SPRING 2010
FA C U LT Y S P O T L I G H T
7
Dr. Edward
Rajaseelan CHEMISTRY
“Dr. R.” encourages his students to reach the highest standards.
To his students, he is known simply as Dr. R. In his office, Dr. Edward Rajaseelan keeps a box filled with cards and notes addressed to “Dr. R.” They serve as reminders as to why he has been a chemistry professor at Millersville for more than 20 years. And why his students voted him as the first winner of the Award for Excellence in Teaching. “Thank you for your wisdom and humility,” writes one student, while another appreciates his “brilliance and enthusiasm for teaching.” Still another recognizes him for his “acts of kindness.” Rajaseelan sees his role as a teacher as being gently encouraging, yet holding his students to the highest standards and expectations. That, he believes, is the way to bring out the best in students and help them reach higher goals. To date, 37 Millersville students have done their senior and honors thesis with him, and 11 have received Ph.D.s from universities including Princeton, Penn, Notre Dame, Rice, Texas A&M, Colorado, Ohio State and Rochester. Five of his former students are now pro-
fessors in leading research universities and colleges, while others are scientists in prestigious national labs and industries. Other students have gone on to graduate school at Arizona, Villanova, Duke and other top programs. “When I see a student I can help, I want to do it, because so many people helped me get where I am,” says Dr. R. Born in Sri Lanka, which he describes as a beautiful island that faced great ethnic strife, he moved to the United States to pursue his education. He earned his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at the University of Arizona, where he met his wife, Nilmini, who coincidently was also from Sri Lanka. “Our son is our pride and joy,” says Dr. R. with a smile. Jonathan is 17, a junior in high school, and is interested in chemistry and music. Rajaseelan is a professor of inorganic chemistry. He explains, if organic chemistry is defined as the chemistry of hydrocarbons and their derivatives, inorganic chemistry can be described broadly as the chemistry of “everything else.”
His research is in the areas of synthetic inorganic, bio-inorganic and organometallic chemistry, in areas involving synthesis, characterization of transition metal complexes consisting of nitrogen oxides, N-heterocyclic carbenes, and chelating phosphines as ligands. “These complexes have many potential uses as catalysts in green chemistry, organic synthesis, and in various industrial reactions,” explains Rajaseelan. Rajaseelan has published more than a dozen research papers, yet it is his students and teaching that come first and foremost to this dedicated teacher, who once considered a career in medicine. “I always knew I had a gift for teaching. And I know this is what I was meant to do,” says Rajaseelan. Dr. R. loves to watch sports, such as college football, basketball and cricket. As a child, he enjoyed playing cricket, which is the national sport of Sri Lanka. When the weather is nice, he can often be found in his garden, making things grow. “Chemistry is the key to every discipline. You need it to understand the world,” says Rajaseelan.
