10/25/2006 -
In Memoriam: Dr. David C. White, University of Tennessee/Oak Ridge National
Laboratory Distinguished Scientist, Director of the University of Tennessee/Knoxville Center for Biomarker Analysis and Long-Time
ERSD-Funded Investigator: On October 25, 2006, Dr. David C. White, Director of the University of Tennessee/Knoxville Center for Biomarker
Analysis and University of Tennessee Professor of Microbiology, passed away due to injuries received in an early morning automobile accident near his home.
In addition to directing the University of Tennessee/Knoxville (UTK) Center for Biomarker Analysis, and being a UT/Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distinguished
Scientist, Dr. White was one of the longest continuously funded scientists within the Environmental Remediation Sciences Division (ERSD) within the Office of
Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Dr. White was a key participant in the formative stages of ERSD's former Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation
Research (NABIR) program, leading efforts to integrate multi-disciplinary researchers on projects and conduct experiments under field site (in situ) conditions,
developing and pioneering the use of new subsurface microbiology sampling tools and training many students in subsurface microbiology. In addition to his
contributions to subsurface microbiology, Dr. White also investigated microbial communities in soil communities, frozen ice sheets in Antarctica, barrier reefs,
deep sea vents, and deep underground mines. Through the years, Dr. White strove to bring the power of quantitative analytical chemistry to the field of microbial
ecology, and his efforts led to the creation of the science of signature lipid biomarker analysis. Beginning in 1988 and through fiscal year 2006, Dr. White was the
lead Principal Investigator (PI) on one or more three-year grants from ERSD, and he was also a co-PI on many projects led by other PI's. Dr. White founded the
Journal of Microbiological Methods, had over 500 peer-reviewed journal publications and his papers have more than 6,000 citations. Dr. White is survived by his wife
Sandy, three children and seven grandchildren. We are all very saddened by the loss of our friend and great contributor to subsurface microbiology.