Professional Biographical Data
Present Positions
The Pennsylvania State University
Evan Pugh Professor of the Solid State Emeritus; Professor of Science, Technology and Society Emeritus; Professor of Geochemistry Emeritus
The Arizona State University
Distinguished Professor in the Materials Program
The University of Arizona
Visiting Professor of Medicine
Birth and Citizenship
July 3, 1924; Ranchi, Bihar Province, India; naturalized U.S. citizen, 1961
Education
St. Paul’s School, Darjeeling, India, 1934-39; Cambridge School Certificate, 1939.
Patna University, 1940-44: B.Sc. (Hons) 1942, and M.Sc. 1944, in Physical Chemistry.
The Pennsylvania State University, 1946-48: Ph.D. in Ceramics, 1948.
Work Experience
The Pennsylvania State University: Postdoctoral Fellow, 1948-49
Government of India, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Calcutta, India: Senior Scientific Officer, 1950
The Pennsylvania State University:
Research Associate 1950-51, Assistant Professor 1951-54, Associate Professor 1954-57, Professor of Geochemistry 1957-present; Professor of the Solid State 1967-present; Evan Pugh Professor 1981-present.
(First) Chairman, Solid State Technology interdisciplinary graduate degree program 1959-67
(First) Director, Materials Research Laboratory 1962-85
Science, Technology and Society Program 1969-present: Chairman 1977-84; (First) Director 1984-1990
The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC: Science Policy Fellow 1982-83
Institute for Policy studies; Washington, D.C.; Visiting fellow 1980-85
Professional Activities
Life Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America
Fellow of the American Ceramic Society; Chairman, Basic Science Division 1967-68;
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Chair, Chemistry Section 1985-86
Fellow, American Physical Society
Materials Research Society, Principal architect and Founding member 1973; Councillor, 1973-88, 1990-; Vice President 1975-76; President 1976
National Association for Science, Technology and Society, Founder and first President, 1988; Corporate Chair, 1989-96
Co-chairman, first “International Conference on the Characterization of Materials,” November 1966
Chairman, first U.S. delegation to “Japan-American International Cooperation Seminar on Ceramic Materials,” Tokyo, Japan, 1969
Chairman, “National Colloquy on the Field of Materials,” 1969
Chairman, First Colloquy on University-Industry Research Cooperation, 1972
Co-chair, Inaugural Meeting of the Materials Research Society, University Park, PA, 1973
Chairman, Steering Committee, NAS-NAE Conference on “Materials and the Development of Nations,” 1976
Co-chairman, International Summer School on Crystal Growth, 1977
Opening Plenary Speaker, “First International Conference on New Materials,” Osaka, Japan, October 1986;
XI Intl. Conference on Reactivity of Solids, Princeton, NJ, 1988.
Opening Plenary Speaker, International Conference on New Diamond Science and Technology, Kobe, Japan,
July 1994
Opening Plenary Speaker, Austceram International Conference, Sydney, Australia, 1994
Opening Plenary Speaker, First World Congress on Microwave Processing, Orlando, FL, January 1997
Chairman and Organizer, First national STS Conference on Technological Literacy, Baltimore, MD, 1986
Organizer, International Conference on Science of Materials Synthesis, 1990
Chair, Second International Conference of New Diamond Technology, Washington, DC, 1990
Organizer and Chairman, Roundtable on Impact of Science on Society at the Gorbachev “State of the World” Forum, San Francisco, 1995, 1996, 1997
Organizer and Chair, International Conference of Advances in Real Materials, Washington D.C., 1998
Organizer and Chair, Interdisciplinarity Revisited: Materials Research as a Case Study, University Park, PA.
Founder and Joint Editor-in-Chief, Materials Research Bulletin, published by Pergamon Press, 1965-85; Honorary Founding Editor, 1985-
Founding Editor, Journal of Educational Modules for Materials Science and Engineering (now called The Journal of Materials Education), 1979-present
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society, Pergamon Press, 1981-87 (STS Press 1987-97) Sage Science Press 1997-
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Materials Research Innovations, Published by Springer Verlag, 1997-
Foreign Counselor, Societe Francaise de Mineralogie, 1973-80
Editorial Boards of Journal of Materials Science, 1966-69; Journal of Crystal Growth, 1967-79; Chemical and Engineering News, 1970-73 and 1976-79; Annual Reviews of Materials Science, 1970-74; Journal of Materials Chemistry, 1990-93; Technology and Society 1982-
Member, Advisory Council, School of Engineering, Stanford University, 1982-86
Professional Recognition and Awards
AAAS, Fellow, 1978
American Physical Society, Fellow, 1990
American Ceramic Society, Fellow, 1967
Ceramic Society of Japan, Fellow, 1991
National Academy of Engineering (U.S.), elected 1973
Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, Foreign Member, elected 1977
Indian National Science Academy, Foreign Fellow, elected 1984
Indian Academy of Sciences, Honorary Fellow, 1990
Engineering Academy of Japan, Foreign Associate, 1991
Academy of Russian Sciences Foreign Member; elected 1999
Ceramic Society of Japan, Honorary member, 1991
Ceramic Society of Japan (Centennial) International Award, 1991
Hibbert Lecturer (Centenary year), London University, England, 1979
Honorary doctorate, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 1987
Honorary doctorate, Alfred University, 1993
U.S. National Academy of Sciences, International Science Lecturer (Materials), 1991-92
Mineralogical Society of America Award, 1957 (chief national award in the Geological Sciences for the most significant research by a younger scientist)
Federation of Materials Societies, National Materials Advancement Award (1991)
American Ceramic Society, Sosman Lecturer, 1975, Orton Lecturer, 1984
American Ceramic Society, Distinguished Life Member (1993)
Ceramic Educational Council (U.S.) Ceramic Educator of the Year (1993)
American Chemical Society DuPont Award in Chemistry of Materials, 1993
American Society for Engineering Education, Centennial Medal, 1993; Installed in Hall of Fame, 1993 (one of 43 in 100 years).
American Society for Materials, Alpha Sigma Mu Lecturer, 1994
Japan Fine Ceramics Association, International Prize, 1991
Ellis Island Hall of Fame, Installed in 1996
Welch Lecturer, Texas Universities, 1974; Fairchild Lecturer, Lehigh University, 1976
Beth Anne Harnish Lecturer, Fresno State, 1989; McConnell Lecturer, Oregon, 1988; Gross Lecturer, Valparaiso, Indiana, 1991
Mineral, “Rustumite,” named after him by Cambridge University colleagues
Research Areas
New Materials Preparation and Characterization; Crystal Chemistry, Synthesis, Stability, Phase Equilibria and Crystal Growth in Non-Metallic Systems; Ultrahigh Pressure Reactions in Solids; Radioactive waste forms; nanocomposites, zero-expansion ceramics, diamond films
New Materials Processing. Principal architect of sol-gel and hydrothermal processes; microwave and pulsed laser processing
Science, Technology and Human Values, Science and Public Policy, Science Technology and Religion
Technological literacy for all citizens
Innovative science education, via new epistemology, new materials and new delivery systems
Integrative Medicine data precursors to paradigm changing science
Industrial Experience
Founder and Director, Tem-Pres Research, Inc. 1957-69
Consultant retained by:
The Xerox Corporation 1963-83; The Carborundum Company 1962-1987; Bausch and Lomb 1962-1991; The Lanxide Corporation 1984-94
Initiator of University-Industry Consortia:
Industrial Coupling Program at The Pennsylvania State University 1963-present; Consortia Chemically Bonded Ceramics (1985-1997) and Diamond and Related Materials (1986-94)
Materials Advisory Panel for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Chair 1965-78
Committee Activities (National and State)
National Academy of Sciences:
Mineral Science and Technology Committee, Member 1966-69; Chairman, Panel on Non-metallic Materials 1966-69; Committee on the Survey of Materials 1970-74; Chairman, Panel on Universities 1970-74
Committee on Materials Science and Engineering, member, 1986-98. Vice-chair, Panel on International Cooperation and Competitiveness, 1986-91
National Academy of Sciences/National Academy of Engineering/National Research Council:
National Materials Advisory Board, Member 1970-76; Chairman, Council of Materials Science-Technology Interface 1970-76; Committee on Radioactive Waste Management 1972-75; 1976-80; Chairman, Panel on Waste Solidification 1976-79; Committee on USSR and Eastern Europe 1974-79; Chairman 1976-79; National Research Council, Member 1962-72; Executive Committee of Chemistry Division, Member 1967-72; Materials Advisory Board: Committee on Ceramic Materials, Member 1963-64; Committee on Materials Characterization 1964-66; Chairman, Panel on Structural Characterization 1964-66; Committee on Ceramic Processing 1966-68
National Science Foundation:
Advisory Committee on Ethical and Human Value Implications of Science and Technology 1973-76
Engineering Advisory Committee 1968-72
Advisory Committee to Division of Materials Research, Metallurgy and Materials Section 1973-77
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor’s Science Advisory Committee: Member under Governors Scranton, Shafer and Shapp, 1965-78; Member Science and Technology Task Force under Governor Casey, 1987-88
Co-Professional Activities (National and State)
National Council of Churches:
Planning and Strategy Committee, 1964-70
Chairman, Committee on Science, Technology and the Church, 1966-68
Dag Hammarskjold College, Columbia, MD: Member, Board of Governors, 1968-75; Chairman, 1970-72; 1974-75
Kirkridge Retreat Center, Bangor, PA: Member, Board of Directors, 1956-83; Chairman, 1970-72
Calvert Social Investment Fund, Advisory Committee, 1990-; Calvert World Values Fund, Director, 1992-
Lecturer, and author of magazine articles and books, on the interaction of religion and philosophy with science and contemporary society
Founder and Chair “Friends of Health,” advocating not for profit whole person healing
Publications
6 books; 800+ papers in science, 250+ papers in science and society-related papers; 25 patents and patents pending
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