Dr. Rampur Viswanath – Senior Scientist – Hanford Nuclear Waste Remediation

Dr. Rampur Viswanath is a Scientist of Indian origin residing in the US. He was a Senior Scientist at the Hanford Nuclear Waste Remediation Site in Washington State until he retired in 2011. He received an M.S. degree in Chemistry from the Bangalore University, Bangalore, India and a Ph.D., from the University of Detroit, Michigan.  As a freshman, he received a Rotary grant to purchase books.  This generous act fostered his eagerness to join and actively engage in Rotary at the first opportunity.

After teaching undergraduate chemistry in Bangalore and moving to the US, he worked in the field of air quality science for 30 plus years. He founded the India Chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers and the Institute of Environment and Hazardous Materials Management in Bangalore, India. He has received the highest honors awarded by two professional organizations in his field both located in Rockville, Maryland:  the “Distinguished Diplomate” from the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management and the “Pete Cook Founders Award” from the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals. Recently, he served as a US Fulbright Senior Research Scholar on an air pollution control project in Bangalore.

Dr. Viswanath believes in “transforming one life at a time” through Rotary.  In keeping with this spirit, he and his wife, Treja, sponsored many humanitarian projects (nearly a million US dollars) since joining Rotary in 1986, which have transformed many lives in India and other countries. These projects provided resources for healthcare- neonatal, mammography, dialysis and hearing equipment, cataract and blood bank services, and for schools- books, furniture, toilets, drinking water systems and disability communication tools.  With strong commitment to Rotary, he served as President of Richland Rotary Club (Washington) and as District Governor of District 5080 (parts of Washington, Idaho and British Columbia). He continues to serve through one of the greatest platforms for fellowship and service, Rotary.

Dr. Viswanath and his wife Treja are Major Donors and Bequest Society Members and they both now live in Las Vegas. They have two children (a daughter and a son) and two grandchildren, and are all Paul Harris Fellows. Dr. Viswanath is a proud member of Rotary Club of Las Vegas.