Vaunted scientist to offer ‘Seven Pieces of Advice’ during Mortar Board’s Last Lecture

David Magers, MC professor of chemistry and chemical physics, will offer 'Seven Pieces of Advice' during the Mortar Board Honor Society's Bicentennial Last Lecture.

To say that David Magers is an accomplished scientist would be a gross understatement.

The longtime professor of chemistry and chemical physics at Mississippi College has served as director of the Computational Chemistry Group, chair of the Academic Research Council and director of the Office of Research at MC. His areas of expertise include quantum chemistry, molecular electronic structure and spectra many-body theory, and ab initio many-body methods.

The American Chemical Society’s 2024 Chemist of the Year, Magers received the 2024 Outstanding Contribution to Science Award from the Mississippi Academy of Sciences – it is the highest annual award the academy gives. He has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed publications and given countless presentations at scientific professional meetings.

Yet when he presents the MC Mortar Board Honor Society’s Bicentennial Last Lecture at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall in the Aven Fine Arts Center, Magers will be breaking new ground as a speaker.

“This lecture is an interesting change for me, in that I am, for once, not talking about science,” he said. Instead, Magers will be relating “Seven Pieces of Advice” from his distinguished career.

“I want to give a few pieces of advice on a few of the aspects of living that I believe to be some of the most important,” he said.

The presentation is not only for MC students: the lecture is free and open to the public.

To help celebrate MC’s 200^th birthday, the event will conclude with a panel discussion featuring several previous Last Lecturers, including Christopher Weeks, associate professor of medical science and director of the Honors College at MC; David Miller, MC professor of English; Mignon Kucia, MC professor of communication; and Katherine Heard, professor of psychology.

Each year, Mortar Board Honor Society chapters across the nation select esteemed faculty to share a “last lecture.” The content is not necessarily about academic topics, but information they would deem most important and appropriate to include in a theoretical last lecture to others.

The series originated with Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University, who chose to present his last lecture shortly after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. His focus was not on computer science, but on living a life with meaning, working toward dreams and leaving a legacy.

Last year, Ivan Parke, MC professor emeritus of Christian Studies, gave an unforgettable Last Lecture at MC, in which he shared life experiences and timeless Biblical wisdom after receiving a diagnosis of ALS.

“I am honored and humbled to be following my friend, Ivan Parke, who did an amazing job,” Magers said. “I have given many invited lectures at universities all over the Southeast, but this one is special to me because the students of Mortar Board chose me.”

Brinley Sullivan, a member of the MC Mortar Board and its Last Lecture Committee, said Magers is an exceptional choice to deliver the Last Lecture.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to hear his wisdom, reflections and insights,” Sullivan said. As for the panel discussion, “this will be a unique opportunity to hear from distinguished faculty members who have had lasting impacts on our campus.”

Magers obtained his Ph.D. from the Quantum Theory Project at the University of Florida and was a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University, where he worked with Nobel Laureate William Lipscomb. The 2003 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer of the College of Arts and Sciences at MC, Magers was named the University’s Distinguished Professor of the Year in 2005. He serves as a sponsor of the Mississippi Alpha Chapter of Alpha Chi, treasurer of the Mississippi Section of the ACS, and graduate coordinator in the MC Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.