Campus community remembers professor Andy Langner

‌

Andy Langner

Andreas “Andy” Langner, professor of chemistry in RIT’s College of Science, passed away Thursday evening, according to Jeremy Haefner, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Langner joined the RIT faculty in 1989, attaining the rank of full professor in 2000. He was recognized for his dedication to teaching in general, physical and polymer chemistry and received the Sears-Roebuck Foundation Teaching Excellence & Campus Leadership Award in 1991 and the Eisenhart Outstanding Teaching Award in 2004.

According to Haefner, Langner maintained an active research group at RIT focused on computational and experimental investigations of phase/structural transitions in soft materials and complex fluids while mentoring dozens of graduates and undergraduate students.

“To me, Andy was a model teacher-scholar who cared deeply for students,” says Haefner. “He played a special role, reminding all of us what our mission here at RIT is all about.”

In a 2004 interview with University News, Langner described how his love of family and pride in his four children carried over to his students.

“When I first started teaching I think I had more of a philosophical approach, but now that I’ve become a father, it is a lot more pragmatic,” said Langner. “All you can do is create the opportunity, create the environment.”

He added: “I think what I value in myself is independence and being adaptable and being forward thinking. And I think this spills out to how I work with my students.”

Family and friends are invited to call at Miller Funeral Home, 3325 Winton Road South, from 4 to 8 p.m. today, April 4. A funeral service is planned for 10 a.m. April 5 at Blessed Sacrament Church, 534 Oxford St. Plans for an on-campus memorial service will be announced at a later date.