|
|
About Dr. Clearfield |
|
|
About
Dr. Clearfield Group
Photographs |
Dr. Clearfield received his BA and MA from Temple University in Philadelphia
and his Ph.D. at Rutgers University in 1954. His Ph.D. training was in
inorganic chemistry and crystallography. Upon graduation he spent one
year with the Army Quartermaster Corporation in Natick, Massachusetts working
on problems related to supplies for the Army including curling chicken
feathers for use in sleeping bags. In 1956, he joined the Titanium
Alloy Manufactoring Division of the National Lead Company (now NL Industries)
in Niagara Falls, New York. He conducted research on the applications
of zirconium compounds in numerous commercial processes. He obtained a
number of patents for processes he developed and improved the efficiency of
the manufactoring processes.
In 1963 Dr. Clearfield joined the faculty of Ohio University, after a year as
a program officer at the National Science Foundation. He rose to the
rank of full professor in 1968. During his stay at Ohio University, Dr.
Clearfield synthesized and determined the structures of a number of zirconium
phosphates that became the focus of a worldwide research effort that
continues to this day. One of the forms of zirconium phosphate is used
as a sorbent in portable artificial kidney machines and another is used to
immobilize certain proteins and DNA for study of their chemical behavior.
In 1976 he joined the faculty at Texas A&M University and served as
Chairman of the Inorganic Division, Associate Dean of the College of Science
and Director of the Materials Science and Engineering Program. He has
worked extensively on layered compounds, intercalation chemistry, inorganic
ion exchangers including zeolites and metal phosphonate chemistry.
Professor Clearfield has received several awards for excellence in teaching
and research. In 2007 he was promoted to the rank of Distinguished
Professor, the highest university academic rank.
Professor Clearfield has published 560 papers in peer reviewed journals,
edited four books and holds about 15 patents. He has an abiding interest
in Jewish history, has taught courses on this subject and writes a newspaper
column on many aspects of Judaism and Jewish history. |
