Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013
Rider’s science departments inducted two notable alumni into the Science Stairway of Fame on June 8 during the Reunions 2013 celebration on the Lawrenceville campus.
by Sean Ramsden
Rider University’s science departments inducted two notable alumni into the Science Stairway of Fame during Reunions 2013 activities on the Lawrenceville campus on Saturday, June 8. Dr. Miriam Steinitz-Kannan ’73, a Regents Professor of Biological Sciences at Northern Kentucky University, and Dr. Eric L. Brosha ’89, a research scientist in the Sensors and Electrochemical Devices Group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, were this year’s honorees.
The Science Stairway of Fame, located in the research wing of the Science and Technology Center, honors individuals who were exemplary students and have achieved significant professional success in their chosen careers following graduation. The honorees are also loyal and generous supporters of Rider’s science programs.
After graduating from Rider, Dr. Miriam Steinitz-Kannan ’73 completed M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Zoology from the Ohio State University in 1977 and 1979, respectively. Today, she is a Regents Professor of Biological Sciences at Northern Kentucky University, having earned acclaim across the Bluegrass State as an outstanding professor and adviser.
With scientific research focused on algae and diatoms to investigate important questions in paleolimnology, drinking water regulation and river ecology, Steinitz-Kannan publishes regularly with student coauthors in a variety of journals. She has also been a dedicated advisor and mentor to science students, taking on leadership roles in local and regional chapters of Beta Beta Beta and Sigma Xi.
Following his undergraduate days at Rider, Eric Brosha ’89 completed a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Now a research scientist in the Sensors and Electrochemical Devices Group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, Brosha holds nine patents on solid-state gas sensor devices.
He has also authored more than 90 peer-reviewed publications in journals, proceedings and transactions, including the Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Sensors and Actuators, and the International Conference on Clean Coal & Fuel Systems. Brosha’s work focuses on ceramic materials synthesis and mixed potential electrochemical sensors for automotive and heavy diesel engine control and pollution mitigation applications.
Brosha’s Stairway of Fame plaque was accepted by his brother, William Brosha ’85.