Martha Cotter

Martha Cotter is professor of Chemistry at Rutgers University, New Jersey. Cotter arrived at Rutgers in 1972 and has had mainly administrative tasks since 1995, when she became acting Dean of Douglas College, a position she held for 18 months. Currently, she is vice-chair for the graduate program of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and teaches physical chemistry.

Cotter is also a non-voting member of the Rutgers Board of Governors [ [http://ruweb.rutgers.edu/governance/board/bog.html Members of the Board of Governors] ] , which is, among others, responsible for the Rutgers budget and the college tuition fee. [ [http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/NEWS/807180468 Rutgers tuition going up 8.5%, APP.com] ] . Cotter is also a member of the Douglass College Advisory Board [ [http://www.douglass.rutgers.edu/index.php?page_name=faculty_advisory Douglass residential College faculty advisory committee ] ] From 2004 to 2007, Cotter was chair of the Senate of Rutgers University. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/18/nyregion/18rutgers.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Football Brightens Grim Year at Rutgers, NY Times, September 2006] ] During this time, the Senate dealt with the reorganization of undergraduate education on the New Brunswick Campus, a new University Copyright Policy [ [http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/copyright/copyright.shtml The Rutgers University Copyright Policy] ] , and a proposal to merge Rutgers with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey [ [http://media.www.newarktargum.com/media/storage/paper1020/news/2006/12/06/CampusNews/Debate.Over.School.Merger.Continues-2524092.shtml Debate over School Merger Continues] ] , among others.

Cotter was also a member of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education [ [http://ur.rutgers.edu/ugtaskforce/members.shtml Member’s of the task force on Undergraduate Education at Rutgers] ] , which has worked to combine the four undergraduate liberal arts colleges—Douglass College, Livingston College, Rutgers College, and University College to create the School of Arts and Sciences.

Research

Cotter’s research focused on the stability and properties of liquid crystalline mesophases. She developed a lattice model for molecules with rigid rod-like central cores and two semi-flexible pendent tails, to investigate the roles of molecular packing. [cite journal | url = http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PRA/v41/i6/p3385_1 | title = Lattice model for thermotropic liquid crystals. III. Conformational statistics of the semiflexible molecular tails | journal = Phys. Rev. A | volume = 41 | pages = 3385–3387 | year = 1990]

Education

1964: B.A in Chemistry (with High Honors) at Southern Illinois University
1969: PhD. in physical chemistry (with distinction) at Georgetown University

Professional career

1969-70: Postdoctoral Associate, Cornell University, her advisor was Benjamin Widom
1970-72: Postdoctoral Associate, Bell Laboratories (Murray Hill).
1972-78: Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Rutgers, The State University
1978-91: Associate Professor of Chemistry, Rutgers, The State University
1991 – the present: Professor of Chemistry, Rutgers, The State University

Awards

1974-1978: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship
1982: Invited lecturer: ROYAL SOCIETY DISCUSSION MEETING on The Physics, Chemistry, and Applications of Thermotropic Liquid Crystals, The Royal Society, London. [ [http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0080-4614(19830603)309%3A1507%3C127%3ATVDWTO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-6 The Van der Waals Theory of Nematic Liquids (and Discussion) Vol. 309, No. 1507, Physics, Chemistry and Applications of Thermotropic Liquid Crystals (Jun. 3, 1983), pp. 127-144] ]
1996: Recipient of the Douglass Medal for Outstanding Service to Douglass College

External links

* [http://senate.rutgers.edu/ The Rutgers University Senate]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE3DA173DF93AA15752C1A966958260 Graduate Schools Fill With Foreigners, New York times 1990]
* [http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/martha_cotter/ Martha Cotter quotes]

References