Rich Kearney
Senior Scientist
Dr. Rich Kearney joined WBI in early 2012 as an experienced polymer chemist with expertise in polymer coatings, imaging systems utilizing polymers, and analysis of polymers and polymer-containing materials and products. Rich started his career at Polaroid Corporation in the R&D and the graphics imaging division working on polarizer research and the development of formulas for a digital printing plate system. From there he worked at Presstek for 15 years focusing much of his research on coatings technology. Rich got his B.Sci. from University of California, Riverside and his M.Sci. and Ph.D. from Cornell University.
Why Green Chemistry?
I entered the professional world of Chemistry, when there was no name for “Green Chemistry” – but a noticeable perspective was developing in the field that would allow the idea of Green practices to blossom. We were already aware of the more negative environmental aspects of the use of Chemistry – pollution, environmental impact, human impact – and there was a slowly growing focus on containment and prevention of hazards that was beginning to be the word of the day. Many of us younger (at the time) scientists were starting to be indoctrinated into a new sense of responsibility about how we practiced our profession. This was the beginning of an evolutionary process which lead to the very idea of Green Chemistry itself – and like others in my generation, I was already primed to accept it for the good idea it is, once it had been fully articulated. My response to the idea of Green Chemistry was not so much , “Wow, what a great new perspective!” as much as “Well, it’s about time!”
Dr. Rich Kearney joined WBI in early 2012 as an experienced polymer chemist with expertise in polymer coatings, imaging systems utilizing polymers, and analysis of polymers and polymer-containing materials and products. Rich started his career at Polaroid Corporation in the R&D and the graphics imaging division working on polarizer research and the development of formulas for a digital printing plate system. From there he worked at Presstek for 15 years focusing much of his research on coatings technology. Rich got his B.Sci. from University of California, Riverside and his M.Sci. and Ph.D. from Cornell University.
Why Green Chemistry?
I entered the professional world of Chemistry, when there was no name for “Green Chemistry” – but a noticeable perspective was developing in the field that would allow the idea of Green practices to blossom. We were already aware of the more negative environmental aspects of the use of Chemistry – pollution, environmental impact, human impact – and there was a slowly growing focus on containment and prevention of hazards that was beginning to be the word of the day. Many of us younger (at the time) scientists were starting to be indoctrinated into a new sense of responsibility about how we practiced our profession. This was the beginning of an evolutionary process which lead to the very idea of Green Chemistry itself – and like others in my generation, I was already primed to accept it for the good idea it is, once it had been fully articulated. My response to the idea of Green Chemistry was not so much , “Wow, what a great new perspective!” as much as “Well, it’s about time!”