Documentation to "My Case"

-
Stony Brook

31 May 2002

Mr. D.M. Gillanders
Secretary to the Special Committee
Senior Administrative Officer
Faculty of Science and Engineering
The University of Edinburgh
Weir Building
The King's Buildings
West Main Road
Edinburgh EH19 3N
UNITED KINGDOM

Dear Mr. Gillanders:

This letter is written at your request and on behalf of Professor Tibor Gasparik
who has applied for the post of Chair of Materials Science at Extreme Conditions. It is a
pleasure to do so.

I have know Tibor Gasparik since the late 1970s when he was a doctoral student
working under the supervision of Professor Donald Lindsley. In 1985, he joined our
research team as Research Scientist and Manager of the High Pressure Laboratory, of
which I am the Director. We have worked closely in the intervening years as members of
the Mineral Physics Institute and the NSF Science and Technology Center for High
Pressure Research [1991-2002].

Dr. Gasparik is a gifted experimental petrologist whose research work, especially
that conducted in the multi-anvil, high-pressure apparatus at Stony Brook has firmly
established the experimental basis for the phase relations and solution properties of
mantle minerals at high pressures and temperatures. He has not only pioneered in his
own research, but has been responsible for leading the development of the specialized
cell assemblies that have enabled many of our students and postdoctoral associates to
perform new and innovative experiments in our high-pressure apparatus; examples of
such experiments include atomic diffusion in single crystals, hot-pressing of
polycrystalline aggregates for ultrasonic experiments, and growth of single crystals of
high-pressure phases.

Dr. Gasparik's duties as Mznager of the High Pressure Laboratory have included
the continued development of our experimental apparatus, installation and
commissioning of new equipment, and oversight of the daily operation of our high-
pressure facilities. In addition, he has been very helpful in advising and training our post-
graduate students in the techniques of high-pressure experimentation, and in the design
and execution of their experimental projects.

From the Further Particulars copy for the post under advertisement, I infer that
you are seeking a senior scientists with an established international reputation an
experienced educator, and a person with the capabilities of setting up and sustaining a
world-class research program, and to contribute to the management and teaching in the
host School. I recommend Tibor Gasparik highly for this position as Chair in Materials
Science at Extreme Conditions and urge the Selection Committee to give his candidacy
careful consideration.

Sincerely yours,


Robert C. Lieberman
Distinguished Service Professor
Department of Geosciences
And
Associate Director of the
Mineral Physics Institute
And
Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Stony Brook University

___________________________________________________________________

Stony Brook

31 May 2002

National Science Foundation
Division of Human Resources
Attn. E20020077-Rotator
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Room 315
Arlington, VA 22230

Dear Sir/Madam:

This letter is written at your request and on behalf of Professor Tibor Gasparik
who has applied for the post Program Director for Petrology & Geochemistry in the
Division of Earth Sciences. It is a pleasure to do so.

I have know Tibor Gasparik since the late 1970s when he was a doctoral student
working under the supervision of Professor Donald Lindsley. In 1985, he joined our
research team as Research Scientist and Manager of the High Pressure Laboratory, of
which I am the Director. We have worked closely in the intervening years as members of
the Mineral Physics Institute and the NSF Science and Technology Center for High
Pressure Research [1991-2002].

Dr. Gasparik is a gifted experimental petrologist whose research work, especially
that conducted in the multi-anvil, high-pressure apparatus at Stony Brook has firmly
established the experimental basis for the phase relations and solution properties of
mantle minerals at high pressures and temperatures. He has not only pioneered in his
own research, but has been responsible for leading the development of the specialized
cell assemblies that have enabled many of our students and postdoctoral associates to
perform new and innovative experiments in our high-pressure apparatus; examples of
such experiments include atomic diffusion in single crystals, hot-pressing of
polycrystalline aggregates for ultrasonic experiments, and growth of single crystals of
high-pressure phases.

Dr. Gasparik's duties as Manager of the High Pressure Laboratory have included
the continued development of our experimental apparatus, installation and
commissioning of new equipment, and oversight of the daily operation of our high-
pressure facilities. In addition, he has been very helpful in advising and training our post-
graduate students in the techniques of high-pressure experimentation, and in the design
and execution of their experimental projects.

Dr. Gasparik is an internationally-recognized research scientist, an experienced
university educator, and has wide familiarity with topics and issues in petrology and
geochemistry. I recommend him highly for the post of Program Director for Petrology &
Geochemistry and urge the Selection Committee to give his candidacy careful
consideration.

Sincerely yours,


Robert C. Liebermann
Distinguished Service Professor
Department of Geosciences
And
Associate Director of the
Mineral Physics Institute
And
Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Stony Brook University

___________________________________________________________________

September 10, 2001

Prof. Tibor Gasparik
Department of Geosciences
SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, New York 11794-2100

Dear Tibor:

As the current Chair of the Department of Geosciences, I would like to
respond to your letter of August 27, 2001. The Department of Geosciences does
indeed hold in high regard the work that you have performed at Stony Brook for
the reasons that you articulated in your letter, and considers you to be an
important and productive contributor to the department.

That being said, it is not possible for the department or its faculty to
consider you as eligible for a grant of tenure under the current circumstances.
You are and always have been an employee of the Research Foundation and as
such, you cannot be a candidate for tenure under law or University policy. In
order to be tenure eligible, you would need to be appointed in a tenure track
position pursuant to the appropriate University policies and procedures.

At any time in the past when the department was given permission to
search for a tenure-track faculty member in your general field, you would have
been welcome to apply and your application would have been considered in a
fair manner. Indeed, last year, the department advertised for a tenure-track
faculty position with Planetary Petrology as one of the possible fields, and you
chose not to apply.

I appreciate the practical implications of the termination of the ChiPR
grant. Although the department is willing to support your efforts to obtain
alternative support to fund your continued employment for the Research
Foundation, it is not possible for the department to assume responsibility for
your salary and related personnel expenses.

I realize that this is not good news for you and I regret the situation in
which you currently find yourself. The department stands ready to provide to
you whatever non-financial support we can as you take steps to reestablish your
research program after the end of ChiPR.

Yours sincerely,


Scott M. McLennan
Chair

___________________________________________________________________

September 14, 2001

Dr. Tibor Gasparik
ESS Building
SUNY
Stony Brook, NY 11794-2100

Dear Tibor:

We are writing this letter to make clear our understanding regarding the funding
of your position. We wish to convey our current understanding which is consistent with
our conversation we had with you on Feb. 18, 2000, and with the terms of your
appointment dating back to 1985. The funding for your salary to date has come from
research grants from the National Science Foundation to be the laboratory manager for
the high pressure laboratory. For the past decade (since 1991), this support has come
from the NSF grant for the Center for High Pressure Research (CHiPR) for which D.
Weidner is Director and P.I. and R. Liebermann is a co-P.I. This grant is ending
January 31, 2002. We have concluded, after many discussions with staff at the National
Science Foundation that CHiPR cannot be continued in its current form. As a result, we
will not be able to support your salary as part of our research programs past the ending
date of the CHiPR grant, from any form of research support under our stewardship.

The consequences of this reality are quite severe. We are certainly willing to
welcome you to stay at Stony Brook. Perhaps you will be able to generate salary support
from grants for which you are the P.I., but we realize the difficulty in accomplishing this.

Sincerely yours,


Donald J. Weidner Robert C. Lieberman