Physical Properties of Materials, Third Edition

Biography

Mary Anne White is a materials research scientist and author, and highly recognized educator and communicator of science. Mary Anne White currently holds the esteemed position of Harry Shirreff Professor of Chemical Research (Emerita) at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where she has been since 1983, after obtaining a BSc in Honors Chemistry from the University of Western Ontario, a PhD in Chemistry from McMaster University, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Oxford University. From 2002 to 2006, she was the founding director of the Institute for Research in Materials at Dalhousie University, and from 2010 to 2016 she was director of the multidisciplinary graduate program, Dalhousie Research in Energy, Advanced Materials and Sustainability: DREAMS. She has been Professor (Emerita) since 2017, and continues her research and writing. Mary Anne’s research area is energetics and thermal properties of materials. She has made significant contributions to understanding how heat is stored and conducted through materials. Her work has led to new materials that can convert waste heat to energy, and materials that can trap solar energy. Mary Anne’s research contributions have been recognized by national and international awards. Mary Anne is an author of 200 research papers, several book chapters, and this book, “Physical Attributes of Resources.” She has mentored more than 40 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and more than 70 undergraduate research students. Mary Anne enjoys imparting her knowledge to students and to the public. She is particularly renowned for presenting clear explanations of complex concepts. Mary Anne’s outstanding abilities as an educator have been acknowledged by the Union Carbide Award for Chemical Education from the Chemical Institute of Canada. Mary Anne has delivered more than 150 invited presentations at conferences, universities, government laboratories, and industries around the world. Mary Anne has been active throughout her career in bringing science to the public. This includes: helping to establish a hands-on science center; numerous presentations for schools, the public, and others (including a lecture for Members of Canada’s Parliament and Senate); booklets on science activities for children (published by the Canadian Society for Chemistry); national organizer of National Chemistry Week; more than 150 articles for educators or the public; appearances on television. For 14 years she was a regular (monthly) contributor on CBC Radio where she and a colleague fielded listeners’ science questions, live on air. For her contributions to public awareness of science, Mary Anne was awarded the 2007 McNeil Medal of the Royal Society of Canada. She holds three honorary doctorates, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.