Richard A. Paselk, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry

Curator, Natural History Museum

Curator, Robert A. Paselk Scientific Instrument Museum

Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521

Internet: ; http://users.humboldt.edu/rpaselk

EDUCATION

• University of Southern California, Ph.D., Biochemistry (1975). Dissertation Topic: ¹⁹F-NMR studies of Trifluoroacetylated Insulin Derivatives. Advisor: Dr. Daniel Levy.
• California State University, Los Angeles, B.S., Biophysics (1968).ßß

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Professor, Chemistry Department, HSU (9/76–; Full Professor, 9/86–8/2010; Professor, FERP Program, 8/2010–8/2015; Professor Emeritus 8/2015– ):

• Current and Past HSU Teaching Responsibilities: Biochemistry (incl. Advanced & Lab); General and Introductory Chemistry; Toxicology; Environmental Chemistry; Introductory Organic Chemistry; Analytical Chemistry; Instrumental Chemical Analysis; Clinical Chemistry; Science Education (K-8); Nursing Research.
• Chemistry Department, CSU Long Beach (9/74–8/76): Instructor.

• Chair, Nursing Department (0.5), HSU (1/2009–5/2010). Selected accomplishments:

  • Lead department during completion of CCNE Accreditation process and Site visit.
  • Lead department in successful tenure-track faculty hire; chaired multiple search committees.
  • Lead department in Chair/Director search and successful hire; chaired search committee.
  • Lead department through successful defense against program elimination (Sp. 2010)
  • Taught Nurs 495, Introduction to Research & Scholarship for Professional Nursing Practice, 2009-10 AY as overload.

• Chair, Chemistry Department (0.5), HSU (8/95–8/2004, 8/86–8/89). Selected accomplishments:

• Curricular Initiatives:
• Designed, wrote, submitted and implemented two degree-options: an ACS approved B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.S. in Environmental Toxicology.
• Lead redesign of the Chemistry B.A., bringing it into closer correspondence with U.C. degree patterns.
• Lead design and implementation of the Chemical Technology Chemistry B.A. option.
• Developed four-year graduation and transfer plans.
• Space and Facilities:ß
• Science A Modification committee member—design, blueprints, construction, etc. (1979–87).
• Modified facilities to make glassblowing and IBM Surface Chemistry labs at HSU.
• Co-designed & installed Chemistry department distributed computational labs.
• Building coordinator, HSU Science A (1996–2004).
• Program Evaluation/Accreditation:
• Wrote two Chemistry Dept. program reviews (1996, 2003). The 1996 review modeled a new format.
• Conducted two American Chemical Society Five-Year certification reviews (1998, 2003).
• Wrote Chemistry Department assessment policies in light of local and state assessment conferences.
• Initiated and conducted Chemistry graduation exit interviews (2001–2004).
• Miscellaneous:
• Created web-based Chemistry advising pages for native and transfer students.
• Webmaster for Chemistry department web site, providing regular updates (1997–2004, 2007–2008).
• Initiated and wrote Chemistry Department annual newsletter (2000–).
• Lead department in four permanent hires, chairing all search committees.
• Founder and founding donor & initiating fund raiser, annual Humboldt Chemistry Research Scholarship/Humboldt Chemistry Scholarship (2001).
• Extensive work with disabled student services to accommodate students in chemistry.
• CSU Computational Chemistry Council President 1998-2000, member 1984–c. 2001 (the CCC was dissolved c. 2001 having accomplished its goals).
• Chair, co-organizer and webmaster, CSU Computational Chemistry Council Conference (July 8-10, 1999).
• Co-Chair and webmaster, 1^st-5^th CNRS Annual New & Used Poster Session (1999–2004).

• Curricular Activities

• General Education:
• Chair, College of Science G.E. Committee (1986).
• Lead the creation and initial implementation of the current Area B G.E. program.
• Developed Area B G.E. guidelines based on CSU documents.
• Created guidelines for new G.E. courses.
• Evaluated all initial‘semester’ Area B G.E. courses.
• Member: GE Reform Steering Comm. (Sp 2005), Summer GE Work Group (2003), Strategic Plan All University Curriculum focus group (F 2003).
• Instructor/developer, EDGE Program (freshmen orientation program/class), HSU (1984-86).
• Technology Mediated Instruction:
• Project Director/Principle Investigator and founder of a chemistry and foreign languages multimedia development group of faculty and technologists (1988-95). Our projects used advanced visualization and high interactivity with visual & audio feedback. We were recognized leaders in developing high quality, innovative products pushing the technological envelope to explore new avenues of instruction, while being sensitive to gender and disabilities.
• Directed a programmer/designer and a team of consultants (1992-95).
• Wrote State, Federal and corporate grants/gifts for $400k+ (1988-95).
• Disseminated the results of our multimedia projects at local, state and national conferences.
• Completed a series of commercially published software products in chemistry.
• Represented group in negotiations with publishers and discussions with intellectual property attorney.
• Course web-sites: Sp97–, ten courses, up to 6^th ed; syl., sched., lecture notes, sample exams, etc.
• Three interactive web exercises posted on MERLOT, two others in preparation.
• Co-PI, NSF funded projects introducing computer modeling across HSU chemistry curriculum.
• Faculty member & consultant, Veteran’s Math Science Initiative at HSU (1992-95, 1999–2006).
• Appointed to the Design Team for General Chemistry in the CSU Systemwide Transforming Course Design (TCD) program (February 11, 2008, work commitment of approximately 100 hr plus travel to State and National meetings/conferences).
  • Re-appointed to TCD (November 13, 2008, work commitment of approximately 20 hr).

• Safety and Emergency Management

  • Lead the development of the Chemistry Department Safety program.
• Initiated current safety program with a two-day workshop lead by an outside chemical safety consultant.
• Lead the creation of department safety regulations, safety quizzes, etc. Products used as campus models.
• Helped instigate and develop the CNRS Hazmat technician position.
• Co-wrote the position description, interviewed and recommended the hire.
• Trained and supervised this position as an overload (Su 1998–F 2004).
• Helped create Science A and Chemistry department SAFE Plans (2003).
• Member, HSU Emergency Preparedness Committee (F 2004–2010)

• Interdisciplinary Activities:

• Program Leader, Interdisciplinary Studies, HSU (1983-85)
• Technical facilitator for Japanese Tea Ceremony class for Prof. L. Fulton, HSU (1980–2001).
• Co-Instructor, “Science & Civilization in China & the West” (Hist 391, 4u w/ L. Fulton, F 1984).
• Advisory board member, Horai Center for the Study of Pacific Cultures (2004–).
• Expanding Your Horizons (presenter, coordinator, helper etc., HSU, 1985–2007).
• Delegate, CSU Cornerstones Academic Conference (Monterey, CA, 1997).
• Guest lecturer for courses in history, interdisciplinary studies, mathematics, science for elementary ed., biology and physics.
• Elderhostel (HSU, 1982-88). Overviews of: 1) Evolution of the Universe, 2) Chemistry, 3) History of science and technology.
• Photographer—fossils, animals, people, etc. in dozens of educational publications and web sites.

• Miscellaneous:

  • Led College of Science and CNRS graduation processions as Mace Bearer 16 times (1994–2015).
  • Led College of Professional Studies graduation procession as Mace Bearer (2010).
  • Co-founder/initiating donor (with my wife, Gail A. Paselk), annual Richard Paselk Biochemistry/ Biophysics Scholarship (2015).

• Museum Work: (See under PUBLICATIONS... below)

• HSU Chemistry Department Scientific Instrument Museum. (http//www.humboldt.edu/scimus)
• Webmaster/author, 1997–. The hyperlinked virtual museum is illustrated with original photos and scanned images.
• Appointed Curator (1998–).
• Renamed as Robert A. Paselk Scientific Instrument Museum and web site completely reworked (Su 2000).
• Installed Robert A. Paselk Scientific Instrument Museum, HSU Library (F 2000).
  • Lead designer and Founding Donor for library displays.
• HSU Natural History Museum. (http//www.humboldt.edu/natmus)
• Advisory Board member (1996-2010) Chair, (2001–3).
• Webmaster (exhibits pages), HSU Natural History Museum (1996–).
• Created extensive web exhibits (>500 original photos) in a hyperlinked environment.
• Researched, wrote, designed, fabricated and installed Precambrian exhibit and web pages.
• Provide general shop work, mounting, design and installation for exhibits.
• Appointed Associate Curator (Sp 2005–2013), Curator (2013–).
• Co-directed with Julie Van Sickle, and participated in, the move of museum exhibits and specimens to new museum site, including packing and unpacking a few thousand specimens, and re-installation of over 20 display cases, various wall displays and a variety of hanging specimens.
• North Coast Natural History Museum Association, Board Member (2010-present).
• Medieval Science & Scientific Instruments web site.  (http://users.humboldt.edu/rpaselk/EarlySciInstSite/EarlyInstSite.htm)
• Instrument re-creations I have researched and made are illustrated and discussed.
• Notes for lectures and instructions for re-creation “kits” used in workshops are posted.

• Funded Grants (list):

• Principle investigator for seventeen funded grants and/or gifts for a total of: $464 k, including: National Science Foundation DUE Grant: "Visualization of the Abstract in General Chemistry" (1992-95, $304.5 k); "Molecular and Reactivity Modeling for Improved Undergraduate Education and Research in Chemistry" (1993-96, $17.5 k); California State Lottery Projects (Instructional Innovation and Curriculum Development categories): "Interactive Animated Learning Modules in Chemistry" (Fall 1988, $18.9 k).
• Co-Principle Investigator for six funded grants and/or gifts for a total of: $747 k, including: National Science Foundation-CCLI-A&I Grant: "Molecular Modeling and Computational Chemistry in the Undergraduate Curriculum" (1999-2002, $93.8 k), and National Science Foundation ILI Grant: "FT-NMR for Improved Undergraduate Instruction and Research" (1991-93, $88.5 k).

• Consulting:

• Member, NSF special panel on future directions for the DUE grants programs (1997).
• NSF Grant Reviewer/Panel Member (1994, 1996, 1997).
• Reviewer, biochemistry & chemistry texts and monographs, various publishers (1980–).
• Concrete Treatment Analysis, Turelk Inc. (Jan. 1995-June 1996).

PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, DISPLAYS, ETC. (lists):

• Twenty-eight research/scholarly publications/presentations.
• Thirty chemical education publications/presentations.
• Eight commercially published educational software packages and one educational video (VHS).
• Three presentations to corporate groups.
• Thirteen published book reviews of texts and monographs.
• Over thirty Museum Displays, Web museums (including text, photos, etc.), Installations, etc.
• Over ninety public presentations, workshops, etc.
• Over forty photographs published in books, magazines, pamphlets, etc. (over 100 original photos on reviewed non-HSU www sites).

PROFESSIONAL AFILLIATIONS

American Association of Museums; Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society; Scientific Instrument Commission, Division of History of Science, International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science; Editorial Board Member, eRittenhouse.

BIOGRAPHICAL LISTINGS

Listed in over twenty biographical resources, including: American Men and Women of Science, International Who’s Who in Education, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in American Education.

HOBBIES/INTERESTS

Antique tools and scientific instruments; "day-care" for my infant grand-daughter; history of science, the interface of the artistic, crafts, and scientific traditions; wood and metal-working; home repair and restoration; science fiction & fantasy.

Last modified 13 August 2016