Millennium Magazine_2ndEd

76 MILLENNIUM-SECOND EDITION T he recipient of the Oklahoma Medal for Teaching, a prestigious award reserved for only the most dedicated educators in the state, Dr. Richard A. Bunce has always taken great pride in watching his students succeed. He becomes especially excited when he learns of what former students have accomplished after completing their degrees. Dr. Bunce has taught courses continuously since joining the chemistry department at Oklahoma State University as an assistant professor in 1983. In 1990, as an associate professor, he assumed the role of undergraduate advisor, a position he held for 24 years and for which he was twice recognized as the Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1998, he was promoted to full professor and remains so to this day. Outside his career as an educator, Dr. Bunce remains committed to the pursuit of scientific advancement. Upon receiving a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981, he completed an NIH-supported postdoctoral appointment at the University of California- Berkeley. He is currently engaged in research aimed at developing new medications to treat cancer and infectious diseases. Dr. Bunce was named Oklahoma Chemist of the Year in 2009 and was selected to receive the Regents Distinguished Research Award in 2012. He has served as a collection editor for Molecules for the past three years, in addition to contributing his own articles to professional journals. For more than a decade, Dr. Bunce has lent his knowledge and expertise as an editorial board member for Organic Preparations and Procedures International and Heterocyclic Communications. Looking back, Dr. Bunce feels his success in academia can be largely attributed to his recollection of what it is like to be a student. As an educator, he recognizes the importance of providing multiple examples to ensure that students understand how to apply chemical concepts to solve problems. Dr. Bunce also leads by example, working long hours and frequently volunteering to handle extra responsibilities for his department. He is actively involved with the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, among other professional organizations. RICHARD A. BUNCE, PHD PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK