Associate Professor Timothy Scarlett (SS and the Center for Environmentally Benign Functional Materials) and Professor Gerard Caneba (ChE) have received $25,000 from the US Department of Interior-National Park Service for a project, “Novel Techniques for Stabilization and Conservation of Ferrous Metals in Industrial Heritage.”
Discover Magazine’s June 2012 issue includes an article called “Brave New Soaps,” which quotes Gerard Caneba (ChE) and highlights his research into the unique properties of vinyl acetate-based polymer surfactants–a key ingredient in chewing gum–that make them an effective oil-spill treatment. See Caneba
Michigan Technological University’s ingenious little vehicle took first place and nabbed honors for creativity at the North Central Region Chem-E-Car Competition, held April 21 at the University of Akron. The event is sponsored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and Chevron.
The 14th Annual Western Upper Peninsula Science Fair AND Science & Engineering Festival was held Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at the Memorial Union Building on Michigan Tech’s campus. Three hundred fifty students in grades 4-8 have entered projects into the Western UP Science Fair.
The Science & Engineering Festival showcased more than two dozen fun, hands-on activities conducted by more than one hundred Michigan Tech and Finlandia University students and local organizations, in the MUB Commons area. The Festival is open to ALL elementary students, accompanied by an adult.
See the results of the judging of projects at the Western U.P. Center Science Fair Website
The Annual Chemical Engineering Department Awards Convocation was held in the Rozsa Center on April 11, 2012. This is an opportunity to thank the faculty, staff and students for their hard work and dedication. The department recognized the support of Mrs. Karen Hubbard, Kimberly-Clark, Dow Chemical, and UOP for their donations and services, which made this year’s Awards Convocation possible.
The guest speaker was Linda McInally, who joined Dow Corning in 1981 after having worked 2 years with IBM following her graduation from MTU as a chemical engineer. Her career at Dow Corning was centered on operations, with positions in process engineering, product development, finance and most recently, several roles in manufacturing leadership. Linda was named Vice President of Manufacturing for the Specialty Chemicals Business in 2008, where she was responsible for manufacturing plants across Asia, Europe and North and South America. Linda was recognized for her deep knowledge of the people and processes around the world, enabling strong leadership for contributing significant financial contribution and quality improvements for the business. Linda was also leading the Global Manufacturing Automation Group, responsible for implementing a vision for improving productivity through automation.Linda was awarded membership to the MTU Presidential Council of Alumnae in 2008 and inducted into the Chemical Engineering Distinguished Academy in 2010. She retired from Dow Corning in early 2012.
The Interim Chair, Dr. Tony Roger opened the event. The Convocation Master of Ceremonies was Dr. Faith Morrison, Associate Professor. Awards were presented by Mr. David Caspary, Lab Facilities Manager for Prevent Accidents With Safety (PAWS) Awards. The Dow Chemical Marriott W. Bredekamp Award was presented by Dr. John Sandell, Associate Professor. The Kimberly-Clark Communication Award and Kimberly-Clark Professional Ethics Award was presented by Mr. Robert VanDen Heuvel, Senior Process Engineer, Kimberly-Clark Corporation. The UOP Davis W. Hubbard Plant Design Team Award was presented by Dr. Caryn Heldt, Assistant Professor. Student Reports were given for the AIChE Chapter President by Ms. Kelly-Anne Zayan, Omega Chi Epsilon (OCE) President by Ms. Ellesse Bess, the Consumer Products Manufacturing (CPM) President by Mr. Robert Parker and the Alternative Fuels Group (AFG) President by Mr. Jacob Boes Student Research Recognition was presented by Dr. Caryn Heldt, Assistant Professor, the Faculty Awards, Teacher of the Year was presented to Dr. Faith Morrison by AIChE Chapter President Ms. Kelly-Anne, and the Special Recognition of Graduating Seniors, by Dr. Faith Morrison, Associate Professor.
Several Chemical Engineering students have recently won awards for their research presentations and posters.
At the eighth annual Ecosystem Science Center and Biotechnology Research Center ESC/BRC Student Research Forum, held March 30, for the graduate students, four Grand Prize Awards and six Merit Awards were presented. They were selected from among 59 posters and abstracts submitted by graduate students conducting research related to ecology, the environment and biotechnology. Each center also awarded a Grand Prize to an undergraduate researcher in a separate division of 17 undergraduate submissions. Posters will be on display in the atrium of the Forestry building through Friday, April 13 See the complete article
From the Biotechnology Research Center:
$500 Grand Prize Winner: Maria Tafur (Chemical Engineering)
“Reduction of Virus Infectivity in the Presence of Osmolytes”
Advisor: Caryn Heldt
$100 Merit Award Winner: Tayloria Adams (Chemical Engineering)
“Characterizing the Dielectric Behavior of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells”
Advisor: Adrienne Minerick
$100 Merit Award Winner: Ran An (Chemical Engineering)
“Micron-scale Ion Concentration Gradients in Nonuniform AC Electric Fields”
Advisor: Adrienne Minerick
Friday, April 13, 10:00 a.m.
Chem. Sci. & Engineering, Room 102
Dr. Surya K. Mallapragada, Stanley Professor and Chair
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University
Refreshments will be served prior to the lecture
Topic: Self-assembling block copolymers for gene delivery and biomineralization
We have synthesized a family of novel self-assembling pH and temperature sensitive multiblock cationic and anionic copolymers with a variety of nanoarchitectures. The copolymers exhibit pH sensitivity and thermo-reversible gelation at physiological temperatures. The cationic multiblock copolymers exhibit complexation with DNA and serve as excellent gene therapy vectors for cancer therapies. Our studies have shown that these polymeric vectors show sustained gene delivery and selective transfection in cancer cells versus non-cancer cells. Detailed mechanistic studies have shown that the selectivity arises due to intracellular differences in pH be-tween cancer and normal cells. The anionic multiblock copolymers and their micelles also serve as excellent templates for biomineralization. These hierarchically self-assembling copolymers in conjunction with mineralization proteins/peptides, form bioinspired self-assembled nanocomposites. These novel injectable insitu-forming nanocomposites show mechanical properties similar to that of native cartilage, and are being investigated for cartilage rescue to prevent post-traumatic osteoarthritis.
April 5th: Chemical Engineering Grain Processing Corporation 2011-12 Graduate Lecture Series
Tarun K. Dam, Michigan Tech, Department of Chemistry;
Thursday, April 5, 2012, 1:00-2:00 P.M., Chem. Sci. & Engineering
Room 102
Topic: Glycan biding proteins in health and disease
More than half of the proteins in our body possess
covalently attached glycan or carbohydrate molecules. These
glycan molecules are recognized by a special group of proteins
known as glycan binding proteins (GBP) or lectins. Lectins play
important roles in numerous biological processes including
immune defense and pathogen invasion. Lectins interact with
their glycan ligands through a unique recognition process.
Specific examples of lectin-glycan interactions in cancer and
bio-detection and their clinical significance will be discussed.
Professor Faith Morrison (ChE) has been named the Kenan Visiting Professor for Distinguished Teaching in the chemical and biological engineering department at Princeton University. Morrison has also been invited to be a faculty fellow.
Members of Michigan Tech’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) are in Detroit to participate in an alternative spring break 2012 week. Eight members of the Michigan Tech student chapter of the NSBE will visit six middle schools and one high school to talk with students. They will also conduct Family Engineering events at three schools. Family Engineering includes fun, hands-on activities for the whole family, such as “Mining For Chocolate” and “Glue Is The Clue.” The program, developed at Michigan Tech and now available across Michigan and nationwide, is designed to engage and inspire young people and their families to consider careers in engineering and science. Read More