Chemical Engineering News

Unscripted: To Purify a Virus

Published June 9, 2016

A new theory about virus surfaces—that they’re hydrophobic—has opened up new processes to improve vaccine production, potentially making them more affordable around the world.

Virus Flocculation

Virus hydrophobicity is the focus of research by Caryn Heldt, an associate professor of chemical engineering, who won a National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Award grant. Heldt’s CAREER Award will help her explore a process that causes viruses to clump, making them easier to remove.

Our focus for purification is for improved vaccine manufacturing. Reducing cost could increase adaption around the world.

Kawatra is a Chemical Engineering Professor You Should Know

Published May 26, 2016

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News

Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering S. Komar Kawatra has been recognized by Online Engineering Programs blog as one of the 25 Chemical Engineering Professors You Should Know.

The list is comprised of some the outstanding professors and Universities in the field. Online Engineering Programs wanted to recognize some of their great contributions to academia on their blog as well as the rise in online education.

Kawatra has worked at Michigan Tech since 1977, where his research interests include iron and steel making, as well as particle technology. He is also the editor in chief for the Minerals & Metallurgical Processing Journal and the Mineral Processing & Extractive Metallurgy Review Journal.

Chemical Engineering Convocation 2016

Published May 25, 2016

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News

Prevent Accidents with Safety (PAWS) Award

Scott Wendt presented awards to Danielle Kehrig, Bob Lebrell, Olivia Munoz, Alex Reichenadter, and Alex Wright.

PAWS Safety Program Acknowledgements

Under the leadership and vision of Dr. Anton Pintar, the PAWS safety program was initiated during Spring Quarter, 1989.

The name of the program was suggested by Elizabeth A. Vary, a 19880-89 student in the Unit Operations Laboratory. Various aspects of the program were suggested by other students of the Class of 1989.

The program is a combination of features used in the SOAR (Stop, Observe, Act and Report) program at the BASF Corporation and the Praise Positive Program at the Dow Chemical Company.

The program continues to evolve and is supported financially through generous contributions from Professor Emeritus Dr. Anton Pintar.

Kimberly-Clark Communication Award

Laurie Couture-Dorschner presented the award to Alex Bank.

This award recognizes the winner of the Award for Excellence in Communication from the department of chemical engineering for the academic year.

Kimberly-Clark Professional Ethics Award

Laurie Couture-Dorschner presented the award to Olivia Munoz.

This award recognizes a student who has exhibited exemplary ethics and admirable professional conduct during Plant Design and Unit Operations experiences, and throughout their academic career at Michigan Technological University.

Dow Chemical Marriott W. Bredekamp Award

Tim Eisele presented awards to Michelle Hoard, Jonathan Iafrate, Dylan Turpeinen, and Kyle Thompson.

This award recognizes outstanding technical skills in the laboratory, outstanding teamwork and professionalism, effective oral and written communication, and strong adherence to process safety practices as recognized by your peers and supported by the faculty of the department. This award is in memory of Dr. Marriott W. Bredekamp.

UOP Davis W. Hubbard Plant Design Team Award

Tony Rogers presented awards to Paul Langford, Travis Pellosma, Alex Reichanadter, and Cameron Roman.

This award recognizes an outstanding team in Chemical Engineering Plant Design during the academic year. Also, this award recognizes technical ability, consideration of the safety and environmental aspects of process design, outstanding written and oral communication skills, and overall teamwork and professionalism. This is awarded in memory of Dr. David W. Hubbard.

AIChE Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) of the Year

Jacqueline Harms, AIChE Student President, presented the award to Richard Machiela.

AIChE Research Faculty of the Year

Jacqueline Harms, AIChE Student President, presented the award to David Shonnard.

AIChE Teaching Professor of the Year

Jacqueline Harms, AIChE Student President, presented the award to Julia King.

Convocation Speaker William Colton, Komar Kawatra

Keynote Address

William Colton was the keynote speaker for the 2016 Department of Chemical Engineering awards convocation. Mr. William (Bill) M. Colton is Vice President, Corporate Strategic Planning for Exxon Mobil Corporation. Mr. Colton received his BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1975.

View the Convocation Photo Gallery in Chemical Engineering 2016

Chemical Engineering Inducts Seven into Distinguished Academy

Published May 25, 2016

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Alumni
News

Distinguished Academy of Chemical Engineering 2016

Michigan Tech’s Department of Chemical Engineering inducted seven members into the Distinguished Academy of Chemical Engineering. All of this year’s inductees are alumni of Michigan Tech

The 2016 inductees are:

Robert D. Carnahan ’53: Carnahan got his professional start with the U.S. Navy working with underwater ordnance. Over his career he has authored more than 60 referred technical publications and has been granted 16 patents. Carnahan was awarded the Michigan Tech Board of Control Silver Medal and has been inducted in two other academies at Michigan Tech, Business and Economics and Materials and Metallurgical Engineering.

Michael J. Cleveland ’82: Currently he is the global business director for refining technology in the Process Technology and Equipment business of Honeywell UOP. Before assuming his current position last year, he served as the vice president and general manager for Latin America of UOP LLC based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cleveland and his wife Marie are members of the Michigan Tech McNair Society and Founders Society.

William M. Colton ’75: Colton is vice president, Corporate Strategic Planning for Exxon Mobil. In this role, he oversees the corporation’s strategic planning activities and the development of its Energy Outlook, Exxon Mobil’s assessment of global energy trends. Colton is on the board of the Natinal Bureau of Asian Research.

Christopher Copeland, ’05 (MS), ’07 (PhD): Working with Komar Kawatra, Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Michigan Tech, Copeland designed and developed a new laboratory test method for evaluating the effectiveness of dust suppressants. After leaving Michigan Tech, Copeland accepted a position as a research engineer at ConocoPhillips. In 2014, Copeland was charged to lead a team of engineers responsible for the bitumen and gas treating facilities.

Laurie Couture-Dorschner, ’79: She began her career with Bemis Company in Minneapolis holding various engineering and manufacturing positions. She joined Kimberly-Clark in 1984 earning patents for her innovative materials and processes. She was the lead product developer for the launch of the highly successful HUGGIES Little Swimmers swim pants. Throughout her career she was actively involved in recruiting for Kimberly-Clark and led the semi-annual recruiting events at Michigan Tech. She is a member of the President’s Council of Alumnae.

Kerry Irons ’ 72: Irons holds a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from Michigan Tech. He joined the Dow Chemical Company in 1973 and retired in 2004 after a 30-year career in chemical process research with his final role as Senior Technical Leader in Core R&D, Engineering Sciences Market Development. For 10 years Irons was on Dow’s Michigan Tech recruiting teams, serving as team leader. In 2013 he was elected to the Michigan Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors and is now serving as Secretary.

Karen Mikkola Swager ’92: As Vice President, Concentrates for the phosphates business unit of the Mosaic Company, she provides overall direction and guidance and day-to-day support for all concentrates operations in the phosphates business unit. She was appointed by then-Florida Governor Charlie Crist to serve on the Board of Directors for the Florida Institute for Phosphate Research. She was recognized by the Florida Chapter of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration with the “Hero of the Year Award.”

Ceremonies were held April 6 in the Lobby of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. Remarks were made by Kawatra and Academy Member James Brozzo.

From Tech Today, by Chemical Engineering.

VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY

25 Service Years for Morrison, 30 Service Years for Caneba

Published May 23, 2016

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News

Michigan Tech Employee Service Recognition Event

On Wednesday, May 11, faculty and staff members, along with their guests, gathered at the Memorial Union Ballroom for an awards dinner recognizing 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service to Michigan Tech. The following Chemical Engineering faculty were recognized:

25 Years
Faith Morrison, Chemical Engineering

30 Years
Gerard Caneba, Chemical Engineering

Order of the Engineer Induction Held

Published May 20, 2016

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Alumni
News

On April 18, 2016, the Department of Chemical Engineering hosted its Order of the Engineer induction ceremony.

The ceremony welcomed 53 new members to the order, including two biomedical engineers and three faculty and staff members.

In 2015, 27 members were inducted, bringing the total of the Michigan Tech Chemical Engineering cohort to 134 since 2014.

Following the lead of Canadian Engineers, the Order of the Engineer was initiated in the U.S. in 1970 to foster a spirit of pride and responsibility in the engineering profession, to bridge the gap between training and experience and to present to the public a visible symbol identifying the engineer.

The Obligation is a creed accepted by initiates, and is similar to the medical profession’s Hippocratic oath. The Obligation sets forth an ethical code and contains parts of the Canon of Ethics of major engineering societies. Initiates, as they accept it voluntarily, pledge to uphold the standards and dignity of the engineering profession and to serve humanity by making the best use of Earth’s precious wealth. Members of the Order of the Engineer wear a stainless steel ring on the small finger of their working hand.

For more on the Order of the Engineer, see their website.

From Tech Today, by Chemical Engineering.

Shonnard Presents at Advanced Biofuels Workshop

Published May 5, 2016

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David Shonnard (ChE/Robbins Chair, director of the Sustainable Futures Institute) will participate in a workshop to be held in Washington, DC at the Keck Center of the National Academies from May 26 to May 27.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) requests the assistance of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in convening a two day meeting of experts who are knowledgeable about the commercial viability of advanced biofuels in the short-, medium- and long-term.

Global Future: People, Progress, Energy and Engineering

Published April 4, 2016

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Department of Chemical Engineering Presents

William M. Colton
Vice President, Corporate Strategic Planning
Exxon Mobil Corporation

Global Future: People, Progress, Energy and Engineering

Fisher Hall 135
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 4:00 pm

ABSTRACT: By 2040, the world’s population will have reached 9 billion, and global GDP will have more than doubled. This economic progress translates into improved standards of living for billions of people. Energy underpins standards of living everywhere in the world, and the need for affordable and reliable energy in the 21st century remains vast. Global energy demand is expected to grow 25% by 2040 and, to keep pace with demand, the world will need to pursue all economic energy sources. These sources include oil, gas, coal, nuclear, and renewables. At the same time, the CO2 intensity of the global economy is expected to be cut in half by 2040. These advances, for the economy, for people’s living standards, for the expansion of energy types and supplies, and for the environment, are enabled by technology. Technology has the highest potential to help meet our economic, energy and environmental goals—reinforcing the critical role played by scientists and engineers.

BIOGRAPHY: Mr. William (Bill) M. Colton is Vice President, Corporate Strategic Planning for Exxon Mobil Corporation as of February 1, 2009. In this role, he oversees all of the corporation’s strategic planning activities and the development of its Energy Outlook, ExxonMobil’s assessment of global energy trends.

Mr. Colton received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1975. He joined Exxon Corporation in 1975 and his career has been spent in both upstream and downstream businesses throughout ExxonMobil, including project development, refining, lubes, synthetic fuels and natural gas marketing.

Mr. Colton also worked in finance and planning positions, including ExxonMobil corporate headquarters and eight years overseas in Tokyo and Bangkok. Mr. Colton’s previous assignment was as the Corporation’s Assistant Treasurer.

View the Presentation Photo Gallery in Chemical Engineering 2016

Chemical Engineering Major Wins Portage Health Foundation Scholarship

Published February 4, 2016

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The Chemical Engineering Department would like to congratulate undergraduate student, Dylan Turpeinen, on receiving a Portage Health Undergraduate Scholarship. Dylan is a local undergraduate student at Michigan Technological University. He graduated from Houghton High School in 2012 and decided to stay in the Houghton area to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering. In addition to classes, he enjoys performing undergraduate research with Dr. Heldt and Dr. King, and also actively participates on the MTU Men’s Club Soccer Team.

Dylan’s interest in biomedical engineering began when he was recruited to perform undergraduate research with Dr. Heldt in her Bioseparations Laboratory. He worked on fabricating and testing graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)/cellulose biosensors. During the summer semester of 2014, he was able to share his enthusiasm for biosensors with Summer Youth Program (SYP) participants. The SYP project utilized a multi-meter and biosensor to identify proteins using a relation between the surface resistance of the graphene paper, and the concentration of proteins in solution to find the molecular weight for an unknown protein. Starting in the summer of 2016, he will begin graduate research work with Dr. Heldt on biosensors to detect malaria.

Full Story: http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2016/january/four-michigan-tech-students-win-portage-health-foundation-scholarships.html

Morrison Honored by Rheology Society

Published October 27, 2015

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News

A Michigan Tech Professor has received a rare honor from a national professional society.

Faith Morrison (ChE), has received the Distinguished Service Award of the Society of Rheology. The award was presented to Morrison, who earlier this year was elected to the inaugural class of Fellows of the Society of Rheology, during the Society’s 87th meeting Oct. 13 in Baltimore. She was inducted as a Fellow at the meeting in Baltimore as well.

Morrison was just the tenth recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. She was recognized for her exceptional service to the Society of Rheology. She has been active in the society for decades having chaired the membership committee and constitutional reform committee and served on other ad hoc committees. She has served as both president and vice president and on the executive committee for six years. Morrison is currently the editor of the Rheology Bulletin.

Morrison says she was “surprised” at the banquet with the award. “I am honored to have been recognized in this way. The Society of Rheology is a wonderful professional home that has given me much more than I have given to the Society. I look forward to many more years of service.”

Komar Kawatra, chair of Michigan Tech’s Chemical Engineering Department, says Morrison’s recognition is deserved, “We congratulate Faith Morrision on this honor,” Kawatra says.

Morrison has served as the Society of Rheology designee to the board of directors of the American Institute of Physics since 2013.