If you ever met Dr. Jeffery Seyler, Professor of Chemistry and former Chair of the Chemistry Department, you would know three things for certain about him: he loved drinking coffee, he prioritized people over everything and he enjoyed making things go “boom!”
His sudden death last December reverberated through the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education, leaving students and faculty shocked and saddened but also remembering the contributions he made to USI and the community at large.
Seyler began his teaching career at USI in 1993 and served as the department chair (2005-2019). He taught a variety of chemistry classes but was most passionate about inorganic chemistry. However, it was his eagerness to try new ideas and technology in the classroom that made him a favorite for many students.
Outside of teaching in the classroom, Seyler thrived on research in the lab; eager to work with USI students and area high school students alike. His ability to connect and form lasting relationships is most evident in the one he developed with his volunteer research assistant, Alice Kendall.
Even though she never finished her degree, her interest in chemistry grew stronger after she took a position in USI’s Food Service Department as a Sodexo Accountant in 2003. Kendall reached out to Seyler and he invited her to become a volunteer research assistant. She dedicated 300 to 400 volunteer hours a year assisting him and his students on chemistry-based research. “Jeffery Seyler dedicated his life to learning and loving. He loved to learn, he loved his family, he loved his dog. He gave his whole focus to whomever needed it, he taught children and students the importance of research and how it can be life changing when done right. These relationships were important to him. He treated everyone with the same respect whether you were a student, colleague or anywhere in between,” she says. “It was so fun to watch him interact with any and all students; he had a way of relating to anyone.”
Such community outreach earned Seyler the 2018 M. Edward Jones Engagement Award. Throughout his years at USI, he organized campus events like Mole Day and Earth Day, chemistry competitions for high school students and conducted countless demonstrations for a variety of audiences.
Seyler was extremely involved in the American Chemical Society, serving as the local section chair and counselor for many years and sat on national level committees. He assisted local industries with chemistry projects, sat on the board of Indiana Department of Environmental Management for 10 years and was a member of the Alocoa Community Foundation Board. He also participated in the Ohio Valley Watch Group. His kindness, patience, creativity and optimistic outlook on life will live on in the lives he has touched.
Here is how a few remember him.
Dr. Ken Walsh, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Chemistry Department
“Jeff was positive; he never gave up on students even when other professors had. We never saw him frustrated, even when me, other colleagues and students gave him reasons to be. He used a lot of demonstrations in his classroom. He liked to do explosions in a trash can with liquid nitrogen; at one point he even got a trash can lid stuck in the ceiling of Carter Hall doing this experiment. Jeff's absence in our department has left a large gap. He will be missed deeply by the faculty and students in our department.”
Carrie Wright, Instructor in Geology
“Before the pandemic, I used to walk and read in the halls and Jeff would always ask me what I was reading, and we would have short discussions of books in passing in the halls. He was always enthusiastic about what I was reading, whether it was about geology or Jane Austen.”
Dr. William Elliot, Professor of Geology and Chair of Geology and Physics Department
“Jeff was quick to provide encouraging words—whether he simply stated, ‘We’ll get there’ with a degree program or research proposal, shared his positive attitude towards criticism or gave a simple smile and ‘hello’ as our paths crossed in the hallway. I especially enjoyed my time with Jeff at the outreach activities that we teamed up on, whether it was conducting ‘shows’ for visiting school groups, our work with the Helfrich STEM Academy or the long hours of judging at the Tri-State Science and Engineering Fair. My fondest memories of Jeff are those where he was surrounded by middle school and high school students engaged with hands-on learning. I will miss my friend and his passion for teaching science.”
Dr. Henri Maurice, Associate Professor of Biology
“What elementary school kid wouldn’t find chemistry exciting and interesting after seeing, for example, what happens to a rubber ball placed into liquid nitrogen? Dr. Seyler was probably the biggest promoter of chemistry to all sorts of audiences that I have ever known.”