An open house in honor of Greg McCarthy is scheduled for Wednesday, June 15, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the atrium of Research 2. McCarthy is retiring after 32 years of service to NDSU.
McCarthy joined NDSU as professor of chemistry and geology in 1979. He served as director of the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute from 1992 to 2001, chair of the Department of Chemistry from 1993 to 2001, associate vice president for interdisciplinary research from 2001 to 2010, and as the founding director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering from 2002 to 2009.
McCarthy earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Boston College and a doctoral degree in solid state science from The Pennsylvania State University. He spent the next 10 years on the faculty of Penn State’s Materials Research Laboratory. There, his research emphasized crystal chemistry and synthesis of ceramic materials, and new materials for safe disposal of high-level nuclear wastes.
At NDSU, McCarthy taught general chemistry, analytical chemistry and solid state chemistry courses in the chemistry department, as well as mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry in the geology department. He received numerous recognitions for his teaching.
McCarthy’s research at NDSU emphasized X-ray analysis of solids, mineralogy and the reuse or safe disposal of solid industrial wastes. During his career, McCarthy wrote or co-wrote nearly 200 papers and book chapters, and edited or co-edited 14 books and two scientific journals. His research funding at Penn State and NDSU, obtained from numerous federal and private sector sources, totaled nearly $2.7 million. As center or project director, McCarthy administered more than $130 million in research funding between 2000 and 2009.
McCarthy’s awards and recognition include: Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1985), Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award for Meritorious Teaching (1988), College of Science and Mathematics Dean’s Award for Distinguished Service (1990), NDSU Faculty Lecturer (1992), Fargo Chamber of Commerce NDSU Distinguished Professor (1995) and Distinguished Fellow of the International Center for Diffraction Data (2005). Among his many professional activities, McCarthy was particularly active in the development of the Materials Research Society between 1978 and 1990, and in leadership of the International Center for Diffraction Data from 1973 to 1993, including serving as chairman of the board from 1982 to 1986.
McCarthy and his wife, Denise, a recipient of many awards including the Milken Family Foundation Educator Award for excellence in teaching science and math, established the McCarthy Science Teacher Education Scholarship Fund in 1998 through the NDSU Development Foundation. Outstanding students in the physical sciences have received scholarship awards annually from the McCarthy Fund, through the College of Science and Mathematics.
