astronomy

Victor McCrary

Victor McCrary is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Victor McCrary rather than just read about it. In short: Victor R. McCrary Jr.

Key takeaways

Victor McCrary belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Victor McCrary to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Victor McCrary from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Victor R. McCrary Jr. (born May 16, 1955) is an American physical chemist who is vice provost for national security innovation at The Catholic University of America. He is a fellow of the American Chemical Society, former president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers and former chair of the National Science Board.

Early life and education McCrary was born and raised in Washington, D.C. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from the Catholic University of America, a PhD in chemistry from Howard University, and a Master of Science in engineering and technology management from the University of Pennsylvania.

Career After earning his doctorate, McCrary joined Bell Labs as a member of the technical team. In 1995 he joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where he led convergent systems. McCrary joined Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in 2003. In 2007, he was made President at the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). McCrary worked as vice chancellor at the University of Tennessee and as the inaugural vice president of research and economic development at Morgan State University. McCrary also served as vice president of research at the University of the District of Columbia In October 2016 McCary was appointed to the National Science Board (NSB). He was made vice chair in July 2020. In August 2025, McCrary was named chair. McCrary was removed from the NSB in April 2026 by the Trump administration along with all other members.

Personal life McCrary is Catholic, a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus, and parishioner at Saint John the Evangelist in Columbia, Maryland.

Awards and honors 1990 Most Promising Black Engineer, U.S. Black Engineer Magazine 1992 Pioneer of the Year Award, National Society of Black Engineers 1992 Outstanding Technical Achievement, Synergy Conference, AT&T Bell Laboratories 1996 Distinguished Lecturer, 60th College of Distinguished Lecturers, Sigma-Xi Scientific Society 1998 Equal Employment Opportunity Award, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 2000 Gold Medal, Department of Commerce 2002 Percy L. Julian Award 2005 Principal Professional Staff, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory 2006 Rays of Hope 2006 Award Recipient, Engineering/Science, 13th Annual Rays of Hope Awards 2006 Economic Development Achievement Award, Howard County Economic Development Authority, 2007 DVDA Hall of Fame Inductee, DVD Association 2007 DVD Association DVD Hall of Fame 2008 Innovator of Technology Award, Washington, D.C. Chapter, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) 2009 Fellow, African Scientific Institute 2011 Scientist of the Year, Black Engineer of the Year Awards 2011 Black Engineer of the Year Awards Scientist of the Year 2012 Mother Mary Lange Service Award, Archdiocese of Baltimore 2012 Diversity Recognition Award, The Johns Hopkins University Diversity Leadership Council 2012 Hall of Fame Inductee, Career Communications Group 2013 Hall of Fame Inductee, DeMatha Catholic High School 2014 Fellow, The American Chemical Society 2015 Alumni Achievement Award for Research Excellence, The Catholic University of America 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award, Howard University Graduate School 2022 Joseph Wharton Award, The Wharton Club of DC

Select publications Lee, Kyong-Ho; Slattery, Oliver; Lu, Richang; Tang, Xiao; McCrary, Victor (2002). "The State of the Art and Practice in Digital Preservation". Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 107 (1): 93–106. doi:10.6028/jres.107.010. ISSN 1044-677X. PMC 4865277. PMID 27446721. McCaulley, J. A.; McCrary, V. R.; Donnelly, V. M. (1989). "Laser-induced decomposition of triethylgallium and trimethylgallium adsorbed on gallium arsenide(100)". The Journal of Physical Chemistry. 93 (3): 1148–1158. doi:10.1021/j100340a026. ISSN 0022-3654. Lee, Kyong-Ho; Guttenberg, Nicholas; McCrary, Victor (2002-07-01). "Standardization aspects of eBook content formats". Computer Standards & Interfaces. 24 (3): 227–239. doi:10.1016/S0920-5489(02)00032-6. ISSN 0920-5489.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Victor McCrary

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Victor McCrary claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Victor McCrary before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Victor McCrary ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Victor McCrary

In research: Victor McCrary appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Victor McCrary in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Victor McCrary is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1955 births, African-American Catholics, American physical chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Victor McCrary outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Victor McCrary in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Victor McCrary means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Victor McCrary out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Victor McCrary in simple terms?

Victor R. McCrary Jr.

Why does Victor McCrary matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Victor McCrary?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Victor McCrary.