ACS Recognizes Three Dow Women Scientists as 2015 Rising Stars

Dow’s Dr. Jaime Curtis-Fisk, Dr. Melinda Keefe and Dr. Beth Lorsbach are among the 10 women honored with the Women Chemists Committee (WCC) of the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) 2015 Rising Star Award

The annual WCC Rising Star Award was created in 2011 to recognize up to 10 outstanding women scientists who are approaching mid-level careers and have demonstrated outstanding promise for contributions to their respective fields.

“We are thrilled that three of our scientists have been recognized for their outstanding work,” said A.N. Sreeram, Dow corporate vice president of Research & Development. “Jaime, Mindy and Beth each have a completely different story, but are equally deserving of this recognition.  Having three scientists from Dow is a special honor, and we are pleased to see them acknowledged as role models for other women in science.”

Dr. Jaime Curtis-Fisk has been with Dow since 2010 and is an associate scientist in the Formulation Science group within Dow Core R&D in Midland, Michigan. Jaime is currently working in the field of formulation development for the delivery of active ingredients in application areas including pharmaceuticals, microbial control, and packaging. She has authored 23 internal technology reports, 16 internal invention concept documents, nine active patent applications, seven external publications, and 11 national conference presentations. Jaime is active in championing Dow’s R&D STEM efforts nationally. She founded and serves as chair for a local WCC Section in Midland. Jaime holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Grand Valley State University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Michigan State University.

Dr. Melinda Keefe joined Dow in 2001 and currently serves as a principal research scientist and R&D customer focal point for Dow Coating Materials in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. She is an expert in polymer synthesis, paint formulation design and testing, with an active research interest in art conservation science. Melinda is a strong contributor to the technical community, authoring six patent and patent applications, and 24 external publications. She has also given numerous external presentations on coatings, high throughput research, and art conservation science. Melinda was part of the team from Dow that was recognized with the 2013 Presidential Green Chemistry Award and 2013 R&D 100 Award for EVOQUE™ Pre-composite Polymers. In 2014, Melinda was recognized by Fortune Magazine with a “Heroes of the 500 Award” for her successful work on behalf of London’s Tate Modern gallery supporting the restoration of a Mark Rothko painting that had been vandalized with black graffiti ink. Melinda earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University and her master’s degree and Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Northwestern University.

Dr. Beth Lorsbach is the process chemistry leader for Actives to Products R&D with Dow AgroSciences. She has been with the Company since 1999. Beth is an expert in synthetic organic chemistry as well as agricultural molecule synthesis and scale-up. Throughout her career, she has contributed to the product pipeline by advancing new compounds. Beth co-led a fungicide project and guided the synthetic and patent strategy of the team to identify a compound and championed it into development. Beth has a track record of driving and accelerating innovation to add value to Dow AgroSciences’ R&D pipeline.  Recently, she has been instrumental in development of synthetic chemical routes for the manufacture of numerous agrochemical products and intermediates. Beth has authored 24 patent applications, 12 external publications, and 15 national conference presentations. In 2009, Beth was recognized as a finalist for Indy’s Best and Brightest Award. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Boston University and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California, Davis.

“On behalf of the Women Chemists Committee, we want to congratulate the new group of Rising Star Award winners,” said Amber Charlebois, WCC ACS Chair. “It’s exceptional for three of the award winners to be from the same organization, so we want to extend special congratulations  to Dow on the success of the three women recognized this year.”

The Rising Star Award winners will be formally recognized at the 2015 ACS Spring National Meeting in Denver, Colorado.