Flying in space with Leland Melvin
When Leland Melvin, R’86, was scheduled to fly on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, NASA contacted the UR chemistry department—at his request—to see if we wanted to send something with him.
As we pondered what to send, the years fell away, and I remembered a young man, nervously approaching his seat in my chemistry class. He did not ask a question in class that first day, but he stayed behind to seek clarification on something.
Leland was the type of student I cherish most—one who learns to appreciate the beauty of chemistry. There is something wonderful about seeing the patterns that abound in nature, and there is something more wonderful about helping others see those patterns.His engagement with the subject grew quickly, and he rapidly progressed from appreciating science to wanting to conduct scientific research.
Leland represents a long line of UR student-athletes who have combined sports with undergraduate research. This could not happen without the cooperation of coaches and teammates who adjust practice schedules and such. I remember the jokes Leland’s teammates made when his uniform was cleaner than theirs because he missed part of practice to work in the lab. (They called him “Larry Lab.”) But I also remember the respect they gave him for the extra effort he was making. To a large degree, Leland’s success at UR was made possible by his coaches and teammates.
Leland’s research involved synthesis and characterization of amine-haloboranes. We were preparing those products in an investigation of the effects of steric crowding in molecules on the NMR spectra of those species. Leland worked with me to determine the structures of the products and how the spectra of those products changed as their atomic content changed.
During his senior year, Leland appeared in an issue of Sports Illustrated devoted to the best college football players. I still find it amusing and appropriate that the magazine showed Leland in lab coat and safety glasses, holding up a Dewar flask of liquid nitrogen, his head enveloped in vapor. When Leland was named academic all-American, he gave me the plaque to remind me of our time together. It is in my office today.
My favorite story concerning Leland and football involves my chemistry department colleague, Dr. Stu Clough, who was in the stands at a home game cheering wildly for Leland after an especially good catch. A woman turned around and asked, “Is he your son?”
“No,” Stu replied. “But I wish he were.”
When injuries cut his NFL career short, Leland earned a graduate degree from the University of Virginia’s Materials Science Department and landed a job at NASA, where he eventually entered the Astronaut Corps. Leland continues to work as a scientist in his role as an astronaut. I could not be more proud of him and of what he has accomplished. Leland also is a wonderful role model. Working with the NASA education office, he has traveled to schools around the country to tell young students how dreams can come true and how vital education is in that process.
For a number of years now, the chemistry department—often joined by our colleagues in physics—has hosted an annual workshop in which high school students work with us to synthesize and characterize an organic compound. At the end of the workshop, we give each student a T-shirt with the UR logo, the structure of the compound they made, and a list of its properties. Our faculty, staff, and students signed one of the T-shirts from this year’s workshop and sent it to NASA to fly in space with Leland.
Stu and I made the trip to Cape Canaveral to watch him blast into orbit. We wanted to be there when he realized his dream of space flight. I felt an overwhelming sense of joy watching one of my former students launch toward greater heights in science.
It seems strange sometimes to realize that this quiet young man, who played with my children at chemistry department picnics, has orbited the earth 202 times. But I am so pleased that he did. Leland is a worthy son of UR, and an excellent representative of the many student-athletes who call the University of Richmond alma mater.
Dr. Bill Myers, professor of chemistry, has taught at the University for 35 years.
Send comments about this story to krhodes@richmond.edu.
