CU doctoral candidate is one of first to earn NSF Discovery Corps fellowship

By Susan Lang

Catherine M. Oertel, a doctoral candidate in chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell, has been named a new Discovery Corps postdoctoral fellow by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study corrosion in Baroque-era pipe organs and to develop lesson plans about the physics, chemistry and materials science of musical sound for middle and high school students.

Oertel is one of the first six fellows in the new Discovery Corps, an NSF pilot program that is exploring innovative ways for scientists to combine their research expertise with service to society.

A solid-state chemist from Oxford, Ohio, who also plays the organ, Oertel will work in the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) trying to understand the corrosion problem that plagues the great Baroque-era pipe organs.

"In the early 1700s, these organs were the highest of high technology," said Oertel, who expects her Ph.D. in August. "They are the instruments on which Johann Sebastian Bach wrote much of his music. In the centuries since then, however, most of these organs have been lost to war or ill-conceived restoration attempts. Today, the few organs that remain are corroding badly but for reasons that aren't completely clear."

Oertel, who received her B.A. from Oberlin College (1999) and M.S. in inorganic chemistry from Cornell (2002), synthesized novel tungsten sulfide cluster complexes by solid-state and solution methods for her doctoral research. She is a NSF graduate teaching fellow in the Cornell Science Inquiry Partnership program and the co-author of six academic papers.

Her work with organs is part of Cornell's ongoing partnership with the Goteborg Organ Art Center and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden -- a partnership that will ultimately result in a new pipe organ to be built at Cornell in the Baroque style, specifically for the performance of Bach-era music.

Working with the CCMR, an NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center well-known for its original and vibrant outreach programs to the community, Oertel will work with Shefford Baker, a professor in materials science and engineering and a respectable saxophonist in his own right. Baker noted: "Catherine found an excellent way to apply her research skills in a project that will provide a tremendous social service. From the fundamental science of very long-term corrosion, to preservation of cultural artifacts and promotion of art, to music-inspired science outreach projects, she put together exactly what the NSF was looking for in this program."

Oertel will also be involved with the educational outreach programs directed by Nev Singhota,the educational programs director of CCMR. "Catherine has been contributing to the Center's educational programs for years now -- she is a veteran leader," said Singhota. "Her new role as a Discovery Corps Fellow will introduce innovative aspects to our ongoing programs and offer an opportunity for fresh activities and collaborations."

The two-year Discovery Corps postoctoral fellowships are intended for recent Ph.D.s who seek alternatives to the traditional postdoctoral experience of working in the research group of a senior principal investigator.