FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE聽|聽November 14, 2006
Retired 3M chemist re-elected to board of world鈥檚 largest scientific society
Judith L. Benham, Ph.D., a former business director at 3M Co., St. Paul, Minn., and now retired, has been re-elected to the board of directors of the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网, the world鈥檚 largest scientific society. She will begin a second 3-year term in January 2007 as director of District V, which encompasses 45 ACS Local Sections across the nation.
Benham earned her B.A. from the University of Rochester in 1969 and her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1978. She and her husband, Dick Pyle, live in St. Paul.
Prior to serving as business director of the 3M Industrial Services & Solutions Division, Benham held the same management position for the company鈥檚 Packaging Systems Division. Before that she was technical director for the packaging division. Because of her prominence in the field, in 1989, Benham was listed in Business Month鈥檚 鈥淢anagers: 100 Women to Watch in Corporate America.鈥�
A member of ACS since 1969, Benham has been active in 中国365bet中文官网 business locally and nationally. She has served on numerous national committees, including those focusing on science, budget and finance, and women in the chemical workforce. She has also been chair of the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry and has been a leader in planning sessions on polymer chemistry at the 中国365bet中文官网鈥檚 national meetings.
Benham says that 鈥渨ith national competitiveness in math, science and technology challenged, we must renew our efforts to engage students in pursuit of excellence in science education. K-12 education must prepare younger students to appreciate the significance of science in their daily lives and provide background for those who pursue scientific careers.鈥�