Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 2, 1993 TAG: 9304020439
SECTION: FOUNDERS DAY PAGE: FD-11 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WORLD-CLASS CHEMIST RECOGNIZED
James McGrath, is "a world-class polymer chemist," according to colleagues at Virginia Tech. He holds 30 patents and has written six books, 50 book chapter and more than 200 articles in scientific journals.Yet when he talks about his research achievements, he uses the "we" word, not in the royal sense, but unwilling to separate his efforts from those of fellow researchers and students in chemistry.
McGrath's leadership has not been overlooked. He will receive the University's Alumni Award for Research Excellence.
What he enjoys most, he says, is working with students and research sponsors, identifying state-of-the-art materials and how they can be improved "on both an evolutionary and revolutionary scale."
"It is very satisfying to work with students who grow during this process and gain confidence as their education proceeds. It has been rewarding to be part of a program at Virginia Tech that is in the top rung internationally in organic materials research."
McGrath came to Virginia Tech in 1975 from Union Carbide Corp., where he was a research scientist and group leader. By 1979, he was a full professor, and in 1986 he received the Ethyl Chaired Professorship in chemistry. He has been co-director of the polymer materials and interface lab since 1978, and director of the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center since 1989.
His research has been directed towards investigation of synthetic rubber, structural adhesives, and materials for high-temperature use. Since becoming director of the NSF center, McGrath has focused on structural adhesives and new composite matrix polymers - strong, light-weight materials for aerospace.
While industry funds such application based research, the NSF center funds long-range research "to provide the fundamental basis for new materials through an interdisciplinary thrust. The principles we establish there we can apply to the needs of the Department of Defense, NASA, and industry."
McGrath's has taught everything from general chemistry and organic chemistry for undergraduates to advanced graduate courses. He developed an advanced undergraduate organic polymer chemistry corse for chemistry and chemical engineering students, and a graduate level chemistry course focusing on modern developments.