College of Sciences Newsletter Edition 13 June 1, 2002 
Retiring Faculty
The following four faculty retired from Old Dominion University this year; the College of Sciences appreciates the 120 years of service these faculty have given us!
William M. Dunstan received his B.S. degree from Yale University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University. He began his career at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He then accepted a position as associate professor at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, University of Georgia. In 1980, he accepted the position of professor and chair of the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Old Dominion University. Although he has assumed intermittent administrative assignments for research and graduate studies and for marine studies, he has retained his faculty position as a professor of oceanography.
Dunstan has published more than 30 refereed papers in marine science in a wide variety of high quality journals and has served on four national advisory and review panels. He established himself as an international expert on the marine science of the coastal southeastern United States and has mentored more than a dozen Ph.D. and M.S. students while at Old Dominion.
Dunstan’s unselfish contributions have made a major impact at Old Dominion. He helped to develop the department from relative obscurity into one that has national and international recognition. The work of the department now spans the globe from the Arctic to the Antarctic and from Chesapeake Bay to the Americas, Africa and Asia. It also attracts students worldwide. Dunstan’s guidance and wisdom have established the foundation of the department.
Ali A. Nowroozi receives his bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Tehran, Iran in 1959 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geophysics from the University of California, Berkley. After completing his Ph.D. degree, Nowroozi took a position as research scientist at Columbia University in the Lamont-Doherty Geophysical Observatory where he was promoted to research associate. He began as an associate professor at Shiraz University, Iran in 1973 and by the end of 1981, he was vice president in charge of the Exploration and Fuel Department. He joined the faculty at Old Dominion University in 1982 as professor in the Department of Geophysical Sciences which later merged with the Department of Oceanography to become the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. He served as director of geological sciences from 1995-97.
Nowroozi has published more than 60 refereed papers and numerous technical reports and abstracts over the years. He has served on various national and international committees as well as many University ones, most recently the Library Committee and as a member of the Human Resources Committee. He has chaired several M.S. thesis committees.
Nowroozi has dedicated his career to the exploration of geophysics and its application to find energy resources, solving environmental and Geotechnical problems, geological hazards, seismic risk, magnetic, seismic and electical methods.
Daniel E. Sonenshine received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the City College of New York in 1955 and his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Maryland in 1959. After completing his Ph.D., Sonenshine taught at the University of Akron until he joined Old Dominion University as an assistant professor of biology in 1961. He was promoted to associate professor in 1963 and professor of biological sciences in 1965. In 1978, he was promoted to University Professor to be redesignated as an Eminent Scholar in 1988. Sonenshine served as the associate vice president for research in the Office of the Provost from 1985 to 1989.
During his 41 years at Old Dominion, Sonenshine received numerous research grants and contracts from federal, state and private sponsors totaling more than $2 million. He has published more than 180 scientific articles, monographs and book chapters. He has received five patents for devices that provide innovative methods for controlling ticks and tick-borne diseases. He is the author of the two-volume book, Biology of Ticks. In recognition of Sonenshine’s accomplishments, the Science Museum of Virginia honored him as the Outstanding Scientist of Virginia in 1994.
Sonenshine plans to continue his affiliation with Old Dominion as a research professor (emeritus).
Roy Lee Williams received his B.S. from the College of William and Mary in 1960 and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Delaware in 1965. He immediately joined the faculty of Old Dominion as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor in 1968, and attained full professor status in 1974. He served as graduate program director for the department and held several elected posts in the chemistry section of the Virginia Academy of Sciences.
Williams has enhanced the university’s continuing education program, creating and teaching a course on wine-appreciation, which positively exposed the university to the community. Williams established the Old Dominion University Enological Research facility in 1991, and presented papers nationally and internationally on the topic of wine and health. The Virginia Wine Industry named Williams “Man of the Year” for 2001 for his efforts.
Williams routinely involved organic chemistry undergraduates in his research projects, providing opportunities to present results to groups such as the Virginia Academy of Sciences.
