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).
George Mueller: ensuring the ‘moonshot’
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,” President John F. Kennedy said…
Alumni leading the telecommunications industry
Roy Wilkens, EE’66, and Mario A. Padilla, MetE’60, worked for years to challenge and change the status of the telecommunications…
Harvest Collier on student success
Harvest Collier, a professor of chemistry, served several years in the early 21st century as vice provost...
The house that Michael Lancey built
The original Yankee Stadium, completed in 1923, came to be known as “The House That Ruth Built,” in recognition of…
Surveying the future of mining
Karl F. Hasselmann, who graduated in 1925 with a degree in mining engineering, was oil prospecting in Europe when he…
Jack Ridley: a humanist among engineers
Jack Ridley, who won many teaching awards during his career, describes the circumstances he faced as a new...