April 29, 2009

College of Science recognizes 12 as distinguished alumni

The Distinguished Science Alumni Awards were established to annually recognize outstanding achievement in professional or related science fields.

"The honorees have illustrated his and her impact in their chosen fields," said Jonathan Harbor, interim dean of the College of Science. "They have shown in many ways how a Purdue education can fuel success and are an inspiration to our students."

The 2009 distinguished science alumni are:

* Charles A. Bryan of Columbus, Ohio, who is president and founder of CAB Consulting, a firm providing management, statutory accounting and consulting services to companies, regulatory agencies and law firms. He also is interim CEO of Medical Mutual of Ohio. Bryan received his master's degree from Purdue in 1969. He earned his bachelor's degree from John Carroll University in 1968 and his master's degree in business administration from Golden State University in 1976.

* Shirley A. Buccieri of Menlo Park, Calif., who is a business consultant, lecturer and investor who in 2003 founded Willow Place Partners, an adviser to public company clients at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and all aspects of General Motors Corp. Buccieri received her bachelor's degree and doctorate from Purdue in 1973 and 1977, respectively. She earned her law degree from the University of Akron School of Law in 1983.

* L. Dean Chapman of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, who is special adviser for the nuclear initiative special projects team at the University of Saskatchewan. He has served as a professor and research chair in X-ray imaging in the university's anatomy and cell biology department since 2003. Chapman earned his doctorate from Purdue in 1981 and his bachelor's degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1975.

* J. Alfred Chiscon of West Lafayette, Ind., who retired from Purdue's biological sciences department in 1998 after 44 years of teaching. He received that department's first undergraduate teaching award in 1994, which was eventually renamed after him. Chiscon earned his master's degree and doctorate from Purdue in 1956 and 1961, respectively. He earned his bachelor's degree from Bloomsburg University in 1954.

* Martha O. Chiscon of West Lafayette, Ind., who retired in 2000 as a professor in the biological sciences department and serving the College of Science as assistant and associate dean. Chiscon, who is married to J. Alfred Chiscon, helped draw up language to bring women's sports under the NCAA as Purdue's faculty representative to the Big Ten. She earned her doctorate from Purdue in 1971 and her bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University in 1956.

* Marla M. Glover of Lafayette, Ind., instructs high school students in mathematics, science and physics in the Rossville Consolidated School District, where she has worked since 1982. She was named the American Association of Physics Teachers' Indiana Teacher of the Year in 2007 and has made presentations to the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers Inc. Glover earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Purdue in 1982 and 1985, respectively.

* Linda S. Graebner of Oakland, Calif., who is a veteran consumer products and direct marketing executive. She is founder of LG Associates, a management consulting company that assists consumer, manufacturing and retail businesses. As CEO of Tilia Inc., she transformed the company into a leader in small kitchen appliances. Graebner earned her bachelor's degree from Purdue in 1972 and her master's degree in business from Stanford University in 1974.

* J. Mark Lester of Edmond, Okla., who is the executive vice president of exploration for the Chesapeake Energy Corp. He has been involved as a geologist/geophysicist in exploring for oil and gas since joining the company as one of its founding employees in 1989. Lester was named School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences' outstanding alumnus in 2007. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Purdue in 1975 and 1977, respectively.

* John P. Longenecker of San Diego, Calif., who served as president and CEO of Favrille Inc. until its merger earlier this year with MyMedicalRecords.com. Since 2002 Longenecker led Favrille, a biopharmaceutical company focused on research, development and commercialization of targeted treatments for cancer and diseases of the immune system.  He earned his bachelor's degree from Purdue in 1969 and his doctorate from Australian National University in 1980.

* Frederick J. Palensky of St. Paul, Minn., who is the executive vice president for research and development and chief technology officer for 3M. Palensky has worked to drive increased investment in research and development. Since taking over in 2006, 3M's new products development increased, making up a quarter of the company's $26 billion in annual global sales in 2008. Palensky received his doctorate from Purdue in 1977.

* William F. Stout of Champaign, Ill., who is a statistics professor at the University of Illinois. From 2001 to 2002 Stout served as president of the Psychometric Society, an international organization devoted to the advancement of quantitative measurement practices in psychology, education and the social sciences. Stout received his master's degree and doctorate from Purdue in 1964 and 1967, respectively. He earned his bachelor's degree from Penn State University in 1962.

* Stuart H. Zweben of Columbus, Ohio, who is associate dean for academic affairs and administration at Ohio State University's College of Engineering. He also serves as a professor of computer science and engineering at Ohio State. Before becoming associate dean, Zweben served as chair of the university's computer science engineering department for 11 years. He earned his master's degree and doctorate from Purdue in 1971 and 1974, respectively. He earned his bachelor's degree from City College of New York in 1968.

The College of Science has 324 faculty members and enrolls more than 1,000 graduate students and nearly 3,000 undergraduates. It is made up of seven departments: biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and atmospheric sciences, mathematics, physics, and statistics.

Writer: Clyde Hughes, 765-494-2073, jchughes@purdue.edu

Sources: Jonathan Harbor, 765-494-1938, jharbor@purdue.edu

Karen Pulliam, communication & media coordinator, College of Science, 765-494-1764, kp@purdue.edu  

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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