoring were recognized by McMaster in 1997 when he received the President's Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision.

There are currently five graduate students, a postdoctoral fellow and a research associate working with Schrobilgen. David Brock is a student who has been working with him for four years.

“[He] seems to know what his students are capable of and motivates you to achieve things you didn't know were possible,” says Brock. “He takes a very hands-on approach and he gets right in there with us, showing us by example. All of his students look back and notice the enormous positive impact he's had on our lives.”