Harvard University chemistry professor and UC Davis alumnaCynthia M. Friend will share the secret of her unusual success when she speaks at the College of Letters and Science commencement, which begins at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, June 15. The 36-year-old Friend is the first and still the only female member of the chemistry faculty at Harvard, a 355-year-old institution. When she rose to the rank of full professor, it marked the first time in 20 years that a junior member of the chemistry faculty there had been promoted to a tenured position. Friend's research focuses on complex chemical reactions that occur on solid surfaces. She is particularly interested in defining the mechanism of reactions important in semiconductor device fabrication and heterogeneous catalysis, a means of speeding up desirable reactions, some of which are important in cleaning fuels of elements that contribute to acid rain. In her talk, "Science Graduates and the New World Order," she plans to encourage students to be daring and to take risks. "That's how I ended up at Harvard," she says. Friend will also address the need for graduates to develop a vision for the future and mold it to the needs of society.