EDWARD R BIRNBAUM

Your site brought back quite a few memories. Yes, I lived in the ΑΧΣ house for the first year I was at UI, 1964, receiving a PhD on nmr studies of paramagnetic lanthanide complexes with Professor Therald Moeller in 1968. Shortly before graduating I married a microbiologist at UI (Amy,) and now have 3 wonderful children and 5 grandchildren. Two children actually got BS degrees in Chemistry and one daughter followed in my footsteps, receiving a PhD degree in Inorganic Chemistry, but alas, not from UI.

“I continued using nmr spectroscopy for a while, but then switched to fluorescence spectroscopy, which I have applied to a variety of inorganic and bioinorganic systems, mostly using lanthanide ions as replacements for the calcium ion.

“After leaving Illinois I moved farther West, and joined the faculty at New Mexico State University where I stayed for 24 years. After taking early retirement in 1992, I spent a year at Los Alamos National Laboratory and then a couple of wonderful years at the University of Hawaii.

“In 1995 I moved back East to become the department chair at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (formerly Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science). In June 2010 I stepped down from the chair position to a half-time appointment for the 2010 and 2011 academic years, after which I will be officially retired. My web page at USP is still active, but it is not current and will probably disappear in 2011.”

“During the other half of my time I serve as the Senior Sales Representative for Public Interest Network Services (PINS), a telecommunications company in NYC. It’s been an interesting experience, especially working for my son who is the CEO.”

“If anyone has a need for business telecom services (voice/Internet/data), have them contact me through the PINS website (www.pins.net).”