&M Woman Gets Doctorate
THE BATTALION
Wednesday, May 17, 1967
College Station, Texas
Page 3
'athlil By JOHN FULLER
■ Special Battalion Writer
a “ Mrs. Shanti Arvind Eudchad-
ker, a diminutive lady from Bom
bay, India, will receive the first
doctorate ever conferred on a
TEXAS A&M FIRST
rs. Shanti A. Kudchadker of India will receive a doctor of
ilosophy degree in chemistry May 27 at Texas A&M.
le will be the first woman in the 91-year history of the
liversity to receive the Ph.D.
lonstruction Work Quickens
)n Cushing Library Expansion
The pace of construction for
$3.6 million expansion of
xas A&M’s Cushing Library
expected to quicken rapidly
thin a few days.
Harold C. Carter, assistant
inager of Texas A&M Univer-
y System Physical Plants, re-
rts construction has reached
point that more men can
rk on projects at the same
hie.
‘At present, the construction
slightly behind schedule,” Car-
remarked, “But we have rea-
laWe expectation that it will
finished on schedule. The es-
ated completion date is March
1968.”
arter estimated the construc-
n is approximately 55 per cent
complete.
“Beginning immediately,” he
pointed out, “All sorts of work
will be in progress at the same
time. We will have flooring
workers, electricians, mechanics,
plumbers and terrazo people
working inside the building.”
Carter reported brick laying
has been completed to the bottom
of third floor, with work under
way toward the roofline. He said
the roof deck concrete has been
poured except for the penthouse,
a small facility to house the ele
vator.
Temple Associates of Diboll is
contractor for library construc
tion.
Construction superintendent is
Harvey J. Thigpen.
woman at A&M during May 27
commencement exercises here.
Mrs. Kudchadker, who obtained
bachelor’s and master’s degrees
from the University of Bombay,
began her research and gradu
ate work in June, 1963. She has
completed requirements for a
Ph.D. in physical chemistry un
der Dr. Bruno J. Zwolinski, pro
fessor of chemistry and director
of the Thermodynamics Research
Center.
Her doctoral dissertation was
entitled “Molecular Force Fields
and Thermodynamic Properties
of Electronically Excited Tri-
atomic and Tetraatomic Mole
cules.”
Her husband, Arvind Kudchad
ker, is also doing graduate work
at A&M. He is scheduled to re
ceive his Ph.D. in chemical engi
neering a few months later—a
situation which she says “doesn’t
bother him too much,” although
“many of his friends have been
asking him how he feels about
it.”
Kudchadker joined the Center
in 1961, with degrees from In
dia, England, and the University
of Texas. He is now studying
under the direction of Professor
P. T. Eubank.
The Kudchadkers were married
in the summer of 19.62, in ac
cordance with the Indian custom
of arranged marriages between
families. They saw each other
only twice before their wedding
day, she said.
“Our marriage was the big
gest factor in my coming to the
United States,” Mrs. Kudchad
ker explained. “After I received
the M.S. degree at Bombay, I
began thinking of studying in
this country, but it wasn’t pos
sible until I was married.”
The Kudchadkers came to Col
lege Station later that year, and
in September she became a re
search chemist at the Thermo
dynamics Research Center. The
following June she became the
first woman to enroll in the De
partment of Chemistry.
Mrs. Kudchadker was awarded
a predoctoral fellowship in Sep
tember, 1964, and a Graduate
College Research Fellowship in
September, 1965. She was elect
ed to Sigma Xi in 1966. Three
papers based on her thesis work
have been published in the Jour
nal of the University of Bombay,
and she presented another work
in August at the Conference of
the American Physics Society in
Mexico City. She will also pre
sent a paper in September at the
Molecular Spectroscopy Sympo
sium at Columbus, Ohio.
The Kudchadkers have been
active in the India Association
during their stay at A&M. Last
year, Kudchadker served as the
association’s president — which
placed Mrs. Kudchadker more or
less in charge of the cooking for
the group’s annual dinner.
Another topic of considerable
interest to the Kudchadkers is,
of course, their daughter Anjali,
born here last April. Mrs. Kud
chadker said Anjali “under
stands English better than our
language,” and remarked that
she was “lucky to be born here,”
where she could have “so many
wonderful toys and such fine
nursery service.”
The difference in American
and Indian colleges that has im
pressed Mrs. Kudchadker the
most is the relatively greater
equality of American students
and professors.
“There is too much respect for
teachers at home,” she explained.
“Students are scared of them.
Here, they feel free to go to a
professor and discuss problems.”
Education at high levels seems
to be a characteristic achieve
ment of Mrs. Kudchadker’s fam
ily. Her father, Dr. Mhablu D.
Borkar, is a retired major in the
Indian Army Medical Corps, and
is now professor of pathology in
the Sion Medical College in Bom
bay. Two of her sisters are med
ical doctors, and a third has re
ceived a Ph.D. in organic chem
istry at the University of Dub
lin in Ireland.
Mrs. Kudchadker has accepted
a postdoctoral fellowship with
the Thermodynamics Research
Center starting in June. She and
her husband plan to return to
India next April, when, with as
sistance from government agen
cies in the U.S. and India, they
will begin efforts to establish the
first Critical Data Center at the
Indian Institute of Technology
at Kanpur. She said the center
will be patterned after A&M’s
J^iermodynamics Research Cen
ter.
MSC Camera Committee Elects Officers
Camera Committee officers
have been elected for the 1967-
68 school year at Texas A&M
University, announced Frank Til
ley of Jacksonville, chairman.
Heading the large Memorial
Student Center organization for
the summer will be Steve Mc
Gregor of Amarillo. The regular
vice chairman will preside at
meetings June 12 and 26, July 10
and 24 and Aug. 14.
Other officers include Jim
Black of Pratt, Kan., secretary;
Ned Muse of Houston, treasurer;
Dale Bolyard of LaMarque, pro
gram chairman; Louis Hodges of
Houston, salon chairman, and
Dan Hatzenbuehler of Dallas,
membership.
The committee is affiliated
with the Photographic Society of
America, for which faculty ad
visor Roy Pledger of the School
of Architecture is representa
tive. Arvid Van Dyke of Grand
Rapids, Mich., will handle Gulf
States Camera Clubs matters.
The MSC committee annually
sponsors the Intercollegiate Pho
to Salon, a national competition
this year. Winning and accepted
photos in Salon ’67 are presently
on exhibit in the MSC.
NASA Gives
$39,866 Grant
Texas A&M has been awarded
a $39,866 National Aeronautics
and Space Administration grant
for design and production of sup
plementary materials for teach
ers of high school physics.
Dr. Frank W. R. Hubert,
A&M’s Liberal Arts dean, is
project coordinator for the one-
year research program which be
gins July 1.
“There is a massive amount of
new data coming out of NASA
research,” Dr. Hubert said. “It’s
our job to convert that data into
supplementary teaching mate
rials in order that high school
physics teachers can use it
quickly.”
Some of the new data, Hubert
noted, includes mechanics, elec
tricity, magnetism and orbital
mechanics.
Named principal investigator
for the study is Mrs. Helen N.
Monroe, currently on leave from
Stark High School in Orange to
make educational television tapes
for the South Park Independent
School District, Beaumont.
Dean Hubert said Mrs. Monroe
will design and produce approxi
mately 12 monographs or man
uals.
The grant also provides for an
assistant investigator and secre
tary. Both are to be named.
STUDENTS 18 OR OVER
Interviews now being arranged for students seeking summer em
ployment. Opportunity to join other students in a proven success
ful scholarship program backed by 89 year old firm. To those
who qualify our program offers: 1. $112.00 per wk. salary with
opportunity for more; 2. Executive management training; 3. All
expense paid trip to Waikiki beach; 4. One of 15 $1000 scholar
ships; 5. Recommended background work post graduation; 6. Up
to 13 wks. continuous employment guaranteed. Men accepted for
a similar program last summer average $153.26 per week. These
jobs may develop into part time or full time positions after Sept.
For Appointment call Mr. Dupree, 9 to 12 noon, Houston, CA
3-5964, CA 3-5766, San Antonio CA 6-6559.
Frank Tibbs Transfer and Storage
Announces New Management
l '■
Mr. J. D. Rice
Frank Tibbs Transfer and
Storage Co. announces Mr. J. D.
Rice as general manager. Mr.
Rice was previously employed by
the city of Houston as a super
visor of data processing.
Mr. Rice is experienced in all
aspects of moving and storage.
His previous experience includes
data processing and scheduling
with Hughes Tool Co. of Hous
ton. Mr. Rice has also worked
with Rider Truck Lines, and was
a former supervisor at Tibbs. He
has initiated a new program at
Tibbs known as “Visa-Vaults,”
and has also introduced an inten
sified training program for per
sonnel.
Mr. Rice is originally from
Houston. He graduated from
lola High School and attended
Texas A&M. Mr. Rice is mar
ried to the former Miss Sue
Yargo, also of lola. The Rices
have three children: Shelley, 8;
Kirk, 5; and Gina, 4.
Mr. Doug Tipton
Mr. Doug Tipton is announced
as sales representative. He is a
native of Marlin, Texas, and at
tended Stephen F. Austin High
School in Bryan. Mr. Tipton also
is formerly of Tibbs, and has IV2
years of previous experience in
transportation. He was a con
tractor for 2 years. Mr. Tipton
married the former Joyce Ann
Ribardo. The Tiptons have a 7
months old girl, Tona Sheile.
Tibbs Transfer and Storage of
fers complete worldwide moving
service, both commercial and in
dividual. Government approved
warehouses are available for all
types of storage. Tibbs Transfer
and Storage is affiliated with
Atlas Van Lines and Republic
Van Lines, and have connections
with Consolidated Freight Ways
and Brazos Motor Freight.
Tibbs Transfer is located at
2600 N. Highway 6 in Bryan—
Telephone 823-2550.
(Adv.)
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