Washington College Announces Creegan Chair in Green Chemistry, Names First Recipient

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Anne Marteel-Parrish, an associate professor of chemistry at Washington College, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Frank J. Creegan Chair in Green Chemistry. The chair was established last spring with a $2 million gift from an anonymous donor in recognition of Professor Creegan’s 40-year service to the College and his longstanding development and oversight of the chemistry program.

Dr. Anne Marteel-Parrish, whose scholarship and research focus on the development of environmentally benign ceramics, will be invested in the Creegan Chair in Green Chemistry as part of a public ceremony Thursday, November 3, that brings to a close Washington College’s celebration of the International Year of Chemistry. On this occasion, the College will also present an honorary doctor of science degree to Nobel Prize winner Mario Molina, who shared the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role in discovering the threat that chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, pose to the earth's ozone layer. Molina will deliver an address titled "Chemistry and Climate Change" beginning at 5 pm. in Decker Theatre of the Gibson Center for the Arts.

With the creation of this new endowed chair, Washington College becomes only the second institution of higher learning in the country to designate a chair in green chemistry. Professor Terry Collins holds a similar chair at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Dr. Marteel-Parrish, who began teaching at Washington College in 2003, is nationally recognized for her work in green chemistry, a discipline that seeks to perform chemical reactions and experiments in environmentally benign ways. Often collaborating with students, she uses her training in synthetic inorganic chemistry to prepare compounds that can function as catalysts. She has published ten research-based peer-reviewed articles, the last four during her years at Washington College. She currently is working on a textbook in green chemistry, under contract with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Winner of the 2010 Award for Distinguished Teaching, Dr. Marteel-Parrish is also one of six recipients of the 2011 ACS-CEI Award for Incorporating Sustainability into Chemistry Education sponsored by the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Environmental Improvement.

Photos: Dr. Anne Marteel-Parrish, left, will be installed as the first holder of a chair in green chemistry that honors chemistry professor Frank J. Creegan, right, who taught at Washington College for four decades.