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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Roald Hoffmann, a professor of chemistry at Cornell University and co-recipient of the 1981 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, is the seventh recipient of the Linus Pauling Legacy Award, sponsored by the Oregon State University Libraries.

Hoffmann will deliver a free public lecture in downtown Portland on Thursday, April 19, beginning at 8 p.m. in the Colonel Lindbergh Room of the Embassy Suites Hotel, 319 S.W. Pine Street. His Legacy Award lecture is titled "Indigo - A Story of Craft, Religion, History, Science and Culture."

The Pauling Legacy Award is granted every other year to an individual who has contributed to an area of interest to the late Linus Pauling, an OSU alumnus and winner both of a Nobel Prize for Chemistry and a Nobel Peace Prize.

A renowned speaker and writer, Hoffmann is best known within scientific circles for his work in applied theoretical chemistry.  With Kenichi Fukui, he received the 1981 Nobel award "for their theories, developed independently, concerning the course of chemical reactions."

Like Pauling before him, much of Hoffmann's career as a chemist has been devoted to determining the structure and properties of large molecules and to communicating these characteristics to both professional colleagues and students alike.

Hoffmann has also contributed significantly to improving science education for the general public.  He participated in the production of a popular television program titled "The World of Chemistry" and has published a number of books written for the lay science enthusiast.

Hoffmann has also written numerous collections of poetry as well as three plays. One theatrical production, "Oxygen," was co-written with chemist Carl Djerassi and has been performed in 10 languages worldwide.

The public is encouraged to reserve seats for the Portland lecture by contacting the Oregon State University Libraries' Special Collections & Archives Research Center at 541-737-2075 or special.collections@oregonstate.edu

Past recipients of the Linus Pauling Legacy Award have included Nobel laureates Joseph Rotblat, Roderick MacKinnon and Roger Kornberg, as well as Harvard University biologist Matthew Meselson and Caltech chemist John D. Roberts. 

For more information: http://osulibrary.orst.edu/specialcollections/events/2012hoffmann/index.html