December 2005

Chemistry celebrates outstanding alums

The Department of Chemistry at Purdue University held its annual Distinguished Alumni celebration, honoring nine former students whose outstanding achievement in professional and related fields truly merit distinction. The Chemistry alumni honored included:

Dr. Harold E. Guard, B.S. 1964
Dr. Guard joined the Chemistry Division of the Office of Naval Research in 1983 where he helped to establish the first national program in molecular recognition. He served as vice-chair of the Historically Black College and University Council at the ONR and was instrumental in developing basic and applied environmental research. He is a recipient of a Navy, Meritorious Civilian Service Award. In 2003, he received a Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive as Head, Warfighter Performance Department, ONR.

Dr. Joel M. Harris, Ph.D. 1976
Dr. Harris is currently a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Adjunct Professor of Bioengineer¬ing at the University of Utah. Harris’s research has focused on analytical chemistry and spectroscopy of trace-level species in liquids and at liquid/solid interfaces. He has pioneered surface-selective spectroscopies for investi¬gating interfacial molecular transport, adsorption, and binding in chemical separations and analysis. Harris is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received the American Chemical Society Award in Analytical Chemistry in 2005.

Ms. Valerie J. Kuck, M.S. 1965
For 34 years, Ms. Kuck worked at Bell Labs, then part of AT&T, in areas ranging from basic to applied research. During that time, she was awarded 21 U.S. patents. The American Chemical Society has recognized Kuck for her work in encouraging women into careers in the chemical sciences. In 2004, she was the first recipient of the Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society. Currently, she is a visiting professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department and in the Women's Studies Program at Seton Hall University.

Dr. John P. Lawrence, Ph.D. 1970
Dr. Lawrence is Vice President of R&D for Delta Plant Technologies, a company he co-founded in 2003. DPT is developing agronomics and processing technologies for production of natural rubber and fuel ethanol feedstock in North America. Prior to this venture he was Vice President of Research for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company where he was employed for 33 years. He currently holds 20 U.S. patents. John has been a member of the Purdue College of Science Dean’s Leadership Council since 2003.

Mr. Steven M. Odre, M.S. 1973
Mr. Odre began his career as a patent attorney in 1981 at Monsanto Agricultural Company. After working in patent law at Abbott Laboratories and Searle Pharmaceuticals, Odre joined Amgen in May 1986. He served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel-Intellectual Property for 14 years. He became Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, serving on Amgen’s Executive Committee, until his retirement in 2004. Odre is a member of the American Bar Association and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.

Dr. Arthur L. Ruoff, B.S. 1952
As the Class of 1912 Professor of Engineering at Cornell University, Ruoff’s research on the study of materials at ultrahigh static pressures is world-renowned.
For his scientific contributions, he received the Bridgman Award in 1993. He also served Cornell as Director of the Materials Science and Engineering Dept for over 10 years and has been recognized as both an outstanding educator and administrator. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and was recognized by the University of Utah as a distinguished alumnus in 2004.

Dr. Robert E. Santini, Ph.D. 1970
Since 1970, Dr. Santini has worked with the faculty and staff of the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University to design and construct state-of-the-art instrumentation. During his tenure at Purdue, Santini was responsible for the design and construction of radio frequency instrumentation including NMR. He served as Instrumentation Director of the NIH Regional Resource Center in NMR for 12 years. He is currently Director of the Jonathan Amy Facility for Chemical Instrumentation.

Mr. C. Virgil St. John, M.S. 1946
After leaving Purdue University, Mr. St. John spent three years working on the Manhattan Project of the Atomic Energy Commission, receiving a distinguished service award. St. John spent the rest of his 42-year career at Eli Lilly and Company, retiring in 1987 as Vice President of Manufacturing Operations. In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees, he received an honorary doctorate from Manchester College in 1999. St. John received the Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 2001 and was most recently inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame.

Dr. Vincent R. Zurawski, Jr., Ph.D. 1973
In 1979, Dr. Zurawski helped to found Centocor, Inc., developing and implementing the successful business strategy of the company and the development of its cancer diagnostic products. In 1992, Zurawski was founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Apollon, Inc. He served as Director for Research Business Development for the University of Pennsylvania Health System and School of Medicine for two years before joining Compugen, Inc. Since that time, Zurawski has been involved in a number of start-up biotechnology companies. He is currently President of Varinel, Inc. and Auburn Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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