Personnel

Sam O. Colgate

Sam Colgate received a PhD in experimental physical chemistry from MIT in1959. That same year he joined the faculty of the University of Florida. He has done research in many areas of chemistry and physics. While at UF he worked with several talented craftsmen and learned much of their arts. He taught chemistry at all levels and developed his own courses in machine shop practice and glass blowing. Generations of graduate students took his shop courses and went on to demonstrate that well trained experimental scientists with practical knowledge of materials, design, machining, brazing, welding, glass blowing, and  glass-to-metal seals have an advantage in the work place over their counterparts without this knowledge.

For many years he oversaw the technical shops of the Department of Chemistry and played a role in elevating them to be among the jewels of the University.

Over the years Prof. Colgate did extensive consulting with industrial companies, universities, and government laboratories. He also founded two small companies to transfer intellectual properties to manufacturers. One of these, GSSC, Inc., continues to receive royalties from licenses of proprietary glass/metal and ceramic/metal seal technology.

Nearing retirement from his teaching career, he established Sam O. Colgate, Inc. to provide a better base from which to continue his consulting activity. To date he has been the principal participant in all of the company's projects, but he has close associations with highly skilled scientists and technicians, who are called on to help, as needed.

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