Biofuel for Jets Could Cut Carbon Emissions Over 80 Percent David Shonnard, Robbins Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering, conducted an analysis of jet fuel made from camelina oil to measure its carbon dioxide emissions over the course of its life cycle, from planting to tailpipe. Dr Shonnard has also received $321,138 from American Process Inc. for "C5 Fermentation Improvement Project: An MTU Subcontract to Alpina Prototype Biorefinery Proposal to MEDC." Dr. Shonnard has received $274,837 from Frontier Renewable Resources for a multiple-year project, "Project 3 Frontier Renewable Resources Center of Energy Excellence: Improving Forest Feedstock Harvesting, Processing and Hauling Efficiencies."

New Interdisciplinary Minor in Hydrogen Technology
Beginning in the fall semester of the 2009-2010 academic year, Michigan Technological University will offer an Interdisciplinary Minor in Hydrogen Technology.

Chemical Engineering Student Awards
Convocation 2009

Robert, Rex and Paul Marshall, brothers and business partners, have given an estate gift of funds of nearly $700,000 to support the Marshall Family Endowed Scholarship Fund for engineering students who demonstrate financial need and scholastic achievement. Robert Marshall earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Michigan Tech in 1942 and founded the Aluminum Supply Company in Detroit in 1948

Holly Hillberg, Chemical Engineering '83, the chief technology officer and vice president of Carestream Health, Inc. received the 2009 ATHENA Award at the 23rd annual ATHENA Awards luncheon Jan. 22.

Komar Kawatra receives funding for a National Science Foundation "Advanced Sustainable Iron & Steel Making Center."

New Faculty: Wenzhen Li and Ching-An Peng

Whey to Go: Chemical Engineer Solves Dairy Waste Problem
There's plenty of whey to go around. In 2005, US cheese production topped 9 billion pounds, and for each pound of cheese, about nine pounds of wastewater is created, most of it whey.
Link

Professor Michael Mullins has received $1,230,000 from the US Department of Energy for an 18-month project, "Center for Fundamental and Applied Research in Nanostructured and Lightweight Materials."

Jason Keith has received $166,208, the first increment of a potential $375,000 three-year project, from the Department of Energy for "Hydrogen Education Curriculum Path at Michigan Technological University."

Jason Keith, an associate professor of chemical engineering, researches fuel cells and explains them in simple language. To power a car, a Dagwood sandwich of fuel cells is required, he says. See Featured in 'Fuel Cells in Your Future' article Michigan Tech Research 2008 Pages 9-10

Minors for Chemical Engineers...AND OTHERS!
Getting a minor in an academic subject is very common at uni-versities and at Tech, but up until recently, there were no minors associated with MTU’s Department of Chemical Engi-neering. This is no longer the case since Tech ChemE inaugurated three minors

Consumer Product Manufacturing (CPM) has a number of factors that continue to make the CPM Enterprise attractive to students and sponsors

Chemical Engineering Grads Head List of Salary Offers In a job market that is seeing higher starting salary offers to new college graduates, engineering majors can expect to see the highest offers, on average, according to a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Link to article

Kawatra Appointed Chair of Chemical Engineering
The College of Engineering has announced that Professor S. Komar Kawatra has accepted a three-year appointment as chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Michigan Tech's Unit Operations Lab, a chemical processing facility located right on campus, will remain among the nation's best, thanks to a significant donation from Dow Corning Corporation.

New Research Center for Process Analysis and Diagnostics

Dan Crowl received the Gary Leach Award from the AICHE Board of Directors

Faith Morrision Elected Rheology Society President

Michigan Tech Summer Youth Program 'Women in Engineering' Students Learn about the Chemical Engineering

Summer Youth Program Celebrates 35 years

Chemical Engineering labs are model for laboratory safety: Four visitors from South Korea visited the Laboratory Facilities to examine the department's laboratory safety program.

David R. Shonnard (Chemical Engineering), Susan T. Bagley (Biological Sciences), Heather Youngs (Biological Sciences) and Patricia Heiden (Chemistry) received $275,027 over two years from General Motors for "A Systems Approach to Improving Processing Efficiency of Forest Biomass for Co-Production of Biofuels and Biopolymers," a multidisciplinary research project on producing biofuels/bioproducts from woody biomass.

Jason Keith (Chemical Engineering) received $90,000 from the American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund, for "Modeling and Optimization of Diesel Particulate Trap Ignition Phenomena."

Making a Difference Staff Awards

David Caspary, manager of laboratory facilities for the Department of Chemical Engineering, has earned the Unsung Hero award, which recognizes staff who are a quiet but steady presence in their department, demonstrate a willingness to fill in whenever needed, take initiative to solve problems and improve work situations without being prompted or consistently go above and beyond without fanfare. Caspary was a "driving force" in helping to develop the Unit Operation's Process Simulation and Control Center at Michigan Tech and his "commitment to maintaining a great (and safe) educational experience."

Wood to Wheels: Put a Tree in Your Tank

The university’s Wood to Wheels, or W2W, project has brought together scientists and engineers from multiple disciplines to research ethanol-powered transport from a 360-degree perspective.
Wood to Wheels Feature story

Sandell Recipient of Distinguished Teaching Award

Security Foam Research
Michigan Tech's Center for Environmentally Benign Functional Materials and its Sustainable Futures Institute have been awarded $1.7 million to develop structural foams that could be used in security applications. The research is being conducted by principal investigator Ghatu Subhash of the MEEM department and Co-principal investigators Gerard Caneba and David Shonnard, both of the Department of Chemical Engineering. News Story in full

S. Jayson Ripke, who earned three degrees at Michigan Tech, with a doctoral degree in chemical engineering before embarking on a career in the iron ore industry, will receive the university's Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

S. Jayson Ripke News story

Technological Leadership at Michigan Tech

Frank Pavlis (Chem Eng '38) Gives $2 Million to Promote Technological Leadership at Michigan Tech. Story from Tech Today