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SAN FRANCISCO (November 4) – In a ceremony during its Annual Meeting here yesterday, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) presented awards to 12 leaders and innovators in chemical engineering.
AIChE’s highest award, the Founders Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Chemical Engineering, was presented to Ronald W. Rousseau, the Professor and Silas Endowed Chair of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Rousseau has expanded the frontiers of chemical engineering through his research on crystallization and other methods of separating mixtures, including his recent work on pharmaceutical crystallizations, documenting his work in nearly 200 articles. He was a member of AIChE’s Board of Directors, served on the Publications Committee, was a member of both the Career and Education and the Chemical Engineering Technology Operating Councils, and is a Trustee of the AIChE Foundation.
In addition, AIChE also honored these 11 outstanding chemical engineers:
Neil Yeoman, formerly of Koch-Glitsch and Scientific Design Company, received the F. J. and Dorothy Van Antwerpen Award for Service to AIChE. The award is sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company.
Jeetain Mittal, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Lehigh University, received the Allan P. Colburn Award for Excellence in Publications by a Young Member of the Institute. The award is sponsored by E. I. duPont de Nemours & Company.
Kelvin H. Lee, the Gore Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute at the University of Delaware, was presented with the Professional Progress Award for Outstanding Progress in Chemical Engineering. The award is sponsored by Air Products.
Michael Tsapatsis, professor and Amundson Chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota, was presented with the Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research. The award is sponsored by the Alpha Chi Sigma Educational Foundation.
Liang-Shih Fan, Distinguished University Professor, the C. John Easton Professor in Engineering, and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The Ohio State University, was presented with the R. H. Wilhelm Award in Chemical Reaction Engineering. The award is sponsored by ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company.
Srinivas Tummala, Senior Principal Scientist at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company of New Brunswick, New Jersey, received the Industrial Progress Award.
Steven R. Lustig, Principal Investigator at E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company of Wilmington, Delaware, received the Industrial Research and Development Award.
Donald R. Paul, the Ernest Cockrell Sr. Chair in Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, received the Institute Award for Excellence in Industrial Gases Technology. The award is sponsored by Praxair, Inc.
Jan J. Lerou, Principal at Jan J. Lerou Consulting of Hilliard, Ohio, received the Lawrence B. Evans Award in Chemical Engineering Practice. The award is sponsored by CACHE Corporation.
Arvind Varma, the R. Games Slayter Distinguished Professor and Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld Head of the School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University, received the Warren K. Lewis Award for Chemical Engineering Education. The award is sponsored by ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company. .
Harvey W. Blanch, Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, received the William H. Walker Award for Excellence in Contributions to Chemical Engineering Literature. The award is sponsored by John Wiley & Sons.
“Chemical engineers are working to solve many of the world’s most pressing problems,” said Phillip Westmoreland, president of AIChE. “We are proud to recognize these groundbreaking chemical engineers at our awards ceremony this evening.”
About AIChE: AIChE is a professional society of more than 45,000 chemical engineers in 100 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontier of chemical engineering research in such areas as nanotechnology, sustainability, hydrogen fuels, biological and environmental engineering, and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.