Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Thomas C. Rhyne grew up on a farm in western Lincoln County, North Carolina, near the community of Cat Square, and graduated from Union High School, where he was a member of the varsity teams in basketball, baseball, and debate. He entered Appalachian State University in 1961, and was a successful varsity debater for his first two college years, representing Appalachian in tournaments throughout the Southeastern United States. Dr. Rhyne received his B.S. and M.A. degrees in chemistry from the university in 1965 and 1967, respectively. He met his wife, the former Billie Sue Green, during his senior year, and they were married shortly after their 1965 graduation. The couple now has two children: Peter (born in 1972) and Lucy (born in 1979). Dr. Rhyne received his Ph. D. degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1971. From January 1971 to August 1972, he was a visiting research scientist at the Aerospace Research Laboratories, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He was employed as assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at Appalachian State University in August 1972. Dr. Rhyne subsequently held the ranks of associate professor (July 1977june 1984) and professor of chemistry (July 1984-December 2006) in the department. Other positions he held from his 1972 employment until his retirement in 2007 were coordinator of faculty development (January 1980June 1980), assistant dean for graduate studies (July 1980-August 1988), and chair of the Department of Chemistry (July 1996-December 2005). Among the university committees Dr. Rhyne served on during his Appalachian State tenure are the following: Planning Committee, Grand Opening of the New Science Building (1998); Planning Committee, Dean D. W. Sink Retirement Celebration (1997-98); Outstanding Alumni Award Committee, College of Arts and Sciences (1998-2001); Natural Science Second Academic Concentration Planning Committee (1996-99); Disaster Response Planning Committee (1998-2001); Dean Search Committee, College of Arts and Sciences (1998-99); Curriculum Subcommittee, Council of Arts and Sciences (1998-99); Collegial Organization Committee (1997-98); Chair, Search Committee, Department of Biology (1998-99); Chair, Search Committee, Department of Geology (1999-2000); Chair, Search Committee, Department of Computer Science (2001); Chair, Curriculum Subcommittee, Council of Arts and Sciences (2003-04); Dean Search Committee, College of Arts and Sciences (2003-04); Guidelines Review Committee, Appalachian State University Faculty Fellows Program (2003). Dr. Rhyne's publications and presentations iclude those listed below: • Mock, M. A., T. L. Thomas, T. C. Rhyne, and J. W. Buchanan. "Modeling Ozone Concentrations Using Meteorological Variables." First Annual Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Conference. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, November 1990. • Rhyne, T. C. "Air Pollution Signatures in Western North Carolina. Environmental Education Institute. Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, July 2, 1993. • Rhyne, T. C. "The Role of Trees in the Air Quality of the Southeastern United States." Eisenhower Foundation Tree Biology Workshop, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, September 23, 1993. • Rhyne, T. C. "The Southern Oxidants Study: An Overview of Air Quality of the Southeastern United States." Eisenhower Foundation Environmental Science Workshop, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, June 17, 1995. • Brooke, Corley P., Nancy G. Spann, and Thomas C. Rhyne. " The Challenges and Opportunities of Building a Sustainable Learning Community Infrastructure in a University Setting." National Learning Communities Institute, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington, June 26-July 1, 2001. Workshop IV-B. • Jelesnianski, Lisa M., and Thomas C. Rhyne. "Water Quality Monitoring in Watauga County, North Carolina." Fifth Annual Celebration of Research and Creative Endeavors, Applachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, April 22-23, 2002. • Rhyne, Thomas C. "A Curricular Model for Teaching Research at the Undergraduate Level." Symposium on Crossing the Chasm between Research and the Undergraduate Curriculum at the 223rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Orlando, Florida, April 7-11, 2002. Paper CHED 1079. • Eagle, C. T., and Thomas C. Rhyne. "Development of an OnLine Chemical Communication Skills Course." Fifty-Sixth Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Research Triangle Park, Raleigh, North Carolina, November 10-13, 2004. Paper 72. Among Dr. Rhyne's research proposals are the following: • "Grandfather Mountain Ambient Air Monitoring Project; included in "ASU Program for the Study of Environmental Change" by James W. Buchanan and John A. Willams; submitted to the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, February 1990. Amount funded: $3,389.40 • "Establishment and Operation of a SCION Monitoring Station at Table Rock, North Carolina"; submitted to Duke Power Company, March 1991, in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources and the Southeast Regional Oxidant Network. Amount funded: $121, 645.76. • "1993 Operation Funds for the Table Rock SCION Station"; submitted to The Electric Power Research Institute through The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, December 1992. Amount funded: $60,000. • "1994 Operation Funds for the Table Rock SCION Station"; submitted to The Electric Power Research Institute through The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, December 1993. Amount funded: $69,000. Some of Dr. Rhyne's appointments and honors are listed below: • External Review Committee, Department of Chemistry, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, June 1993. • Invited to deliver the Association of Chemistry Graduate Students Lecture at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, December 3, 1993. • Nominated for the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award, 1995. Dr. Rhyne was awarded professor emeritus status upon his retirement in 2007. Source: Appalachian State University files. -Kay R. Dickson
Comments