Catherine T. Hunt

{{Short description|American chemist (born 1955)}}

{{Infobox scientist

| name = Catherine T. Hunt

| image = Catherine Hunt Innovation Day 2006.jpg

| caption = Hunt in 2006

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|6|29}}

| birth_place = Bronxville, New York, USA

| fields = Chemistry

| workplaces = {{plainlist|

}}

| alma_mater = {{plainlist|

}}

| known_for = 2007 President of the American Chemical Society

}}

Catherine T. Hunt (born June 29, 1955) is an American chemist. In 2007, she served as the president of the American Chemical Society (ACS). She was a director at Dow Chemical Company.

Early life and education

One of seven siblings, Hunt was born in Bronxville, New York, in 1955.{{Cite web |title=Oral history interview with Catherine T. Hunt |url=https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/q6xqonu |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Science History Institute Digital Collections |language=en}} She received her bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1977 from Smith College and her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1981 from University of California, Davis, where she worked on nuclear magnetic resonance supervised by Alan Balch. She then moved to a postdoctoral fellowship with Ian Armitage, Robert Shulman{{Clarify|reason=Is this (to be linked to) Robert G. Shulman?|date=June 2021}}, and James Prestegard at Yale University from 1982 to 1984.{{cite web|author=Center for Oral History| title= Catherine T. Hunt |url=https://oh.sciencehistory.org/oral-histories/hunt-catherine-t|website= Science History Institute }}{{cite book|first=Hilary |last=Domush|title=Catherine T. Hunt, Transcript of an Interview Conducted by Hilary Domush at Rohm and Haas Corporate Headquarters and The Chemical Heritage Foundation Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 26 March and 28 August 2009 |date=28 August 2009 |url=https://oh.sciencehistory.org/sites/default/files/hunt_ct_0694_suppl.pdf|place=Philadelphia, PA|publisher=Chemical Heritage Foundation }}{{cite web|title=Catherine T. Hunt|url=http://www.aiche.org/cei/community/bio/catherine-t-hunt|publisher=American Institute of Chemical Engineers|accessdate=17 September 2015|date=2013-11-21}}

Career

After her postdoctoral fellowship, Hunt became a senior scientist at Rohm and Haas in 1984 and subsequently held a variety of management positions within the company. When Rohm and Haas was bought by Dow Chemical Company in 2009, she transitioned into a research and development director role there, and has since retired.{{cite web|title=Catherine Hunt|url=http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/experts/catherine-hunt.html|website=American Chemical Society|accessdate=17 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914174406/http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/experts/catherine-hunt.html|archive-date=14 September 2015|url-status=dead}}

In 2007, Hunt served as president of the American Chemical Society, having been elected in 2006 in the first ACS election for which internet voting was available.{{cite web|last1=Raber|first1=Linda|title=Catherine Hunt Is 2006 ACS President-Elect|url=http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/83/i47/8347acspresident.html|website=Chemical & Engineering News|publisher=American Chemical Society|accessdate=18 September 2015|date=21 November 2005}} She has expressed her belief that the U.S. should "reignite its commitment to science" both in her inaugural speech and her petition to President George W. Bush prior to her presidency.{{Cite web |date=2019-05-06 |title=CATHERINE T. "KATIE" HUNT |url=https://phillyacs.org/catherine-t-katie-hunt/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=PhillyACS |language=en}} She ran on a platform of broader public outreach and interest in science education. She also served on the board of directors from 2006 to 2008 and is part of the Women Chemists Committee of Philadelphia ACS.

Awards and memberships

Hunt became a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2007.

Hunt was named one of the “Best 50 Women in Business” in Pennsylvania by Governor Rendell in 2007.{{Cite web |title=Sylvia M. Stoesser Lecturer 2011-12 - catherine t. "katie" hunt {{!}} Chemistry at Illinois |url=https://chemistry.illinois.edu/sylvia-m-stoesser-lecturer-2011-12-catherine-t-katie-hunt |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=chemistry.illinois.edu}}

She received the Smith College Medal in 2008 and the Outstanding Alumna of the Year Award from UC Davis in 2008.

She was an inaugural fellow of the American Chemical Society in 2009.

Hunt was also the 2011–12 Sylvia M. Stoesser Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.{{cite web |title=Sylvia M. Stoesser Lecturer 2011-12 - Catherine T. "Katie" Hunt |url=https://chemistry.illinois.edu/sylvia-m-stoesser-lecturer-2011-12-catherine-t-katie-hunt |website=University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |accessdate=27 June 2019}}

She held the Brent Halsey Distinguished Visiting Professorship in 2017.{{Cite web |last=Charlottesville |first=Catherine T. “Katie” Hunt Chemical Engineering P. O. Box 400741 |date=2017-09-18 |title=Katie Hunt |url=https://engineering.virginia.edu/faculty/katie-hunt |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science |language=en}}

Personal life

Hunt is married and the couple have one son, born in 1991. They live in Upper Dublin together.{{Cite web |title=Dr. Catherine Hunt, ACS President-Elect |url=https://www.utm.edu/staff/skairee/ACCM06HuntBio.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=www.utm.edu}} She is an avid cyclist. She has also joined the board of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.{{Cite web |date=2013-11-21 |title=Catherine T. Hunt |url=https://www.aiche.org/cei/community/bio/catherine-t-hunt |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=www.aiche.org |language=en}} Hunt has encouraged and mentored many women who were seeking a STEM education. As one of the role model scientist for many women, she was one of the 25 women who represented the U.S. in the People to People Ambassador Program's Women in Science Delegation to Cuba, where she presented a paper entitled Virtuous, not just Virtual, Teams: Analytical Networks Deliver. During her free time, she enjoys mentoring, judging science fairs and serving on the Upper Dublin Library Board.

References

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