Joseph S. Francisco, the Elmer H. and Ruby M. Cordes Chair in Chemistry and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will deliver the Willem Prins Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 4:15 p.m. at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center (801 University Ave.). A reception will precede the lecture at 3:30 p.m.

Both events are free and open to the public, and are sponsored by the Department of Chemistry in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences. For more information, call Beth Molloy at 315.443.2851.

Francisco’s lecture, “Structure and Reactivity of Radical-Molecule Complexes: New Frontiers in Atmospheric Chemistry,” will shed light on traditional chemical reactions, as well as on novel mechanisms involved with radical‐molecule complexes in the atmosphere. The influence these complexes have on both the mechanisms and kinetics of atmospheric reactions will also be explored.

Francisco is highly regarded in the field, having served as president of both the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists & Chemical Engineers and the American Chemical Society (ACS). He also is a Fellow of the ACS, the American Physical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Francisco’s research combines spectroscopy and theory to better understand the photochemistry and kinetics of atmospheric species. He earned a Ph.D. in chemical physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The lectureship is named for the Syracuse chemistry professor, who died in a 1974 boating accident at the age of 45. He was a beloved teacher and dedicated researcher, as evidenced by his publication of more than 90 scholarly articles.