James E. Atwater (born September 22, 1946) is a retired North American multidisciplinary physical scientist with training in geophysics, chemistry, and biological science. Atwater holds courtesy faculty appointments with the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering at

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

ResearchGate ResearchGate is a European commercial social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. According to a 2014 study by ''Nature'' and a 2016 article in ''Times Higher Education'' ...

he has accumulated a score for Research Interest of 385.8 with a total of 674 citations of his peer-reviewed publications, as of June 8, 2022. He was awarded the

Wright Brothers Medal The Wright Brothers Medal was conceived of in 1924 by the Dayton Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the SAE established it in 1927 to recognize individuals who have made notable contributions in the engineering, design, developmen ...

for his work on microwave-powered methods for

microbial A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

stabilization and water recovery from solid waste. Atwater served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

(1963–1967) prior to attending the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

(1968–1975) and

University at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

(1975). In his early career (1977–1980), Atwater concentrated on methods and instrumentation for identification and quantification of radionuclides associated with uranium exploration and recovery by gamma-ray and alpha particle energy spectrometry. Subsequently, (1980–1987) he applied radiometric geophysical well logging techniques to the characterization of sandstone, limestone, dolomite and shale core samples. At this time he also refined methods for the determination of porosity and permeability of unconsolidated bitumen and heavy oil bearing sands. Later Atwater's attention turned to problems of long-term human presence in space, working on regenerable systems for water and air purification, and means for decomposition and stabilization of solid waste materials and recovery of useful resources therefrom. During these years Atwater and colleagues also developed novel sensors and analytical instrumentation for monitoring and control of life support systems. In addition to instrumentation and methods, much of this work entailed the development of novel materials and the characterization of material properties, particularly with respect to magnetic and broadband microwave dielectric phenomena. Other research includes the study of multiphase immiscible fluid flow in porous media, and the recovery of hydrogen from methane (natural gas) using magnetically stabilized fluidized bed and microwave plasma reactors.Atwater, J.E., Wheeler, R.R., Jr., Hadley, N.M., Dahl, R.W., and Carrasquillo, R.L., "Hydrogen Recovery by Methane Decomposition in a Microwave Plasma Reactor", ''SAE International Journal of Aerospace'' 1, 337–346, 2009. Though in retirement, Atwater continues his association with former colleagues, providing theoretical analysis of experimental data and preparation of materials for publication.

Family

Atwater is the son of the noted avalanche control pioneer and author Montgomery Atwater; the grandson of Maxwell Atwater, the first mining engineer to employ flotation hydrometallurgy in North America; and the grandson of

Mary Meigs Atwater Mary Meigs Atwater (February 28, 1878 – September 5, 1956) was an American weaver. She revived handweaving in America by collecting weaving drafts, teaching and writing; ''Handweaver and Craftsman'' called Atwater "the grand dame and grand moth ...

, the "Dean of American Hand Weaving". Other notable family members include his great aunt

Cornelia Meigs Cornelia Lynde Meigs (1884–1973) was an American writer of fiction and biography for children, teacher of English and writing, historian and critic of children's literature. She won the Newbery Medal for her 1933 biography of Louisa May Alcot ...

, a noted teacher historian and novelist; his great grandfather Montgomery C. Meigs Jr., an accomplished Civil Engineer; and his great-great grandfather

Montgomery C. Meigs Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (; May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Meigs strongly opposed sece ...

, Quartermaster General of the Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and one of those present at the death bed of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atwater, James E. 1946 births Living people 21st-century American chemists American geophysicists Canadian geophysicists Scientists from Salt Lake City University of Utah alumni University at Albany, SUNY alumni Scientists from Montana Scientists from Alberta Scientists from Oregon People from Kalispell, Montana 20th-century American chemists 20th-century Canadian chemists United States Marines 21st-century Canadian chemists