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Alumni News

Paul Shelley (1992) Receives Award from Pierce College

This past spring, Paul Shelley (1992) received a Distinguished Alumni Award for 2002 from Pierce College. Paul attended Pierce College, a community college in Lakewood, WA. After Paul finished his first two years at Pierce College, he attended PLU graduating in 1992. As a former Nicolet employee in sales and service on FTIRs, Paul was a great help in working on our Nicolet FTIR. Paul went on to graduate school at the University of Washington in chemistry. He focused his graduate work on analytical chemistry at the UW's Center for Process Analytical Chemistry. Paul is now employed in Boeing's research and development division. Below is the description from the award. Congratulations Paul!

"He tried it but didn't like it ... at first. Paul Shelley did the college thing when he was young, but left school to join the Navy. He learned electronics and eventually pursued a career in the civilian world. As a technician for a scientific instrument company, he helped Pierce College with a FITR (infrared detection unit) in the organic lab. Shelley was at a point in his life where he realized he needed a degree to advance his career, so he became a high-achieving student at Pierce, finishing his bachelor's at Pacific Lutheran University and going on to earn a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Washington. He was immediately hired by Boeing's research and development division. The extensive raised-bed vegetable and bulb garden he maintains with his wife, Diane Downie, was featured on Pierce's first garden tour. He has remained an active member of the Science Club and often speaks to engineering classes. Shelley also volunteers with the regional Science Olympiad hosted by Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. (More information at Pierce College)"

Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award: Neil Kelleher (1992)

For excelling in the field of bioanalytical chemistry, Neil Kelleher 1992, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois, receives the 2001-2002 Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award. Kelleher received his BS in chemistry and BA in German from PLU. Upon graduation, Kelleher won a Fulbright Scholarship and went on to conduct organic synthesis research in Germany. Kelleher earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Cornell in 1997. While at Cornell, Kelleher’s research bridged the realms of analytical chemistry and microbiology. After earning his Ph.D., Kelleher won a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship to Harvard University Medical School. He then joined the faculty at the University of Illinois. Kelleher has also been honored with the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Young Investigators Award, the Searle Scholar Award and the Henry Dreyfus Foundation Award for New Investigators. He has also formed the Kelleher Group, a 17-student team engaged in biological research for organisms with completely sequenced genomes. He and his wife, Jennifer ‘91, live in Urbana, Ill., with their daughters, Emily and Lauren. Congratulations Neil!

Photo caption from article: The chips with which CombiMatrix supervisor Rebecca Beard works in Mukilteo are being developed to detect biowarfare agents, including anthrax. Phil H. Webber / Seattle Post-Intelligencer