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Gareth Hougham

Lecturer of Environmental Studies

Gareth Hougham received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Polytechnic University in Brooklyn (now NYU Tandon) and worked at the IBM, Thomas J. Watson Research Center for 30 years on advanced materials for high speed electronics. He has over 100 U.S. patents and around 30 publications including a two-volume book on fluoropolymers. He is president of Hudson Valley Arts and Science, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to aquatic ecology, water quality and public access. He is also a member of the Town of Ossining Planning Board, a founding member of Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance (ELLA), and a member of the American Chemical Society and the Society of Wetland Scientists.

More About Me

At Hudson Valley Arts and Science, Hougham founded and led development and certification as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit. He wrote grant proposals leading to research funding from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, The US Environmental Protection Agency, The Hudson River Foundation, and the Entergy Corporation. He is currently directing three projects in Westchester: design and permitting of a deep water Hudson River pier, a fish and water quality survey of a Hudson tributary, and the design and permitting of a fish ladder over a dam on the Hutchinson River. He is also involved with eel tagging studies in the Saw Mill, Bronx and Hutchinson Rivers.

While working at IBM’s Thomas Watson Research Center, Hougham led the innovative technology development in basic and applied research in materials science and microelectronic packaging.  He was a team leader for experimental and theoretical studies of electrical, optical and mechanical properties of polymers, and worked on the development of advanced metal alloy systems, high density interconnect structures, and 3D lithography.  He also developed Intellectual Property to help sustain technical innovation and marketplace leadership for IBM.