Patrick MacCarthy

Professor

Contact Information:
Office: Room 256, Coolbaugh Hall
Phone: 303.273.3626
Fax: 303.273.3629
e-mail: pmaccart@mines.edu

Education

	B.Sc. Chemistry, University College Galway (National University of Ireland)
	M.Sc. Chemistry, University College Galway (National University of Ireland)
	M.S. Chemistry, Northwestern University
	Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry, University of Cincinnati

Teaching Philosophy

Dr. MacCarthy has a uniform teaching philosophy regardless of whether he is lecturing on general chemistry, on advanced courses in analytical chemistry, on the subtleties of humic substances, or hosting workshops on inventing, patenting and licensing. In all cases, Dr. MacCarthy strives to address the underlying principles that help to make sense out of the broad subject. He finds the same intellectual challenges and excitement in teaching the principles of patenting as in lecturing on scientific topics. In all cases, he injects an historical perspective into his teaching and attempts to elucidate how each subject area has evolved over the years. He would disagree with the hackneyed expression that specialization leads to knowing more and more about less and less. In fact, his experience have been quite the opposite - the more he delves into a particular subject the more he is encouraged to broaden his understanding of other areas that superficially may appear to be unconnected to the topic under study. This is the philosophy he adopts in all of his classes, and his goal is to provide students with the fundamental principles and broad overview that allow them to think critically on the subject and to delve further into the topic long after the class is over.

ETM Courses Taught

	EBGN 574: Inventing, Patenting & Licensing

Research Interests

Dr. MacCarthy's chemistry career has centered on the study of humic substances - the dark-colored organic matter found is soils, sediments and all natural waters. These materials contribute to the fertility of soil and participate in numerous environmental and geochemical processes. They represent the epitome of molecular complexity and pose enormous challenges for chemists and other scientists. Dr. MacCarthy has been investigating the fundamental chemical nature of these materials for many years. In particular, he is interested in methods for investigating the interactions of metal ions with humic substances. This specific pursuit has evolved into a more broad interest in the chemistry of complex mixtures in general. In addition to his chemical interests, Dr. MacCarthy is an inventor. Several of his patented inventions have been marketed worldwide. He has studied the patent field extensively and is involved in developing pedagogical approaches to teaching in this field. MacCarthy lectures and presents workshops on Inventing, Patenting & Licensing at many universities, government agencies and corporations throughout the U.S. and Canada.