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Barbara Hinshaw Retires After 27 Years at BYU

May 4, 2010

Barbara C. Hinshaw retired from Brigham Young University on May 1, 2010 after 27 years of dedicated service to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Over the course of her career, Barbara has taught approximately 10,000 students, often with the help of able student instructors.

Barbara began work at BYU in 1983 as a research assistant in the laboratory of Roland K. Robins.  A year later she was hired as an assistant manager of the Chemistry Central Stockroom. Three years later, she was hired as the first Chemicals Management Officer for the university where her duties included handling hazardous wastes for the university and maintaining the MSDS’s for the Chemistry Department. She joined the faculty as a lecturer from 1990 to 1996. Barbara was appointed to the professional teaching track in 1996. Since the appointment to lecturer in 1990, she has had sole responsibility for the organic chemistry teaching laboratory classes, Chem 353 and Chem 354.Barbara completely restructured the organic laboratory courses to introduce Micro-scale techniques, including writing laboratory manuals for the courses and introducing NMR to these courses. She later collaborated with Brian Woodfield to use the Virtual ChemLab as a way to teach the “whys” of chemistry. Barbara utilized six assignments that use virtual exercises to mirror and reinforce the concepts and skills taught in the real lab along with three virtual unknowns.

In addition, for many years she served as the Safety Officer for the Department and the liaison between the Chemistry Department and the University Safety Professionals. In that capacity, she also developed the first Chemical Safety Course on campus and taught it for many years to graduate and undergraduate chemistry students. The combination of teaching and safety management/training responsibilities represents an enormous contribution to the well-being of students and faculty across the campus. Barbara has been a strong mentor for a number of women students, especially single moms, who have sought her advice and support.

Barbara was born in Murray, Utah to Audrey Christensen and Maurice O. Carpenter. She attended Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah and graduated in1962. She received her BA at Westminster College in Salt Lake City in 1966 where she was named the Outstanding student in Chemistry in 1963 and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She was a member of the Alpha Chi Fraternity for both her Junior and Senior years. Barbara received her MS degree in organic chemistry in 1969 under the direction of Roland K. Robins at the University of Utah. Barbara has two children, Janna Kolb and Aaron Hinshaw and four grandchildren. Right now, Barbara lives in Spanish Fork, Utah but will soon be moving to Clinton, Utah to be near her children. Her hobbies are gardening, black Labrador dogs, sewing and reading. In fact, all of the plants in the department have benefitted by Barbara’s constant care.

Barbara has performed a great service to the department and to the university, and she will surely be missed.

Contact

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
C100 BNSN
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah 84602
801-422-3667

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