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PEOPLE Robert A. Osteryoung (1927–2004)
COURTESY OF R. MARK WIGHTMAN, UNC, CHAPEL HILL
Robert (Bob) A. Osteryoung, research professor emeritus of the department of chemistry at North Carolina State University, died on August 10, 2004, in Durham, N.C. He was 77 years old. Bob was a leader and founder of the field of electroanalytical chemistry. He was an Associate Editor for Analytical Chemistry from 1986 to 2003. He is survived by his daughters, Katherine Osteryoung, Sue Arellano, and Anne Walter; a son, Adam Osteryoung; four grandchildren; and his beloved companion Debbie Boxall. Bob was born on January 20, 1927, in Cleveland, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Navy and received a B.S. in chemistry from Ohio University in 1949. He studied chemistry under Herb Laitinen at the University of Illinois, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1954. His graduate research in the molten salt–thermal battery area established his lifelong interest in this field. His first academic position was at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1959, California beckoned, and Bob moved west to take a position with the company now known as Rockwell International. In his decade with Rockwell, he maintained a close association with academia, particularly with the California Institute of Technology. While his research on molten salts continued, he became increasingly interested in the methodology associated with electrochemistry. He capitalized on the revolution in analog and digital electronics, as well as the advent of computers, to design new electrochemical methods such as chronocoulometry and square-wave voltammetry. These methods provided dramatically improved data by optimizing the signal and minimizing electrical interferences. 348 A
In 1968, Bob departed from industry to become chair of the department of chemistry at Colorado State University (CSU). At CSU, he furthered his reputation in electrochemistry and moltensalt chemistry and mentored several productive young scientists. During his time in Colorado, he served for a year (1977– 1978) as program manager in the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. In 1979, he joined the faculty of the department of chemistry at the State University of New York, Buffalo, where he remained until 1992. During this period, his research progressed into imidazolium-based ambient temperature ionic liquids. Work from his laboratory demonstrated that these systems could have significant advantages over their high-temperature molten-salt analogs. In 1992, he moved to North Carolina State University (NCSU), where in 1994, he began serving as head of the department of chemistry, a position he held until 1998. In 2003, he retired from that department. Bob’s efforts were instrumental in obtaining funds for the new Marye Anne Fox Science Teaching Laboratory at NCSU. An Excellence in Teaching award has been established in his name at NCSU in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the general chemistry program. Bob was a pioneer in electroanalytical chemistry. He developed new methodologies that became widely accepted and explored the unique electrochemical and spectral properties of ionic liquids. His research is documented in more than 225 research publications. He was a fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science (1980) and was recognized by numerous other awards. In addition, Bob contributed to science as a leader who mentored his fellow scientists so that they too were research innovators. His leadership and execution of research will be greatly missed. a —R. Mark Wightman, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and C. Michael Elliott, Colorado State University
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