Richard K. Vitek, a 1958 chemistry graduate, began his career as a research chemist producing uranium from ore, before moving on to work as a scientist, director and startup CEO. His accomplishments include working with the U.S. Coast Guard to develop UV imaging instruments that analyze oil spills to identify the tankers responsible and develop a method of testing arsenic levels in wine that led the Environmental Protection Agency to impose stricter limits on pesticide use in U.S. vineyards.
Share This Story
Spark a Memory?
Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).
Creating fashion for feet
When Darla Ellis, a 2006 graduate in chemical engineering, began a summer internship with Nike, Inc. during her senior year…
Builders of the bomb
The U.S. government’s Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the first nuclear weapons, was a massive but highly…
Tina (Pankey) and Patrick Hammond
Tina (Pankey) and Patrick Hammond met through mutual friends at a party in November 2004. The couple had their first…
Martin Jischke on increasing diversity
Martin C. Jischke, who served as chancellor at UMR between 1986 and 1991, describes the importance...
Abby (Pittroff) and Ryan Riess
Student athletes Abby (Pittroff) and Ryan Riess met in August 2002 outside the campus’s Rayle Cafeteria. “I thought to myself,…
Football, a history
The first game in Miner football history was played on Nov. 20, 1893, and the first Miner touchdown wasn’t scored…