The Department of Chemistry would like to congratulate you on your academic achievements over the past few years. Our December 2024, May and August 2025 graduates and their guests are invited to attend a ceremony on Friday. May 9, 2025, at 2 PM in Welch Hall Room 2.224, followed by a reception in the Grand Hallway outside. During the ceremony department medallions are awarded to graduation and walker candidates. The medallions are traditionally worn to commencement the following day.
Attend the ceremony and reception
- Graduating students only:
- RSVP to the ceremony and reception. Please reply by 4/24.
- The ceremony will begin at 2:00pm. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early for scheck-in.
- Business casual dress requested.
- Visitor parking information
Contact
Please send any questions to maura.salgo@austin.utexas.edu
Guest Speaker
Thomas C. Wright, Ph.D., J.D.
Dr. Thomas C. Wright, “Tom” to anyone that has met him, is a native Texan. Tom grew up in Austin and attended this University every time they let him. He received his B.S. (1981), Ph.D. (1984) and J.D. (2000) degrees here.
Tom got his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry working with Richard Jones. The Jones Group, aka “Jones Group Pyrotechnics Ltd.” was both renowned and revered. They started the “Chemistry Circus” that presented the wonders of chemistry to those from K through 12 in a fun environment, complete with synchronized music. The Jones Group also started a lot of fires and produced the occasional explosion in their everyday work to create and characterize high energy molecules.
After Tom received his doctoral degree, he was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at The Imperial College of the University of London. Tom then became a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington. After founding a private research company funded by the Department of the Navy, he went on to attend law school.
During his scientific career he published a bunch of papers and gave invited lectures in the United States and in Europe. During his career as a lawyer, he has represented everyone from individuals to Fortune 10 companies in intellectual property cases involving patents, trademarks and copyrights. He currently operates his own firm, Induction IP PLLC, where he continues to advise clients and try cases.
Tom and his wife Lekha, also a lawyer (her Ph.D. is in Molecular Biology), split their time between Austin and Dallas where they live with Jake and Boo.