Author: Steve Scranton

After attending Salem community College Bob got a job at Notre Dame University where he studied under S. David Blessing for 4 years. In 1980 Bob accepted a position at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and stayed 25 years. In 2005 he accepted a position at The University of Akron. Retiring in 2008 he moved to Western New York and opened PGO Glass and now works for Lynn Ponton in the ASGS National Office.

Tracy Drier began his career as a paper engineer, but glassblowing was always his first love. Tracy enrolled in the scientific glassblowing program at Salem Community College and the following year took a position with Aldrich Chemical Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At Aldrich Tracy produced a wide a variety of catalog items as well as performing repairs and designing new prototypes. Tracy moved to Madison, WI in the fall of 2000 where he is currently the research glassblower for the University of Wisconsin Chemistry Department.

Brian Markowicz was born in Orlando, Florida. He became interested in Glassblowing at the age of 18 in 1998. For 3 years he was working in Eugene Oregon until enrolling in the scientific glass technology program at Salem in Carneys Point NJ in 2001. Upon graduation from Salem he took a job working in the glassblowing shop at the University of Georgia (UGA) under Ricky Harrison.In 2009 he moved to the Center for Applied Isotope Studies as there in house glassblower as well as laboratory assistant processing samples for isotopic analysis. Working primarily in the natural products and benzene synthesis and liquid scintilattion labs. After a brief hiatus from 2012-2014, he returned to scientific glassblowing working under Don Woodyard at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he is currently employed.

Tsuyoshi Nakamura177x200Tsuyoshi is a third generation scientific glassblower that began learning glassblowing 33 years ago in 1981 at SINWA GLASS WORKS. In 1983 he was employed as a scientific glassblower with NAKAMURA WORKS Co-Ltd. In 1986 he was independent within the company, NAKAMURA RIKA Inc.in Tokyo Japan. Since 2006 he is the director of the Tokyo Scientific Glassblowers Union (TRGK), and in 2012 became the Managing Director.Tsuyoshi presented a technical demonstration at the 2012 ASGS annual symposium. He received the award for Most Significant Contribution by an International Delegate to the 2012 ISGE in Corning, NY.

Kevin BennetKevin E. Bennet is the Chair of the Division of Engineering, an assistant professor of Neurosurgery and co-Director of the Neural Engineering Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is responsible for development and application of new technology for applications in clinical practice and research. His direct development efforts include deep brain stimulation, wireless physiological monitoring and minimally invasive surgery He has experience in technology development with organizations including W.R. Grace & Co., Exxon International and Amoco Chemicals. He has served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health and has served on National Institutes of Health site visit teams. He holds patents concerning healthcare, semiconductor and optical technology andhas founded several technology-based companies. His glassblowing experience began in 1968 making a helium-neon laser and dye laser based upon Scientific American articles and the book “Creative Glassblowing” further work included various opportunities to learn and apply the skill at MIT, W.R. Grace Research Center, Azotic Coating Technology, Inc. and a summer job blowing custom barometer tubes while in college. He continues to mentor students providing an introduction to basic scientific glassblowing to high school and college students. Mr. Bennet received the B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School.

Steve Anderson began his education as a scientific glassblower at Salem Community College in 1986. He has been employed as a scientific glassblower with Greatglas Inc., Wilmington, Delaware – 1986 to 1988, Honeywell Inc., Bloomington, Minnesota – 1988 to 1989, Aldrich Chemical Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin – 1989 to 1994, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska – 1994 to 1999. He is currently a Senior Scientific Glassblower with the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Steve has been a member of the American Scientific Glassblowing Society since 1987. He is currently the Awards Committee Chairman. He has been a member of the Midwest Section of the ASGS since 1989 and has held each of the officer positions.

Joe is a fourth generation scientific glassblower who began learning the art of scientific glassblowing 47 years ago in 1966 at his family-owned business, The Milwaukee Glass Works Inc. In 1969 he became a scientific glassblower with Pope Scientific Inc., in Menomonee Falls, WI. In 1974 he was promoted to Plant Superintendent and head of the custom glassblowing facility. While supervising all phases of production he was responsible for teaching production trainees, apprentices and journeymen glassblowers. In 1980 Joe joined Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, IL. In 1985 Joe was promoted to the level of Scientific Associate specializing in apparatus design and in 1997 was promoted to Senior Scientific Associate. Joe has held every office in the Midwest Section and served two terms, 1984-1988 as the ASGS National Secretary, ASGS National President Elect in 1989-1990 and ASGS President in 1990-1991. Joe won the ASGS Helmut E. Drechsel Achievement Award in 1989 and the J. Allen Alexander Award in 1993. He has presented many technical papers for which he has been awarded three Dennis Courtney Awards from Andrews Glass Co. He has presented three technical posters, and has demonstrated technical workshops at the National Symposia. He was honored by receiving the first “William A. Wilt Award” in 1999 and again in 2003 and 2012 for his workshop demonstrations. Joe received the first “President’s Achievement Award” in 2008. Joe has served as the National Junior Liaison Committee Chair since 1988.

Richard is a third generation glassblower that got his start by making horribly, horribly bad glass animals at the age of 10 or so in his father’s glass shop, sometime around 1987. He began his career in 1996 at Pope Scientific in Menominee Falls, WI in 1996. After a temporary assignment working under Jack Korfhage at Albemarle Inc, and a short stint working for Gene Bayne at Widgett Scientific glass, he moved home to Wisconsin in 1998 and began working at Aldrich Chemical, where while making catalog glassware and servicing the in house researchers, he also worked to develop new catalog items. In 2002, Rick moved to Cincinnati, and for the last 13 years has managed his own Glass Engineering facility for Procter & Gamble, where he services researchers across the globe. Rick has been an active member of the ASGS since 1998, but has attended Symposia since 1989, when he was known ubiquitously as “Bob’s Kid”. Rick has been an active member of the Midwest Section his entire career, and has held the treasurer position, as well as that of Alternate Director. At the National level he was head of the Outreach committee for three years. He has been the recipient of The Memorial award, the William Wilt award, and most recently the Dana Sampson award. Rick has contributed numerous Technical papers, Technical Posters, and Workshop demonstrations.