2008 annual meeting • philadelphia, pa • nov. 16–21 · 12/17/2008 · 2008 annual meeting...

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2008 Annual M

eeting • Philadelphia, PA

• Nov. 16–21

Tattoo You: Keena Patel, a junior ChE student at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), displays her AIChE pride.

Mummers’s the word: Philadelphia’s famous Mummers (above and left) broughttheir signature spirit of fun to the AnnualMeeting Welcome Ceremony.

AIChE members George Liebermannand Dan Marginean discuss the week’s sessions duringthe Annual Meeting WelcomeCeremony.

Philadelphia MayorMichael Nutterwelcomed AIChE members to theConvocation.

Would you like a little pretzel with that mustard? A Philly delicacy.

Philadelphia’s ultimate ambassador, and perhaps one of the first ChEs in theU.S.,“Benjamin Franklin,” greets MeetingProgram Chair Carol Hall at the CentennialConvocation.

“Poor Richard” leads EduardoGlandt, Convocation Co-chair(right), and meeting attendees

(below) in a mighty “hazzah” to launch the

AIChE Annual Meeting and

Robert Brown, president of Boston Univ.,delivered the CentennialConvocation keynoteaddress on the expandingimpact of chemical engi-neering.

18 www.aiche.org/cep December 2008 CEP

100 Years of AIChE at the 2008 Annual Meeting

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“I see a lucrative future in nanomaterials ...”Fortunes were told at the Saturday Night StudentConference Bash, which featured a 1908 theme,carnival games and olde tyme costume contest.

Students playa mixer gameat the Student

WelcomeReception.

Students from the NJIT Student Chapter prepare for theirduties as National Student Conference co-hosts. The chapters from Drexel, Rowan, and Bucknell co-hosted the student weekend — including competitions, chaptermanagement and career workshops, city tours, socialevents, and the Chem-E-Car Competition.

Student Chapters Committee leader and Oregon State Chapter Advisor Skip Rochefortsamples cheesesteaks with his students.

Univ. of Nevada, Reno, students, looked sharpat the Student Bash and Costume Contest.

Let’s face it...ChE students

rock.

A student enters aprize raffle.

“Perry’s Handbook”was a hot item.

At the costume contest,Pradnya Bhawalkar of RiceUniv. was in fine feather.

The suspense: Students from ManhattanCollege breathlessly watch their

Chem-E-Car team.

Chem-E-Car boosters from Oregon State Univ.

Just over the line: The Univ. of Akron’sJames Bond-inspired Chem-E-Car.


November 16–21, 2008 — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2008 Annual M


• Nov. 16–21

David Wishnick of the YoungProfessionals Advisory Board chats with AIChE Director Wendy Young atthe Student Bash and Costume Party.

That’s the spirit: The Univ. of Puerto Rico’s Chem-E-Car team,winners of the “Spirit of the Centennial Award,” celebrate with2009 AIChE President H. Scott Fogler (center).

Former astronaut Mae Jemison (with2008 AIChE President Dale Keairns)was a featured speaker at the MinorityAffairs Committee’s (MAC) BlackEminent Chemical EngineersCentennial Panel. Jemison received one of MAC’s Eminent Black ChemicalEngineer Awards.

Elizabeth Jones, a chemical engineeringprofessor at McGill Univ., is immortalizedby a characaturist. McGill is helping toorganize the 2009 World Congress ofChemical Enginering, which will featurean international Chem-E-Car Competition.

Student Conference coordinator NinaScatton (left) discusses the student program with Drexel Univ. grad studentand volunteer Julianne Holloway.Holloway presented a paper on hydrogels during a session on biomedical composites.

Evidence of perfection: CornellUniv.’s “Bender” — a hydrogenfuel cell car with an iodine clock stopping mechanism — won the Chem-E-Car Competition, stoppingexactly on the target line of 60 ft.

The Chem-E-Car Competition series encompasses nine spring regional events, with thebest in each region qualifying for the national championship at the Fall National StudentConference. Thirty-two teams competed in Philadelphia for a top prize of $2,000. TheCompetition was sponsored by Chevron, and relied on dozens of volunteers. DrexelUniv. and Rowan Univ. were instrumental in hosting the Philadelphia event.

Prior to and during each event, teams are required to participate in rigorous safety documentation and training. In addition to lessons in safe engineering, the competitiongets students thinking creatively about alternative energy. Chem-E-Cars are often poweredby novel methods, employing vinegar and water, fuel cells, biofuels, and bioreactors.

The Univ. of Utah’sChem-E-Car.

Wolfgang Marquardt of RWTH AachenUniv., Aachen, Germany (right) presentedthe Danckwerts Lecture on “IncrementalIdentification of Reaction and TransportModels.” Here he discusses his talk withStuart Churchill.


100 Years of AIChE at the 2008 Annual Meeting

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Dr. Kase Lawal, CEO of CAMACInternational Corp. (right, with past AIChEDirector Thomas Mensah, left) was thekeynote speaker at the Minority AffairsCommittee’s (MAC) Scholarship Forum —commemorating a decade of MAC scholar-ships. Lawal spoke about the future direc-tion of the oil and gas industries, and oppor-tunities for minorities in those industries.

Women’s Initiatives Committee past chairSurita Bhatia, her son Julian Khalifah (attending his first AIChE meeting), Mike Malone, and Kamlesh Bhatia celebrate at the Volunteer Leader Recognition reception.

Thomas Marrero,vice president of the

InteramericanConfederation of

Chemical Engineers(IACChE), looked

dapper at theCentennial Gala.

“My AIChE,” the Institute’s new socialnetworking website, debuted at theMeeting. Hundreds of professionals andstudents set up member homepages onthe site.

2008 AIChE President Dale Keairns (left)with 2010 president-elect HenryKohlbrand at the Centennial FundraisingGala. The Gala raised $250,000 forAIChE student initiatives.

AIChE past president EdwardCussler — named AIChE PoetLaureat for the CentennialCelebration — delivers at the Gala.

Honorees at the Gala. From left: Willie A. Deese, Merck; John A. Sofranko, AIChE; Hank Kohlbrand; Raj J. Gupta, Rohm & Haas;Charles O. Holliday, Jr.,DuPont; Rex W. Tillerson,Exxon Mobil; Dale Keairns.

Exhibits and careerfairs for both

professionals andundergraduates

provided valuablenetworking

opportunity for meeting attendees.


November 16–21, 2008 — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2008 Annual M


• Nov. 16–21

Virginia Connolly (upper left), president ofthe Society of Women Engineers (SWE),joins AIChE members at the Women’sInitiatives Committee’s NetworkingLuncheon. In the center, perched on theshoulder of a member, is SWE’s travellingteddy bear, who accompanies Connolly onher tours.

Professional Progress Award LecturerJay Keasling speaks on “Synthetic

Biology in Pursuit of Low-Cost,Effective, Anti-Malarial Drugs.”

Just desserts: Meeting attendees enjoy theatmosphere — and the tasty treats — at theCentennial Celebratory Dessert Reception,held at the National Constitution Center.

Mark Davis, AIChE’s 60th Institute Lecturer,presents his lecture on “The Rise andRealization of ‘Molecular’ ChemicalEngineering.”

James Swartz delivers the James E.Bailey Award Lecture, titled, “Look,Mom. NO CELLS!! — Providing NewFreedom for Engineering EfficientBiological Systems.” The Bailey Lectureis organized by AIChE’s Society forBiological Engineering (SBE).

Front and center: Incoming AIChEExecutive Director — and current SBEDirector — June Wispelwey attends theJames E. Bailey Lecture.

Attendees plantheir busy schedules.

A captive audience —session attendees at the

Annual Meeting.

At the Honors Ceremony,Julian Smith (left) andPeter Harriott were the co-recipients of the Institute’sWarren K. Lewis Award forChemical EngineeringEducation, in recognitionof their classic textbook,“Unit Operations ofChemical Engineering.”

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Photos by Mark Stehle and Gordon Ellis.

On June 22, 1908 — in his clos-ing remarks at the PhiladelphiaEngineers Club — AIChE co-

founder Charles F. McKenna capturedthe sense of those who had gathered tolaunch the new organization. “We beginas brothers,” he said. “We inevitablywill close our careers as fathers, pass-ing on to our sons in the profession aheritage of knowledge and light …”

Those at that first meeting were aclosely knit group of men of similar ageand experiences, who came together formutual support, saw a lifelong career intheir current work, and were committedto education and knowledge.

Today’s chemical engineering com-munity includes members with verydiverse backgrounds, wide-rangingtechnical skills and interests, and differ-ent values related to work and rewards.Over the decades, we’ve seen genera-tions that valued the satisfaction of ajob well done. Other generations havevalued loyalty. Others count theirreward in the money they earn. Recentgenerations have valued having fun.

Now, we are witnessing a generationthat values a quest for meaning. Whatis relevant changes with time.

During my tenure as president, I’vegained valuable insights by participatingin many local, national and internationalmeetings. At one local section meeting,a young professional giving a presenta-tion on biofuels began by saying, “I’m24, and I’m making a difference.”

This young chemical engineer hadlearned the traditional skills, but hisinterests extend beyond the linearthinking required to solve a technical orbusiness problem. The added dimen-sion of placing the work in a largercontext — and a passion to do morethan create a product or service thatmeets some functional or economicneed — are important to him. Meaningis central to his work.

As a profession, and as an Institute,

how will we support the changing anddiverse needs of the new generations ofchemical engineers? What can we do tohelp our members create a meaningfullegacy as we enter our second century?

AIChE has put forth a new strategicplan that identifies key goals. I believethese goals are an effective frameworkto respond to these questions and thechallenges ahead. There is a commontheme in looking to the future — theboundaries have changed. I see fourimportant concepts that are required toachieve the strategic goals:

� Maintain strong education. Chem -ical engineers cross the traditional disci-pline and scale boundaries — from themolecular level to integrated global chal-lenges that cross technology boundaries.

� Develop new models forresources. Membership is important,but a business model based on dues isno longer sustainable.

� Transition to a new infra structure.The way we share knowledge haschanged. Tomorrow’s challenges willrequire collaboration with diverse enti-ties. Ours is a borderless profession.

� Serve all generations. We nowhave 12,000 student members, and wewill serve the young professional aswell as the seasoned engineer.

Many significant achievements overthis year support the strategy. Our divi-sions and programming groups puttogether yet another quality AnnualMeeting. Various new initiatives areexpanding collaboration and reachingout to serve members working acrossthe traditional boundaries.

We have established collaborativeagreements with seven “sister” chemi-cal engineering societies around theworld, and have launched an AIChEGlobal website in seven languages(www.aiche.org/aicheglobal/).

The Center for Chemical ProcessSafety (CCPS) grew by 20 members in2008. More than half of the 119 corpo-

rate members are outside of NorthAmer ica.

The Institute for Sustainability (IfS)has expanded its scope and will holdthe first International Congress onSustainability Science and Technologyin August 2009.

Energy represents a global chal-lenge that is significantly differentfrom past challenges. Several projectsaimed at developing holistic approach-es to evaluating energy systems focuson renewable fuels metrics and carbonmanagement technologies.

Recognizing excellence in the pro-fession is important, and the Board ofDirectors has approved the creation offive new industry-oriented awards.

AIChE opened a new onlineMember Center — a virtual communitywhere members can connect with eachother. Free monthly member webinarswere offered. An e-Library (a partner-ship with Knovel) surpassed 10,000AIChE member registrations.

Although assets have decreased as aresult of the recent financial turbulence,the Institute continues to have a verypositive operations balance sheet.AIChE will remain vigilant in monitor-ing its finances during this time of eco-nomic uncertainty.

The 2008 Centennial AnnualMeeting brought the Institute home toits point of origin — Philadelphia, PA.It provided a golden opportunity forreflection on AIChE’s past and future,and energized the more than 7,000attendees for the good work to come. Ihave confidence in the people who willdrive the profession and the Institute tothe next meaningful mileposts.

It has been an honor and privilege toserve as your president. It has been apleasure to work with many volunteers,the Board of Directors, and the AIChEstaff, who perform excellent service.

— Dale Keairns2008 AIChE President


Institute News

President’s Message Our Search for Meaning


June Wispelwey, currently executive director of AIChE’sSociety for Biological Engineering (SBE), will becomeexecutive director of AIChE beginning Jan. 1, 2009.

She will succeed John A. Sofranko, who is retiring from theposition after eight years.

In making the announcement, Dale L. Keairns, AIChE’s2008 president and an executive with Science ApplicationsInternational Corp., thanked the search com mittee, whichwas chaired by AIChE past president Bill Byers of CH2MHill. The Committee con ducted a 16-month search involvingnearly 200 candidates. Keairns added that the selection of acandidate from within AIChE’s staff represented a vote ofconfidence not just for Wispelwey, but also in the Institute’shealth and direction.

Keairns commended Sofranko’s leadership, which helpedto dramatically restructure Institute operations, and whichestablished “a solid foundation for future growth andexpanded inclusiveness of membership.”

Keairns noted that Wispelwey, who has overseen the suc-cessful launch and growth of the SBE, will be assuming hernew role as AIChE concludes its centennial celebration andbegins implementing a new strategic plan designed to guidethe Institute into its second century. Wispelwey expressedconfidence that “AIChE’s strengths in industry and technol-ogy, along with an increased global presence and use of theweb” assure that “we will succeed in our mission of advanc-

ing technology, sharing knowledgeamong working professionals, andeducating the next generation ofengineers.”

Wispelwey joined the AIChE staffand the SBE in 2004, where shelaunched a successful consortium toadvance genomic research on celllines that are important to pharma-ceutical and biotechnology companies. She had previouslyserved as vice president of marketing services at AventisBehring, and as director of performance chemicals businessdevelopment at Lyondell.

Wispelwey brought an entrepreneurial approach toAIChE initiatives in new technologies and energy. Sheexplained that her four years as leader of the SBE taught herthat “the culture of a broad-based nonprofit membershiporganization requires enrolling grassroots support and devot-ing even more attention to team and relationship building”than the corporate environment.

Wispelwey earned a BS in chemical engineering atPrinceton Univ. and an MS in chemical engineering at theUniv. of Pennsylvania, and later completed an executiveeducation program at The Wharton School.

She will continue overseeing of the SBE until a replace-ment director is identified.

Wispelwey to Become AIChE Executive Director

AIChE Conference CalendarFor information and registration details, visit www.aiche.org/conferences

or call Customer Service at 1-800-242-4363 or 1-203-702-7660 (outside the U.S.)

SBE’s 2nd International Conference on Biomolecular EngineeringJanuary 18–21, 2009 • Fess Parker Doubletree • Santa Barbara, CA

AIChE/SPE 4th Joint Workshop: Practical Strategies for ManagingCO2 Emissions — Where are We Going?Feburary 22–24, 2009 • Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn • Sonoma, CA

SBE’s 2nd International Conference on AcceleratingBiopharmaceutical DevelopmentMarch 9 –12, 2009 • Marriott Coronado • Coronado Island, CA

2009 Spring National MeetingApril 26-30, 2009 • Tampa Convention Center • Tampa, FL

2009 Offshore Technology ConferenceMay 4–7, 2009 • Reliant Park • Houston, TX

2009 Ammonia ConferenceSeptember 13–19, 2009 • Hyatt Regency Calgary • Calgary, AB, Canada

2009 Annual MeetingNovember 8–13, 2009 • Gaylord Opryland Hotel • Nashville, TN

2009 AIChE ElectionResults

The Tellers have examined the votes for can-didates for Officers and Directors of theInstitute, and have declared the following tobe the results of the election:

President-Elect

President (by automatic succession)

Directors (2009–2011)

H. Scott Fogler

Henry (Hank) Kohlbrand

Thomas Connelly, Jr.Dennis GriffithChristine SeymourNeil Yeoman

Institute News

While the price of oil has significantly droppedover the past few months, U.S. energy securityand independence still need to be addressed.

The Midwest region of the U.S. is filled with energy-related firms, including Archer Daniels Midland (ADM),BP, CITGO, ExxonMobil, UOP, and many more. Withthis in mind, AIChE and its Chicago Local Section —which for many years had hosted a successful annualsym posium — launched its first regional con ference inthe heart of the Midwest, Chicago, IL, this past Sept.22–23. Energy was a key topic of discussion.

Two keynote speeches focused on the role that chemicalengineers can play in solving the world’s energy problems.

Carlos Cabrera, president and chief executive officer ofUOP, a Honeywell Co. (www.uop.com), focused on thecurrent and upcoming challenges within the energy indus-try. “Challen ges are not new in the refining industry,”Cabrera told the audience. In the 1960s, hydrocrackingwas developed to process heavier feedstocks and increasethe yield of high-quality fuels from a barrel of oil. The1970s saw technology to remove lead from gasoline.Today, environmental regulation is increasing around theworld and there is a focus on renewable energy. Butregardless of the challenge, chemical engineers havefound the answers. And chemical engineers will continueto find solutions.

Cabrera noted that the energy industry will continue toprovide great opportunities for chemical engineering,identifying several areas where chemical engineers canmake impacts, including methane conversion, residue

upgrading, coal gasification, and renewable fuels.The second keynote speaker, James Foster, research direc-

tor at ADM, continued on the energy theme. “The U.S. ispresently very dependent on oil for transportation and chemi-cal feedstocks,” said Foster. And while “petroleum discover-ies are declining, they will still be used for a long time,” hecontinued. Foster predicts that petroleum will remain a pri-mary component of the U.S. energy portfolio, but that alter-native fuels can play a critical role in sustainability.

Waving a large stick of wood at the audience, Fosterdeclared that the first biofuel discovered by mankind waswood. While society has come a long way from usingwood as a biofuel, many challenges still lie ahead. Today,we have biodiesel and bioethanol, but these make up onlya fraction of to day’s transportation fuels. And while theymay solve some energy problems, they create new prob-lems in other areas. For instance, the demand forbioethanol has dramatically increased food prices.

So what’s the next step? Foster off ered one promisingrenewable re source that does not compete with the pro-duction of food crops: lignocellulosics. But, using ligno-cellulosics is not without its own problems. Lignin is adifficult structure to deal with and break down. Muchresearch is still needed before lignocellulosics becomes aneconomically viable resource and this is where chemicalengineers can play a vital role.

Foster closed his speech with a quote from author EricHoffer, “In times of change, learners inherit the Earth,while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped todeal with a world that no longer exists.”


Dana E. Knox, Professor of ChemicalEngineering and Associate Provost for

Undergraduate Programs at the NewJersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), diedsuddenly on Sept. 24, 2008. An activeAIChE member, he was currently servingas co-advisor of the NJIT Student Chapter,and often organized and chaired sessionsat national meetings.

Born in upstate New York, Knox earnedBS (1977), MS (1978) and PhD (1982)degrees from Rensselaer PolytechnicInstitute. He began his career on the facul-ty at NJIT in 1983, and joined theProvost’s Office in 2004.

Knox was an expert in thermo -

dynamics of fluids and fluid mixtures, anda widely published researcher. In 2002, hereceived the Franzosini Award from theInternational Union of Pure and AppliedChemistry (IUPAC), in appreciation of hiscontributions to the Solubility Data Project.At the time of his death, he was serving asthe Chairman of the Subcommittee onSolubility and Equilibrium Data for IUPAC.

Knox was beloved as a colleagueacross the NJIT campus, and as a dedi -cated advisor to his many students. In1994 he received NJIT’s university-wideRobert W. Van Houten Award, bestowed bythe school’s alumni to recognize teachingexcellence. In 2002, he was appointed to

the rank of MasterTeacher at NJIT.

Knox is survivedby his wife, PetraKnox, of Edison, NJ,and his sister, LauraMatthews.

As a tribute to hiscommitment to education and to the NJIT community, donations to the Dr. Dana E. Knox Memorial Scholar ship Fund at NJIT are suggested. For more informa-tion, contact Jacquelynn Rhodes,[email protected] (973-596-3407). Friendscan share memories of Dana athttp://rememberingdanaknox.blogspot.com.

In Memorium: Dana Knox — 1955–2008

Talking Energy at AIChE’s Midwest Regional Conference

Popular Science magazine hasnamed two young chemical engi-

neers among its “Brilliant 10” for2008 — an honor that recognizes thenation’s top young scientists.

Kristi Anseth, aprofessor of chemi-cal and biologicalengineering at theUniv. of Colorado,Boulder, and anassociate professorof surgery at theUniv. of Colo rado, Denver School ofMedicine, was cited for her innovativematerials science research, includingthe creation of new biomaterials formedical applications.

She leads a team that is developingdegradable polymers that act as scaf-folds to stimulate the growth of newhuman tissues. These technologies canbe used to help regenerate human car-tilage and defective heart valves, mendbroken bones, produce insulin for dia-

betics, and grow healthy neurons toreplace diseased brain tissue.

Anseth received her doctorate inchemical engineering from the Univ.of Colorado, Boulder, in 1994, andwas a postdoctoral fellow at theMassachu setts Institute of Technologybefore joining the CU-Boulder facultyin 1996. She is the 2004 recipient ofthe Alan T. Waterman Award — theNational Science Foundation’s highesthonor for a young researcher. In 2003,she received AIChE’s Allan P. ColburnAward for Excellence in Publicationsby a Young Member of the Institute.

John T. Santini, Jr., is the co-founder and CEO of MicroCHIPS,Inc., a Bedford, MA-based drug deliv-ery and biosensing company that isbuilding under-the-skin electronicdevices that deliver drugs straight tothe blood. These chips sense changesin body chemistry and can delivermedications when needed. Small reser-voirs in the devices open to release a

drug or invite bodyfluid in to be ana-lyzed and moni-tored. In the comingyear, Santini and hiscompany will beginhuman clinical trailson a glucose-moni-toring chip for diabetes patients, aswell as trials for a chip that releasesdaily doses of an osteoporosis drug.

Santini began developing the coremicro reservoir technologies as a doc-toral student at the MassachusettsInstitute of Techno logy, under thesupervision of Robert Langer andMichael Cima — with whom he co-founded Micro CHIPS in 1999.

Now in its seventh year, PopularScience’s “Brilliant 10” recognizesyoung scientists who are pushing theirfield to the next level. To choose therecipients, the editors contact theheads of departments at universitiesand professional associations.


Kim to Lead Wisconsin’s Morgridge Institute

Two AIChE Members are Among the “Brilliant 10”

Walter F. Abath, 78, Wilmington, DE

Jett C. Arthur, 90, Metarie, LA*

Charles A. Grimm, 58, Hilliard, OH

Walter J. Hansen, 89, Orlando, FL

Samuel J. Hensel, 89, Springfield, VT

Walter C. Kliesch, 68, Nipomo, CA

Robert J. O’Donnell, 84, San Rafael, CA

James P. Pregler, 38, Salisbury, NC

John W. Schaubach, 74, Irvine, CA*

John A. Tallmadge, 80, Media, PA*

Harold D. Unland, 72, Henderson, NV

Robert G. Wright, 85, Houston, TX

*Fellow

OBITUARIES

Sangtae (Sang) Kim, professor ofmechanical and chemical engi-

neering at Purdue Univ., has beennamed executive director of the Univ.of Wisconsin’s new MorgridgeInstitute of Research.

Set to open in 2010, the MorgridgeInstitute is part of the $150-millionWisconsin Institutes for Discovery —a public-private partnership designedto facilitate breakthrough discoveriesacross the fields of biology, computerscience and bioengineering to improvehuman health. The twin institutes —one public and one private — willleverage the best of the public sectorwith the best of the private sector.

Kim’s initial work is expected tofocus on the establishment of a centerof excellence for scientific informa-

tional technology. Kim’s new role

marks his returnto the Univ. ofWisconsin,Madison, whichhe first joined in1983, and wherehe served as chemical engineeringdepartment chair from 1995–1997.Kim has also directed the NationalScience Foundation’s division ofshared cyberinfrastructure(2004–2005), and has executiveexperience at Lilly ResearchLaboratories, Pfizer Global Researchand Develop ment, and Parke-DavisPharma ceutical Research. In 2001,he was elected to the NationalAcademy of Engineering.

2008 annual meeting • philadelphia, pa • nov. 16–21 · 12/17/2008 · 2008 annual meeting...

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