Mildred S. Dresselhaus, Ph.D. (SC G ’51), passed away in February at the age of 86. Dr. Dresselhaus was a professor emerita at MIT and well-known for her research into the fundamental properties of carbon. She worked tirelessly in support of efforts to promote women in science. She was the first woman to secure a full professorship at MIT.
Read the obituary from The New York Times for more on her ideas that became the nanotube. She was awarded the National Medal of Science, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience, the Enrico Fermi prize, and dozens of honorary doctorates. She also served as president of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and worked in the Department of Energy in the Clinton administration.
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The University of Arizona (UA) College of Engineering has announced the establishment of the Raclare Cordis Kanal Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund “to celebrate her legacy and expand opportunity for future engineering students at the UA.” According to the article, Raclare earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and was acting president of the UA Engineering Council. She worked for RCA Corp. and was honored for her volunteer work wit the National Park Service.
She was the first female to be elected as a women’s badge holder of Tau Beta Pi at the Arizona Alpha Chapter at UA in 1953. The scholarship, established by her husband, will be available to undergraduate students in mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and other science, technology, engineering and math-related fields in the College of Engineering.
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Fifty years ago (March 21, 1967), the first underpass interchange was built in Brazos County, Texas. The district engineer for the Texas Highway Department at that time was Joe G. Hanover, TX D ’40, who oversaw the project. On the recent 50th anniversary of the underpass exchange on FM 60, the City of college Station presented Hanover with a proclamation, declaring March 21st “Joe Hanover Day.”
Hanover is currently 99-years old, but remembers the work well. “We felt great about being a part of the improvement of the world. Everything we ever built was an asset to transportation,” said Hanover. Click here to read the article.
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Tau Beta Pi 