SUNY Brockport alum donates to Physics Department

When Christopher Leichtweis ('83) was a physics major at SUNY Brockport, he was an inquisitive student intently interested in both the physics of the atom and the safety of the environment.

The former SUNY Brockport physics student and now president and CEO of Safety and Ecology Corporation Inc., a $71 million/year radiological and hazardous materials remediation contractor, Leichtweis is giving back to SUNY Brockport with gifts of laboratory equipment and cash. The combined gift totals more than $30,000.

The cash gift of $9,600 will support the Department of Physics' Annual Physics Research Grant and the laboratory equipment ($21,900) will aid faculty and students involved in nuclear physics.

"In many ways, my career began at SUNY Brockport and many of my career aspirations developed as a result of my experiences there. Now it is time for me to help by giving a little back and helping someone else get a good start on their career," said Leichtweis.

"The gift is a tremendous boost to the Department of Physics and its students," said department chair Richard V. Mancuso, PhD. "It will expand the range of work we can do in the area of nuclear physics and our students will benefit tremendously," he added.

Leichtweis, a certified industrial hygienist with more than 21 years of practical experience, founded Safety and Ecology Corporation (SEC) in 1991 as a one-man consulting operation. It has since grown to its present size of approximately 400 employees and annual sales of $71 million with its Corporate Headquarters located in Knoxville, Tennessee, and project offices located throughout the country. In 1993, SEC opened an office in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the United Kingdom.