Joined the Nu Chapter of Zeta Psi Fraternity.
Junior project with Kerro Knox. Determined the X-ray space group of an inorganic crystal by small crystal X-ray diffraction. (X-ray Crystallography). See also Single-crystal X-ray Diffraction.
Senior project with Donald R. Whitman. Performed electronic energy calculations (Quantum Mechanics, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics) for a small molecule on a mainframe computer to determine its molecular structure. (Theoretical Chemistry).
I chose to go to graduate school rather than look for immediate employment. My parents needed me to be mostly self sufficient at that point, and Donald R. Whitman, my senior research advisor suggested Ohio State University because their Chemistry Department had 6 or 7 theoreticians on their Physical Chemistry faculty (more than average) and with so many undergraduate students they paid graduate students to help teach them Chemistry and waived tuition fees to those who taught. I was accepted and chose to go there. And I was paid, modestly, but paid.
Thesis: "X-ray Studies on a Group III- Group V Lewis Base Adduct and an Acid Condensed Precursor to a Macrocyclic Ligand ". 1973.
Thesis: "ab initio Studies of Lithium Peroxide and the Transition Metal Trifluorides". 1976.
Interviewed for a postdoctoral research position in theory at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico.
The Department of Crystallography at the University of Pittsburgh was its own department at the time with George A. Jeffrey as Chairman. The only one like it in the United States. It was later absorbed into the Department of Chemistry.
I began applying and interviewing for non-research positions at this time. Then, out of the blue, Walter C. Ermler, whom I knew from Ohio State University, asked me to postdoc for him in his new faculty position at Stevens Institute of Technology in the Department of Chemistry. I decided to stay with research, at least for a while.
Actually one of my non-research applications came through. I interviewed and got an offer from the Chemistry division of Brookhaven National Laboratory. It was to support the computer operations in the department, much like the position I opted to take about five years later. I turned it down because I was newly enthusiastic about doing research, at least for the short term. I knew some of the researchers at Brookhaven as it was where the neutron diffraction studies were done (they had an active research nuclear reactor) in conjunction with the x-ray diffraction studies and computational electronic studies in the collaborative research I had been doing.
The Department of Crystallography was still its own department with George A. Jeffrey as Chairman. I "engineered" my return when research funds were drying up in the research group at Stevens Institute of Technology. To maintain my salary level, I needed to begin teaching Chemistry to undergraduates again.
Over this time I expanded my knowledge and support of computers at the expense of research. One day I saw an advertisement to run three VAX computers just bought in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. I applied and got the position offer.
As I realized that I was not going to significantly advance the theory of a field but only "turn the crank" on existing theories, I began to lose interest. This in no way devalues the education that I was fortunate enough to receive and my pride in that achievement. I learned a lot of Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. I'm proud to have learned Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics, Chemical Thermodynamics, Calculus, Special Relativity, General Relativity, and the mathematics of curved spaces (spacetime) that Einstein struggled to learn himself. I'm sure he mastered it better than I did though. And then came computers which intrigued me and became my bread and butter.
Carnegie-Mellon University Chemistry Department put together a counter proposal creating a full time computer support position there. It was very tempting, as I had the option to keep my hand in some research with them, but it was "softer" grant money than Penn's, and I knew from experience that keeping these department sized computers running properly left little time for research. I accepted the University of Pennsylvania offer.
[Professor John A. Pople later shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1998. In my research career I was fortunate enough to have met these Nobel Prize winners].
Effectively reported to the acting current Chairman of the Department and a small computer committee.
I watched Ben Goldstein come in and reorganize SAS Computing. He came to visit me in the Chemistry Department and said he felt that I already worked for him. I told him there were thirty some Chemistry faculty members that would disagree with him. I kept my departmental affiliation and watched his efforts. I then asked him for support, "no", and without missing a beat I said "well then, do you have a position for me?". I could tell he was interested, and a few days later he was at my office proposing pretty much what I wanted. I accepted the move to the School level.
Reported to Benjamin Goldstein for a couple of years.
Goldstein left with his leadership skills, management skills, logic, and reason.
Pedestrian IT management. I grew my retirement account and vested benefits while applying intellect at only the level deserved. I had no respect for the next two levels of management, for the first time in my life. Mordac. Pointy Haired Boss.
Then, in January 2007, I fired my bosses and retired early. See my retirement projects on my home page.