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.

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Bringing it all together

Bringing it all together

Before retiring, civil engineering graduate John Mathes headed his own multidisciplinary engineering business that specialized in high-profile contamination projects. In…

Kathy (Stone) and Bob Phillips

Kathy (Stone) and Bob Phillips

Kathy (Stone) and Bob Phillips were both living in TJ Hall’s North Tower when they met in August 1986 while…

Lynnae (Kempf) and Joe Wilson

Lynnae (Kempf) and Joe Wilson

Lynnae (Kempf) and Joe Wilson met and became friends during their first week on campus as freshmen. “I was on…

Rosalie (Larson) and Stan Hadley

Rosalie (Larson) and Stan Hadley

Rosalie (Larson) and Stan Hadley met one Friday in September 1977 in TJ Hall. Rosalie’s roommate was a lab partner…

He even has a spaceship named after him

He even has a spaceship named after him

In 1967, Farouk El-Baz, was appointed by NASA as secretary of lunar landing site selection and chairman of astronaut training…

Builders of the bomb

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…