Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Lawrence E. Brown (March 7, 1940-) earned his B.S. and his M.S. degrees in chemistry in 1962 and 1966 respectively from the University of Dayton, Ohio. In 1973, he received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania. His dissertation was entitled "Some Model Reactions for Flavoenzyme Catalyzed Dehydrogenations." Brown began his career as a research chemist at Monsanto Research Corporation, where he worked from 1962 to1966 as a research chemist. From 1966 to1967, he served as a teaching assistant at Pennsylvania State University, and from 1967 to 1970 he was a National Institutes of Health pre-doctoral fellow at the university. In 1971, Dr. Brown began a multi-year career at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, where he ultimately served as chair of the Department of Chemistry from 1978 to l982. In 1982, Dr. Brown came to Appalachian State University, where he served as a professor of chemistry from 1982 until June of 2005. From 1982 to1996 he served as the chair of the Department of Chemistry at the university. Some of the many research interests of Dr. Brown were chemical education, ant pheromones, star activity in restriction endonucleases, biochemical applications of fluorogenic compounds, photochemical generation of singlet oxygen, and biomimetic chemistry. Among the courses he taught during his years of instructing at Appalachian State were biochemistry I and II, biochemistry laboratory, organic chemistry I lecture, organic chemistry I and II laboratories, introductory chemistry lecture and laboratory courses. Courses taught at Drake University were survey of chemistry for health science students, mini-courses in medicinal chemistry, brain biochemistry, organic reaction mechanisms, and topics in bio-organic chemistry. Professional organizations of which Brown was a member include the American Chemical Society; the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Sigma Xi, the Research Society of America (secretary-treasurer of Appalachian State University Club); North Carolina Health Professions Advisors; National Railway Historical Society; and East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad Historical Society. Other professional affiliations of Dr. Brown's include director, Summer Institute for Teachers of Science, Grades 7-8, Summer, 1983; referee for proposals for the North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network, National Science Foundation, Petroleum Research Fund, and North Carolina Board of Science and Technology; textbook review for publisher, 1983, 1991; respondent, seminar on "Is Graduate Education Fulfilling its Responsibility toward Primary and Secondary Education," Appalachian State, May 1983; consultant for Iowa Liquor Control Commission and for Pioneer HyBred, attorneys; member of Advisory Board of Prescribed Activity Center; Science Fair judge; and numerous chemical demonstration presentations for public school students and teachers. Dr. Brown's publications include: • Neal Lineback, Taylor Dellinger, Lori Felix Shienvold, Brian Witcher, Audrey Reynolds, Lawrence E. Brown, "Industrial greenhouse gas emissions: Does C02 from combustion of biomass residue for energy really matter?" Climate Research 13 (1999): 221-29. • R.A. Eades, C.H. Douglass, and L.E. Brown, "Computer Facilitation of Concept Acquisition." Journal of Chemical Education 56.8 (1979): 545. • L.E. Brown and G.A. Hamilton, "Some Model Reactions and a General Mechanism for FlavoenzymeCatalyzed Dehydrogenations." Journal of the American Chemical Society 92 (1970): 7225. • I.O. Salyer, J.W. Heyd, R.M. Brodbeck, L.W. Hartzel, and L.E. Brown, "Use of a Capillary Extrusion Rheometer to Measure Curing of Thermosetting Plastics and Rubbers." Journal of Polymer Science, Part A (1965): 1911. Dr. Brown was granted emeritus status by the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees on September 16, 2005. Sources: Appalachian State University files and personal correspondence. -Kay R. Dickson
Comments