One of the many programs Phyllis helped to launch was the popular Holiday Lecture series modeled after the Faraday Christmas Lecture at the Royal Society in London. Many people may recall the lectures, "Once Upon a Midnight Cheery, in the Lab of Shakhashiri." The first Holiday Lecture was held on December 29, 1986 at the Boston Museum of Science. Despite dour predictions from cynics who insisted no one would come, the lecture was very popular with an audience of 350 (and several hundred people were turned away at the door).

Over the years, Phyllis organized numerous lectures featuring chemistry educators, such as Hubert Alyea, Jerry Bell, and Dudley Herschbach. The lectures have always been free to the public and have drawn enthusiastic audiences of all ages.

In commemoration of Phyllis’ lifetime of work, the Northeastern Section of the ACS has instituted the annual Phyllis A. Brauner Memorial Lecture, to be held during National Chemistry Week. The guest lecturers are scientists dedicated to disseminating chemical knowledge to the general public and the lectures usually include chemistry demonstrations to amaze, delight, and involve the audience.

The Phyllis A. Brauner Memorial Lecture Endowment will support the expenses for the annual event and will also include financial assistance to some financially disadvantaged local schools to help make their attendance at the lecture possible.