A day of celebration

It was a perfect marriage between the arts and sciences.

The Alfred Bader Symposium was a tribute to the late Dr. Alfred R. Bader’s 100th birthday but also a celebration of Dr. Bader’s passions, the arts and sciences. Organized by the Queen’s University International Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (Q-ACS), the symposium featured talks from several North American Bader Chairs, Curators, Bader awardees, and the evening’s plenary session featured Dr. Daniel J. Bader, President and CEO of Bader Philanthropies Inc.

Mark Aloisio (PhD candidate, Department of Chemistry) receives the award for Best Poster – People’s Choice from Dr. Dan Bader.

The symposium was held at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts and co-organizer Max van Zyl opened the event with some words about Dr. Bader and Q-ACS.

“The organization was founded just over two and a half years ago by a group of undergraduate and graduate chemistry students,” van Zyl said. “Since then, we’ve worked to advance professional and technical development while promoting the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect at Queen’s University. Over the past seven months, the Q-ACS executive committee has worked hard to broaden our reach across the University and were inspired by the enduring legacy of one of the university’s most generous benefactors, alumnus Dr. Alfred R. Bader.”

In addition to founding the Aldrich Chemical Company, which through a series of mergers became MilliporeSigma, Dr. Bader was a transformative benefactor of chemistry, the arts, and philanthropy worldwide.

Neil Grenade (PhD candidate, Department of Chemistry) receives the award for Best Poster Prize in Science from Dr. Dan Bader.

“His family has transformed Queen’s University,” van Zyl continued. “Among their many gifts are priceless artworks, including paintings by Rembrandt, the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Herstmonceux Castle in England, which is now home to Bader College, endowed academic chairs across several departments, scholarships and fellowships for students and, most recently, a transformative donation to reconstruct and reimagine the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. This has inspired us to spearhead multiple initiatives, including the 100th anniversary of his birth.”

To open the event, Queen’s University Principal, Dr. Patrick Deane, offered his thoughts on the event and the legacy of Dr. Alfred Bader. He also offered his congratulations to the students, faculty, and staff that organized the day-long event. “This is a demonstration of student initiative, commitment, and appreciation of an extraordinary benefactor of the university. I think this would have inspired Alfred and it certainly inspires us.”

Principal Deane reflected on the Bader’s legacy and talked about what Alfred, his wife Isabel, and the entire Bader family provided to Queen’s University. “I’ve often said the difference between universities that are reasonably good and those that are excellent is the generosity of their benefactors. Very few institutions can boast a single benefactor like Alfred Bader and his family.”

Peter Sproule (PhD candidate, Department of Art History & Art Conservation) receives the award for Best Poster Prize in the Arts from Dr. Dan Bader.

van Zyl next welcomed Dr. Josephine Tsang, Queen’s alumna and Executive Director, Chemical Institute of Canada, to the podium for opening remarks.

“I’m honoured to welcome you to the Bader Symposium, where we gather to celebrate the 100th birthday of a benefactor whose legacy will continue for centuries to come,” Dr. Tsang said. “The late Dr. Bader was more than an exceptional chemist; he was also a pioneer. Dr. Bader graduated in 1945 with a degree in engineering chemistry and left a remarkable impact on the field.

“We continue his legacy by championing and enhancing the capacity of talented chemical science students, professionals, and academics across Canada. In his honour each year, the Chemical Institute of Canada presents the Alfred Bader award. From his work as a chemist to his contributions in creating rich environments for learning and discovery, his vision emphasized creativity, problem solving, and collaboration – values at the heart of every science, technology, engineering, and arts student.”

After the formal opening speeches, the symposium continued with speaker sessions, poster sessions, Bader graduate student and postdoctoral scholar lectures, a performance session and the plenary address from Dr. Dan Bader.

Included in the speaker and performance sessions were a selection of Bader Chairs, Curators, and other academics including:

• Dr. Stephanie Dickey - Bader Chair emerita in Northern Baroque Art at Queen’s University
• Dr. Gauvin Bailey - Bader Chair in Southern Baroque Art at Queen’s University
• Dr. Aaron Shugar - Bader Chair in Art Conservation at Queen’s University
• Dr. Swen Steinberg - Adjunct Professor in the Department of History at Queen's University
• Dr. R. David Britt - Winston Ko Chair and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of California – Davis (Davis, California United States)
• Dr. Rik R. Tykwinski - Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta
• Dr. P. Andrew Evans - Bader Chair in Organic Chemistry at Queen's University
• Dr. Suzanne van de Meerendonk - Bader Curator of European Art at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queen's University
• Dr. Tanya Paul - Isabel and Alfred Bader Curator of European Art at the Milwaukee Art Museum (Milwaukee, Wisconsin United States)
• Katya Poplyansky – Canadian violinist who is a prizewinner at competitions including the Isabel Bader, Tunbridge Wells and Eckhardt-Gramatté competitions

“The success for me was seeing the people there from start to finish,” says co-organizer and Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar, Dan Reddy. “It was people from the arts mixing with people, from chemistry, biology, all the sciences, and engineering. I really saw that reflected in the poster session. We had undergraduate students to faculty and staff, and community members engaging with each other. I think it's a rare and exceptional occurrence that you get someone from the arts having a great conversation about the work that we do in the sciences and vice versa. All throughout the day that was a theme.”  

Reddy, with support from Dr. Andrew Evans, secured funding for Dr. Bader’s visit through the Brockington Visitorship. The Provost’s Advisory Committee for the Promotion of the Arts is responsible for annually seeking and adjudicating proposals from members of the Queen's community to invite persons of international distinction to be Brockington Visitors.

Along with an in-kind donation of space and staffing from the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts thanks to Dr. Gordon E. Smith, Director, and Maggie Hunter, Booking and Administrative Coordinator, funding was provided by the Faculty of Arts and Science Bartlett Student Initiatives Fund, the Patsy and Jamie Anderson Student Initiatives Fund, and the Dean’s Trust.