Theoretical Chemist Is First Woman To Head Penn State Department

Barbara Garrison, 40, was recently named head of the department of chemistry at Penn State University, becoming the first woman ever to achieve that status at the school. Garrison, a theoretical chemist who has written more than 100 publications and has given nearly 100 invited talks, is widely known for her models of the interaction of energetic particles with solids and has worked extensively with supercomputers. Recently, her modeling methods have been successful in mimicking thin-film growth of single-crystal silicon. The results predicted by her models were confirmed through the use of the scanning tunneling microscope. Garrison, whose appointment was effective July 17, takes command of the Penn State chemistry department at a time when “we see the traditional areas of chemistry and their related subjects to be rapidly blurring. “The challenge, says Garrsion “is to find new mechanisms for providing a strong educational foundation while still allowing students to carry out research across disci-plines.” Garrison says she plans to hire faculty members “whose interests cut across the traditional chemistry areas,” continuing a tradition that has developed at Penn State over the past few years. Born in Big Rapids, Mich., Garrison received her B.S. in physics from Arizona State University in 1971, and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1975. She is a member of the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, and the American Vacuum Society. Garrison has received several awards, including an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the Peter Mark Award from the American Vacuum Society, and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. Garrison has also received 25 grants, the most recent of which is a three-year, $255,000 award from the National Science Foundation for the theoretical studies of etching and growth dynamics at surfaces. Charles J. Thoman has been named chairman of the department of chemistry at Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. Thoman’s current research falls under two main categories: the chemical and biochemical properties of Polysorbate 80, a substance found in many foods and cosmetics, and the synthe-sis of potentially active pharmaceutical drugs and antiviral agents. Thoman previously chaired the chemistry departments at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Tex., and the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. He has also served as president of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Regional Tissue and Transplant Bank and was consultant to the Pennsylvania Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Glenn Paulson, director of the Center for Hazardous Waste Management at the Illinois Institute of Technology Center in Chicago, has been appointed to thenational Board on Radioactive Waste Management and has also been elected secretary and treasurer of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing Inc. As a member of the Board on Radioactive Waste Management, which operates within the charter of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council, he will help to identify problem areas in the management of radioactive, hazardous, and mixed radioactive and hazardous wastes that are of national concern and pose an environmental threat. In his post at the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, Paulson will work to improve relationships between scientists and the media and the standards of science journalism. Polymer physicist John T. Bendler and electron microscopist Ernest L. Hall, both of the General Electric Company, Schenectady, N.Y, are winners of the Coolidge Fellowship Award, granted each year by the General Electric Research and Development Center to staff members who have made outstanding and sustained contributions to scientific research and development. Bendler was honored for his study of the engineering ‘mechanisms of glassy polymers and polymer blends. Hall received accolades for his pioneering work in electron microscopy, in particular its applications to problems in materials and metallurgy. Each Coolidge Fellow receives a medallion and a year’s leave, supported by the R&D Center, to explore a research pursuit of his own choice. Gary S. Montry, a physicist with the Sandia National Laboratory, has joined Myrias Computer Corp. as a consultant systems engineer. With co-workers John L. Gustafson and Robert E. Benner, Montry won the Gordon Bell Prize in 1988 for achieving the highest speedup ever attained with a mas siveiy parallel system. With the advent of the new Myrias SPS-2 and PAMS engine, Montry plans to work on increasing the potential applications of parallel processing. A Sandia scientist for nine years, Montry will work for the Myrias sales and marketing organization. He will provide customer assistance and will help design future Myrias systems. Virginia P. Orndoff has been named Biotechnology Area program director for the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute (CATI), an organization created by 1983 Colorado legislation for the purpose of fostering research excellence and technology transfer from the universities to the private sector. Orndoff, former program manager of the Health Science Technology Center in Augusta, Ga., will be responsible’ for planning, implementing, and directing new biotechnology programs and activities at CATI.

Theoretical Chemist Is First Woman To Head Penn State Department

The Scientist Staff

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of