Honors: ORAU’s Garrison elected American Chemical Society fellow

Arlene Garrison of Oak Ridge Associated Universities has been named a fellow of the American Chemical Society.

Garrison is vice president of university partnerships for ORAU. She was recognized for her outstanding achievements and contributions to science, the profession, and the society during her 35-year career, a press release said.

Garrison is responsible for enhancing ORAU’s scientific research opportunities and expanding partnerships with universities, national laboratories, and private industry, the press release said.

This honor recognizes Garrison as an innovator in industry, government, and academic collaboration and as a leader in university and national laboratory relations, the release said.

Garrison was a pioneer in the application of Raman spectroscopy for industrial process control. Raman spectroscopy employs laser radiation to determine the composition of materials including mixtures. Using methods Garrison developed, manufacturing processes could be monitored to optimize product quality at the lowest energy usage.

She also was recognized as a key scientist in formal and informal outreach, including National Boy Scouts of America Jamborees, the release said. For the jamborees, Garrison developed chemistry experiments to be performed in outdoor settings using grocery store chemicals.

The release said Garrison has played an active role in the ACS community since she became a member in 1978, serving on a variety of committees and task forces at both the national and local level in addition to holding numerous positions, including chair of the East Tennessee Section. Currently, she is serving on the national ACS level as a budget and finance committee member and on the board of trustees for the insurance trust committee in addition to being an alternate councilor for the East Tennessee Section.

Prior to joining ORAU, Garrison served as a program director for the National Science Foundation, where she led programs to strengthen research and education in science and engineering across the U.S. She also held a number of senior leadership positions at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, including associate vice president of research and director of the Measurement and Control Engineering Center, an NSF industry/university collaborative research center. She also served as a licensing executive with the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, the organization that markets inventions for university faculty.

Garrison holds both a doctorate degree in analytical chemistry and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee.