Professor John K. Stille was an internationally recognized scientist who pioneered research in synthetic, polymer, and organometallic chemistry and held the title of University Distinguished Professor at Colorado State University. His research contributions and discoveries in these fields formed the basis of many important developments and technologies in use today. Professor Stille’s untimely death was the result of a commercial airline crash in July 1989.

His wife, Dolores, was a strong supporter of her husband’s career and of the Department of Chemistry at Colorado State University until her death in February 1995.

Professor Stille’s former students and postdoctoral fellows continue to carry on his legacy, holding important positions in the academic, government, and industrial research communities.

In order to preserve the memory of this gifted scientist and his devoted wife, the Department of Chemistry, with the aid of numerous personal contributions from former students, faculty, colleagues, and industrial firms, has established the Stille Science Symposium. Since Professor Stille’s research interests and contributions ranged over diverse disciplines, each symposium has a different theme.