Photo: Mark McCarty

 
Focus On... Tom Apple

Tom Apple, newly appointed dean of graduate education, has always had a competitive edge, although few would guess it in a first encounter with his wide, friendly smile and gentle demeanor.

As a chemist, he’s at the top in his field, and his innovative teaching style has garnered several awards. It’s in his nature to be a contender in his free time as well. As a competitive weightlifter during his postdoctoral years, Apple could bench-press nearly twice his weight. At 47, the avid runner can cruise a 5K race at a swift 5:50 mile.

Apple continues to race on to new challenges. In his new position, he has taken on the responsibility of attracting top-notch graduate students and turning them into world leaders.

“The Rensselaer Plan envisions a tremendous expansion of our research enterprise and an enhancement of the quality of our graduate programs,” Apple says. “We are committed to establishing Rensselaer as a leader in biotechnology and information technology, and to developing programs that will attract the best and brightest students.”

Apple received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Penn State University in 1976 and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Delaware in 1981. He came to Rensselaer in 1991, well aware of the university’s academic programs. His brother, John, a 1970 graduate, is a successful businessman who owns a construction equipment dealership in Westchester County, N.Y.

Apple, who became department chair of chemistry in 1996, is recognized as one of the world leaders in the application of solids nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry to chemical problems. He pioneered the use of NMR to define solid-state materials, such as polymers and catalysts, which are important to industry in the manufacturing of a whole range of materials. He also specializes in zeolites, a material used to refine petroleum, soften water, and scrub acid-rain-causing chemicals from smokestack effluent. Apple is the author of more than 50 refereed papers on NMR and his research has been funded by the National Science Foundation for the past 15 years.

He was awarded the Rensselaer Trustees Outstanding Teacher Award in 1996. He and chemistry professor Alan Cutler led the changeover in chemistry to the studio-class format that replaced large lectures. The smaller classes integrate recitation and laboratory experience, and facilitate team-based learning.

“The studio concept of teaching really derived from the way we mentor graduate students in the lab. It is based upon the students being active and being coached or mentored by the faculty member,” says Apple, who served as co-chair of the Institutewide Strategic Initiatives Steering Committee.

One goal Apple will pursue as dean of graduate education is building community relationships among graduate students. He says that students will benefit from the experience of interacting with peers across intellectual disciplines and cultural backgrounds.

“We would like to engender a feeling of belonging among all students, a sense that this is their community,” says Apple.

Even as dean of graduate education, Apple says he will not give up teaching and conducting research.

“It is important that I continue to work with graduate students in the classroom and in the lab,” he says. “It’s a great thrill to work with students to make new discoveries, and then report them to the scientific community. Exchanging ideas and teaching critical thinking and analysis is really exciting.”