Articles by author: Brock University

• Nobel Prize winner to speak at Brock

  Tuesday, September 11, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 11 September 2018 – R00163

  A remarkable researcher who was awarded a Nobel Prize for his theories on chemical reactions will speak at Brock University Friday, Sept. 14.

  Roald Hoffmann, Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters Emeritus at Cornell University, will deliver a talk on Inverting Ligand Fields in Sankey Chamber at noon Friday.

  Considered the patriarch of theoretical chemistry, he has taught generations of scientists the fundamentals of chemical bond and reactivity.

  “He became very famous at a very early age because he was a physicist who became a chemist and made significant contributions to our understanding of chemistry,” said Brock University Department of Chemistry Professor Georgii Nikonov. “Students read books and they don’t realize that the people they’re learning about are still here. To me, he’s the definition of a legend.”

  It was Nikonov who invited Hoffmann to speak at Brock. The two met decades ago when Nikonov was a university student and have stayed in contact ever since.

  “When I was studying for what I’m doing now, I was reading his papers from the 1970s and ’80s. He educated me just like the rest of the world about the machinery of theoretical thinking. He’s both an excellent teacher and an excellent researcher,” Nikonov said.

  Brock Professor of Chemistry Travis Dudding agrees.

  “Roald Hoffmann is a legend in the field of organic chemistry and someone that even as a young student I was amazed by and wished to meet someday,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to hearing his talk.”

  Hoffmann came to the U.S. in 1949 after he and a few surviving family members escaped Poland during the Holocaust. He studied chemistry at Columbia and Harvard universities and joined the faculty at Cornell in 1965.

  In 1981, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside Kenichi Fukui for what Hoffmann describes as his work in applied theoretical chemistry.

  Hoffmann is also an accomplished author, poet and playwright.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock program ready to help develop ideas of young Niagara entrepreneurs

  Friday, September 07, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 7 September 2018 – R00162

  Bailey Cochrane had the business idea, but it was a boost from BioLinc that helped take it from concept to reality.

  The fourth-year Bachelor of Business Administration student in Brock University’s Goodman School of Business knew he wanted to design an online resource for people who were interested in Ontario wine.

  Through his participation in BioLinc’s Kick-Starting Entrepreneurship Program, he was able to transform the vision for Stocked Cellars into an operating online business. Although this wasn’t Cochrane’s first time starting a company, the program gave him resources that built on his previous knowledge and helped him step outside his comfort zone.

  “It allowed me to conceptualize exactly how I wanted to go about starting a technology company,” he said.

  Stocked Cellars was designed as a technology resource that aims to understand Ontario wine consumers, provides customers resources to help them make purchase decisions and acts as an alternative to traditional wine retail.

  Cochrane envisions next adding a virtual reality experience to the website where consumers can be transported to Niagara wine country from their computer screen.

  The Kick-Starting Entrepreneurship Program is in its fifth year after helping more than 150 young entrepreneurs in the past. Niagara residents between the ages of 18 and 29 with an early-stage business idea are encouraged to submit an application by the Friday, Sept. 21 deadline.

  “The program helps young entrepreneurs determine if this is a viable career path for them,” said Program Manager and BioLinc Co-ordinator Cassie Price. “If they find out entrepreneurship isn’t for them, we can teach them other ways they can be innovative in their career path.”

  Up to 35 young entrepreneurs will have access to monthly seminars and training, mentorship, networking events, advisory services and funding opportunities.

  “They don’t have to have more than an idea. We can work with them to help them grow that and expand,” Price said. “As they go through the program, they can determine if their idea is viable and if it’s something they want to pursue.”

  Cochrane encourages potential applicants not to hold back from applying if they think that their business idea isn’t polished enough.

  “Even when you think your business isn’t at a stage in which you could go through an entrepreneurial program like this, it is,” he said.

  “All you need is an idea and this program will help you formulate that idea into potentially a real business.”

  Both Brock student Bailey Cochrane and BioLinc Co-ordinator Cassie Price are available for interviews on the program and how it can benefit young Niagara entrepreneurs.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases