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 (NIST). Her work involves creating special models for how liquids and gases behave. In 2005, she received a special award called the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal.

Marcia Huber's Education Journey

Marcia Huber started her studies at the University of Pittsburgh. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. After a short time working, she went on to get her Ph.D. (a very advanced degree) from the Colorado School of Mines.

Her Ph.D. project, completed in 1985, was about how heat moves in certain materials. Her main teacher and guide for this important work was M. C. Jones.

Marcia Huber's Career at NIST

After finishing her Ph.D., Marcia Huber joined the NIST. She started as a special research fellow. Her early work focused on creating models for how different fluids behave. This was especially important for understanding heavy oils.

This research helped create important computer databases. One of these is now known as NIST Database 23, or more commonly, REFPROP.

Today, Huber is still a chemical engineer at NIST. She helps organize a big meeting called the International Symposium on Thermophysical Properties. This meeting happens every three years in Boulder, Colorado. She used to lead a group at NIST that studied how fluids behave.

What Marcia Huber Researches

Marcia Huber has written or helped write over 110 research papers. She also holds 19 patents and her work has been used by other scientists over 12,900 times.

Her main interest is creating models for how liquids and gases behave. She often works with scientists from other countries. Together, they create ways to understand how important fluids like carbon dioxide and water move and conduct heat.

Recently, she has focused on new, safer refrigerants. These are chemicals used in air conditioners and refrigerators. She also works on models for complex fuel mixtures. This includes fuels for airplanes and cars. Her past work has included biofuels and rocket fuels.

Other things she studies include how liquids turn into solids. She also looks at fire-stopping mixtures and how liquids behave on their surface. She is also part of the team that keeps improving the REFPROP program.

Awards and Special Honors

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