Marcia Huber facts for kids

Marcia Lynn Huber is an American chemical engineer. She works as a researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Marcia studies how fluids behave, like water or gases, and creates models to understand their properties. In 2005, she received a special award called the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal.

Marcia's Education Journey

Marcia Huber studied chemical engineering. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), from the University of Pittsburgh. After working for a short time at Rockwell International, she continued her studies. She then received her Ph.D. in chemical and petroleum refining engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. Her Ph.D. project in 1985 was about how heat moves in certain materials at high temperatures. Her main professor for this work was M. C. Jones.

Her Career at NIST

After finishing her Ph.D., Marcia Huber started working at the NIST. She began as a special research fellow with the National Research Council (NRC). There, she worked with a scientist named James Ely.

Understanding Fluid Properties

Marcia's early work at NIST focused on creating models for how fluids act. This was especially important for understanding heavy hydrocarbons, which are found in oil and gas. Her research helped create important computer databases. One of these is now known as NIST Database 23, or more commonly, REFPROP. This program helps scientists and engineers understand how different fluids behave.

Marcia is still a chemical engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She helps organize a big meeting called the International Symposium on Thermophysical Properties. This meeting happens every three years in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Before her current role, she was the leader of the Theory and Modelling of Fluids Group at NIST.

What Marcia Researches

Marcia Huber has written or helped write over 110 research papers. She also holds 19 patents, which means she has invented new things. Her work has been used and referenced by other scientists more than 12,900 times.

Marcia is very interested in creating models for the properties of fluids. She often works with scientists from other countries. Together, they develop ways to measure how thick (viscosity) and how well heat travels through (thermal conductivity) important fluids. These include things like carbon dioxide and water, which are used in many industries.

Recently, she has focused on new types of refrigerants. These are chemicals used in refrigerators and air conditioners. She works on ones that are better for the environment, like R1234yf and R1233zd(E). Marcia also studies how to create models for complex fuel mixtures. This includes fuels for airplanes and other vehicles. Her recent work has looked at diesel fuels with low sulfur. In the past, she researched biofuels, rocket fuels, and aviation fuels.

Other things she studies include how fluids change from liquid to solid. She also looks at mixtures used to put out fires, how liquids behave at their surface (surface tension), and how to model the properties of mixed fluids. She is also a key part of the team that keeps improving the REFPROP program.

Awards and Special Recognition

Marcia Huber has received several awards for her important work. She won the NIST Standard Reference Data Measurement Services Award twice. She first received it in 1992 and then again in 1995. In 2005, she was honored with the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal.