George Fisher, Ph.D.

Dr. Fisher, congratulations on your professor emeritus status! This is a well-deserved honor attributed to your many accomplishments and leadership in teaching, research and service. The first B.S. in Chemistry student at Barry graduated in 1943, nearly 80 years ago. However, research was not established and embedded into the chemistry curriculum at Barry until Dr. Fisher’s arrival in 1988. Since then, he’s contributed research, mentoring, and his grantsmanship experience to students of the university. During his 32 years at Barry, he aligned lecture content with American Chemical Society requirements, taught thousands of students, and quickly became a fan favorite to both students and faculty. He has been praised for providing students with the right tools and guidance to navigate and master organic chemistry. For his teaching efforts, he was awarded 2002 and 2016 Excellence in Teaching Awards. Throughout his academic career of over 40 years, Dr. Fisher has mentored over 100 students, mostly underrepresented minorities and/or students that are economically disadvantaged through Project SEED, MBRS, MARC, SCORE, MIRT, and RISE grant funding. Besides exposing students to research at Barry, he has provided them with the opportunity to conduct research and to work side-by-side with globally renowned scientists at the Stazione Zoologica in Italy. Many of his research students now have successful careers as university faculty and administrators, leaders in the industry, and practicing medical professionals. Some of Dr. Fisher’s career accomplishments: - Dedicated time to the study of Alzheimer's disease - Secured over $2 million in external research funding from NIH, American Lung Association, and American Heart Association - Published 90 manuscripts in peer-reviewed international journals and 15 other chemistry-related articles - Made over 130 research presentations at local, national, and international meetings and symposia with his students - Established national and international collaborations with scientists in the U.S. and Italy - Presented keynote speech at the First International Conference on D-Amino Acid Research in Japan in 2009 - Served several years as an editor for the journal Amino Acids - Served on Barry’s MARC/MBRS/RISE advisory committee since 1991 - Co-organized the Summer Research Beginnings workshop, served as a faculty research mentor, and helped place students in summer research internships - Served as a member of Barry’s Rank and Promotion Committee, IRB, Faculty Welfare Committee and chair of our department’s Faculty Evaluation Committee - Served as the founding father and advisor of Barry’s Chemistry Club/ACS Student Chapter (which has received 23 outstanding chapter awards) since 1994 - Established a chapter of Gamma Sigma Epsilon Chemistry Honor Society at Barry - Served as a judge at various science fairs and competitions (St. Rose of Lima Science Fair, St. Mary’s Cathedral School, Barry’s annual STEM Research Symposium) - Since 2001, he engaged in community outreach to high school students through organizing chemistry oral competitions during the annual Chemistry and Physics Tournament