From a formative age, Nancy Kerr Del Grande became enthralled with the scientific discipline of physics, having read thoroughly about the Manhattan Project during her high school studies in World War II. Many years later, Ms. Del Grande discovered that her father participated in the early development of the Manhattan Project, thus inspiring her to enter the field on a grander scale. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled in Mount Holyoke College, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in physics in 1955. Subsequently, she received a Master of Science in physics from Stanford University in 1957.
Since 1985, Ms. Del Grande has excelled as the chief executive officer, founder and president of her own business, Geo-Temp Corporation. Among her myriad of responsibilities, she is in charge of providing thermal imaging solutions through the use of infrared radiation detectors. By leveraging these techniques, she is able to locate and identify objects and voids in the Earth and, later, analyze the objects and voids utilizing data analysis and surveying services. Impressively, she was the first woman physicist to design and test major diagnostic experiments on a nuclear device at the Nevada Test Site. She is noteworthy for fielding and testing the efficacy of Geo-Temp Corporation’s DIRECT Service for use in counter-terrorism efforts. Earlier in her career, Ms. Del Grande served the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California as a senior physicist from 1981 to 1999, having been first appointed to the prestigious laboratory in the early 1960s. During this time, she designed and tested the first method used by the laboratory to measure nuclear device temperatures.
The holder of several U.S. patents and an author and co-author of numerous publications, such as “Thermal Inertia Contrast Detection of Subsurface Structures” in Volume 7299 of SPIE in 2009, Ms. Del Grande remains abreast of changes in the field through her affiliation with the American Physical Society and the Society for Photo Industrial Engineering. She was also appointed to a United Nations post at the University of Mexico in 1979, as well as maintained involvement with the 1972 International Symposium in Munich, Germany, and the 1975 United Nations Symposium. Moreover, Ms. Del Grande co-authored the first of 13 papers discussing dual-band IR for geophysical exploration in the 1970s.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Del Grande intends to expand the influence of Geo-Temp Corporation across the nation and, eventually, across the globe. She attributes her immense success to her passion for her work and her dedication to serving the United States of America.