ECU Chemist receives Harriot College honor

GREENVILLE, NC  —   Robert C. Morrison was named the 2006 distinguished professor of the Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.

A longtime professor of chemistry at East Carolina University, Morrison received the honor Monday at the college’s annual convocation Aug. 21.

Morrison arrived at ECU in 1970 and has taught chemistry since 1972. He is a past chair of the faculty and has served on numerous committees and university taskforces.

Alan White, dean of Harriot College, said that Morrison has received more than $1 million in grants, published 45 papers in scholarly journals, and given many presentations at national and international meetings. Morrison studies the quantum theory of atoms and molecules, density functional theory and photoionization. He has received grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped.

In addition to his research, Morrison was among the first to use computers to teach students with physical disabilities, White said.

“He was instrumental in bringing computer-based experiments into the general chemistry laboratory and received national recognition for his work to use computer-assisted instruction for teaching chemistry to students with physical disabilities,” White said. Morrison was awarded the Pitt County Distinguished Service Award from the Governor’s Council for Persons with Disabilities in 1988.

As a tri-athlete in the Iron Man competition, Morrison has also achieved physical feats. He swam 2.4 miles in the ocean, rode a bicycle 112 miles, and then ran 26.2 miles—all in one day.