Spring Break
Former vice president of research dies
By: Steven Romo
Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: News
Richard Ewing, the former vice president of research at Texas A&M and a distinguished professor in the math department, died after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday, according to University officials.
Ewing, 61, became the University's vice president of research in 2000. In August, he returned to the mathematics department to continue research and to work with the organization he founded, A&M's Institute for Scientific Computation, following a highly publicized inquiry by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The investigation was spurred by accounts of workers in A&M's bio-defense lab being exposed to dangerous bio-weapon agents.
The University did not meet federal law requirement of reporting such exposures within one week.
Ewing resigned in August saying that it was his duty to do so; he attributed the problems to human error.
In Ewing's resignation letter, he wrote that he was leaving his position "during a time that the University is under tremendous scrutiny surrounding its select agent research program."
Ewing also indicated that it was his goal to work with new administrators to make things right in the bio-defense research labs.
"I fully intend to work with the interim university administration, faculty and staff to help bring our program back into full compliance."
In his career, Ewing received notoriety as both a researcher and an administrator. He worked for A&M since 1992. He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Texas.
Steven Romo, staff writer
Ewing, 61, became the University's vice president of research in 2000. In August, he returned to the mathematics department to continue research and to work with the organization he founded, A&M's Institute for Scientific Computation, following a highly publicized inquiry by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The investigation was spurred by accounts of workers in A&M's bio-defense lab being exposed to dangerous bio-weapon agents.
The University did not meet federal law requirement of reporting such exposures within one week.
Ewing resigned in August saying that it was his duty to do so; he attributed the problems to human error.
In Ewing's resignation letter, he wrote that he was leaving his position "during a time that the University is under tremendous scrutiny surrounding its select agent research program."
Ewing also indicated that it was his goal to work with new administrators to make things right in the bio-defense research labs.
"I fully intend to work with the interim university administration, faculty and staff to help bring our program back into full compliance."
In his career, Ewing received notoriety as both a researcher and an administrator. He worked for A&M since 1992. He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Texas.
Steven Romo, staff writer
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