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UCF's Dr. Clausen is 2003 Outstanding Chemist
by Sae Schatz
ORLANDO, Dec. 20, 2003 - UCF Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Christian A. Clausen, was named one of the American Chemical Society's Outstanding Chemists of 2003. Each year the American Chemical Society (ACS) awards the "Outstanding Chemist" titles to chemists who have excelled at instruction, collaboration, research, and production.
Dr. Clausen has taught at UCF for more than 30 years. He has lectured to introductory freshman classes of 400 students, instructed 5-20 person graduate classes, and received recognition for his teaching, such as the UCF Excellence in Teaching Award (1992) and the Teacher Incentive Program Award (1995-96).
Dr. Clausen is also an accomplished researcher. He has authored over 100 publications and received grants totaling several million dollars during his time at UCF. Currently, he is working on a grant from NASA to develop a chemical process to remove PCBs from manufactured materials.
PCB stands for Polychlorinated biphenyls. PCBs are a cocktail of chemicals, first created in the 1920's, that were used in the manufacturing process of numerous items: from electronics to paints. In the 1970's, PCBs were linked to environmental and medical problems-including cancer in humans-and, consequently, discontinued. Today, PCBs are illegal to produce, but many older products (such as rocket launch platforms and navy ships) contain PCBs and are still in use.
Using nano-sized iron and magnesium particles in a special process, Dr. Clausen (along with his research associates, such as Drs. Cherie L. Geiger and Jacqueline W. Quinn) has found a way to safely breakdown the PCBs in materials without harming the surrounding structures. This process is superior to the current technology, which is to gather all materials that contain PCBs and bury them in a landfill.
Dr. Clausen and his associates have been working on this technology for the past three years. This spring they will conduct the first large-scale field test of the PCB-removing chemicals, but since they have already conducted many laboratory tests, Dr. Clausen is not worried about the results. "We have every indication that it will be successful," he says.
Dr. Clausen is involved with the new Chemistry Ph.D. program that UCF will begin offering in the spring of 2004, and he plans to remain at UCF for the foreseeable future. "I have been working for here for 35 years and hope to do it for a number more," he says. "I do not see retirement in my future; I enjoy what I do."
Dr. Clausen is a Professor of Chemistry at UCF. He specializes in environmental chemistry and the development of new industrial materials. Dr. Clausen can be reached at 407-823-2293 or clausen@ucf.edu.
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