Hellman Named Recipient of Honored Professor Award

Kenneth Hellman, professor of chemistry at Smith College, has been named the recipient of the college's 1999 Honored Professor Award.

Smith College President Ruth J. Simmons presented the award to Hellman during commencement exercises on May 16. "This year's honored professor is a scientist, an inspirational teacher and mentor, and an irreplaceable faculty leader," Simmons said of Hellman. "As three-time chair of his department, he led by example, persuading his students that they could be exceptional scientists at a time when women were discouraged and even blocked from advanced study in the sciences."

Hellman, who joined the Smith chemistry faculty in 1961, has taught courses such as "The World Around Us," "Bonding, Structure and Energetics" and "Physical Chemistry of Biochemical Systems." During his Smith tenure, the college's Science Center has grown in size from a single building to a complex of more than three academic buildings and its own renowned science library. Student enrollment in the sciences has tripled during Hellman's time on the faculty.

Hellman has served as a research associate at the Institute of Biological Chemistry at the University of Rome and as a visiting scientist at the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research at Porton, England. He has written numerous articles and presented papers on various aspects of chemistry. After completing undergraduate studies at Drew University, he received his doctorate at Michigan State University. Hellman will retire from Smith this year.

May 28, 1999