May 2007

Class Notes

Barbara Burke (BS '81, Science), associate professor of speech communication at the University of Minnesota, Morris, is spending her sabbatical at the University of Iceland. She is conducting research on Icelandic interpretations of imported media and is teaching courses in media literacy and advance media theory for the Department of Sociology and Journalism.

David J. Burinsky (PhD '82, Chemistry) was named as one of four recipients of the 2007 Jesse S. Heiges Distinguished Alumnus Award given by Shippensburg University. Burinsky graduated from Shippensburg in 1978 and is currently a principal investigator with GlaxoSmithKline in Research Triangle Park, NC, working in pre–clinical development. In addition to his corporate responsibilities and involvement with Shippensburg University, Dr. Burinsky maintains associations with the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, Duke University and Lehigh University through research collaborations and advisory roles. He is an Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at UNC. His professional activities include membership on several committees of national scientific organizations such as the American Chemical Society and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, serving as peer reviewer for several professional scientific journals, authorship or co–authorship of more than sixty professional publications and presentations, and organizer of numerous scientific symposia. In 2004, he served as a member of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Shared Instrumentation Review Panel. A 1982 recipient of a National Academy of Sciences Research Fellowship, Burinsky has subsequently received recognition awards for his scientific work at both J&J and GlaxoSmithKline. His community service activities have included adult leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America, membership on the Board of Directors and Audience Advisory Committees of local symphony orchestras in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, and serving as a judge for local school science fairs. A participant in the Shippensburg University Alumni Career Speakers program, he also serves as a member of the Dean's Advisory Board for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Achille Giacometti (PhD '93, Physics) is an associate professor at Dipartimento di Chimica Fisica, Università Ca' Foscari, in Venice, Italy.

Daniel A. Gilchrist (BS '96, Biological Sciences) received his PhD in Biology from Stanford University in 2003.

Stacy L. Grooms (BS '85, Chemistry) was recently promoted to Director of Business Support Operations for IBM Global Financing.

Charles W. Neal (PhD '80, Chemistry) married Barbara Wright on June 17, 2006. They have a combined 7 children, only one of which is living at home. Daniel is a sophomore at Fairfield High School. Charles has been employed at Procter and Gamble since graduating from Purdue in 1980. He writes, "My first six years were spent providing analytical and process chemistry support in product development. In 1986, I was promoted to technology leader and transferred to product supply in the engineering organization leading raw material and process chemistry efforts. While in product supply I was promoted to section head in 1993 and technology associate director in 2000. In 1996 I was inducted into the PRISM Society (Professional Recognition for Individual Sustained Mastery), consisting of 36 active members worldwide. In 2003, I transferred to Upstream Technology Development with the goal of developing breakthrough products and manufacturing platforms with a time horizon of 5–10 years."

Kimberly W. Van Gessel (BS '97, MS '00, Atmospheric Sciences) and her husband Jeramie welcomed their son, Conner Joseph, and their daughter, Chloe Marie, on January 17. She says that big brother Jake loves giving them kisses.

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