************************************************************************
DAVE C. SWALM SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING E-NEWSLETTER
Volume 3, Number 3
January/February, 2004
************************************************************************
FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD.
I hope this newsletter finds everyone doing well. With the Men¹s basketball
team on the verge of wrapping up the SEC West title tonight against LSU, it
is an exciting time to be in Starkville! In Chemical Engineering, we are
still optimistic about a possible #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, and it
has been nice to turn on the television (at least to ESPN), and to hear our
university talked about in such a positive way.
For those of you who do not make it back to Starkvegas very often, the town
is growing. The bypass is nearing completion, and a Home Depot will be
constructed out by the new Super Walmart (in my opinion, a Super Walmart is
an oxymoron). A Quizno¹s sub restaurant just opened up in downtown, and the
Downtown Merchant¹s Association continues to perform renovations in downtown
to give it a ³historic² feel. If only we had a Red Lobster or an Olive
Garden, we would have it all!
³But wait!² I hear some of you say. ³When I was back in school, we didn¹t
even have a (fill in the blank here) in Starkville². As a student at
Virginia Tech nearly 20 years ago, it was still a small, sleepy college
town. Now, it has a mall (with a Red Lobster no less), and the students
still say ³Well, Blacksburg is not at the end of the earth, but you can see
it from here!²
Just before Christmas, Dean Wayne Bennett announced he would be retiring
this summer, and moving back to be closer to his family in South Carolina.
We have benefited from nearly 8 years of outstanding leadership, and we
certainly wish Wayne and Shirley Bennett the best of luck in the future. In
next month¹s issue, we will highlight some of the exceptional things that
have happened under Dean Bennett¹s watch.
With the Dean retiring, we are in the midst of a national search to find a
new Dean of Engineering. I have attached the advertisement below, and would
encourage you as alumni to nominate any deserving candidates you know who
may be interested in the job.
If you are going to be here for Super Bulldog Weekend, please come by Swalm
with your family and friends and enjoy a nice breakfast! See details below.
Please keep those alumni updates coming! Also, please continue to surf
our WWW site occasionally to see pictures of what is happening at MSU.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the newsletter. Go Dawgs!
************************************************************************
AIChE Meeting Undergraduate Awards
At the AIChE meeting in San Francisco, MSU undergraduate students once again
received a significant number of undergraduate research awards.
Congratulations to the following students for a great job representing
Mississippi State on a national level:
Green Engineering Competition
3rd Place.
Kathleen O¹Donoghue
Optimizing Reactor Operations for the Production of Biogas from Synthesis
Gas Fermentation Wastewaters.
AIChE Undergraduate Student Poster Competition
1st Place.
Environmental Division-- Michael Bestor
Optimization of the Quality of the Wasteform to be Produced by Vitrification
of Hanford High Level Waste
Environmental Division-- Kathleen O¹Donoghue
Optimizing Reactor Operations for the Production of Biogas from Synthesis
Gas Fermentation Wastewaters.
Fuels & Petrochemicals Division-- Brad Hensarling
Microbial Catalyzed Gas Hydrate Formation in Deep Sea Ecosystems
2nd Place.
Environmental Division-- Krystal Gage, Kenyatta Veals
The Design and Evaluation of a Continuous Photocatalytic Reactor Utilizing
TiO2 in Silica
Separations Division-- Ernest Rufus
Characteristics of Cellulosic-Based Absorbents
3rd Place.
Environmental Division-- Levell Hairston
Effect of Corrosion Enhancing Agents on 2,4,6 Trinitrotoluene Degradation
via the Integration of Zero-Valent Metals and Advanced Oxidation Processes
************************************************************************
ENRIQUE SOSA PRESENTS THIRD ANNUAL HENRY LECTURESHIP
Former Amoco and Dow executive Enrique J. Sosa discussed his 35-year career
in the chemical industry during a Feb. 19 program at Mississippi State.
Sosa keynoted the Hunter Henry Lectureship in Chemical Engineering, a public
event held on February 19 at 3:30 p.m in the George Eastman Auditorium of
the university's Swalm School of Chemical Engineering Building.
He was the third speaker in a series sponsored by the Swalm School of
Chemical Engineering to honor Henry, a 1950 MSU chemical engineering
graduate and major university benefactor. Previous speakers included Bobby
S. Shackouls and Michael D. Parker, top executives of Burlington Resources
Inc. and Dow Chemical Co., respectively.
Sosa, who oversaw worldwide chemical and marketing operations for Amoco
before the corporation merged with BP in 1999, gave a presentation to a
packed auditorium entitled "Looking Back on 35 Years in the Chemical
Industry."
As executive vice president, Sosa headed Amoco's chemicals sector before
becoming president of BP Amoco Chemicals after the two companies merged.
Prior to joining Amoco, he was senior vice president of Dow Chemical and
president of Dow North America. He also was a member of Dow's board of
directors and executive committee.
A native of Cuba, Sosa has been a U.S. citizen since 1971. He maintains
residences in Chicago and Key Biscayne, Fla.
Sosa, who joined Dow in 1964, holds bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees
in agriculture from the University of Florida. He serves on the board of
directors at FMC Corp. and DSM of the Netherlands, a position he formerly
held with Electronic Data Systems, Dow Corning Corp. and Destec Energy.
************************************************************************
2004 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
Football season is just around the corner, and we will be sponsoring
tailgates once again this year. If you or your company is interested in
sponsoring any of the home games, please send me an email
(schulz@che.msstate.edu) and we will ³reserve² that spot for you. As of
today, all of the home games are unsponsored, and will be allocated on a
first-come, first served basis.
September 4 Tulane
September 11 Auburn
September 18 Maine
October 9 University of Alabama-Birmingham
October 23 Florida
October 30 Kentucky
November 20 Arkansas
************************************************************************
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ALUMNI BREAKFAST SCHEDULED FOR SUPER-BULLDOG WEEKEND
I would like to invite all alumni to attend the first Alumni Breakfast to be
held on Saturday, April 17, 2004 from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. in the Swalm
Chemical Engineering Building. If you are going to be in Starkville, this
is a great time to catch up with faculty, students, and other alumni before
attending the annual spring football game, BBQ cook-off contest, and
baseball series against the Florida Gators. In order to help us plan
appropriately, please let us know you are coming by emailing Sherre Denson
at sherre@che.msstate.edu. This is open to family, friends, and even LSU
fans!
************************************************************************
2003 ANNUAL REPORT AVAILABLE
Each year, the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering publishes an annual
report, which highlights the achievements of the faculty, staff, and
students during the 2002 2003 academic year. This report is posted on the
School WWW site as a PDF file at:
http://www.che.msstate.edu/welcome/annual_report/annual_report.php. I would
welcome any comments or questions you might have about the School over the
last academic year. If you would like a paper copy of the annual report,
please send me an email or give me a call at 662-325-2480.
************************************************************************
DEAN OF ENGINEERING SEARCH UNDERWAY
Mississippi State University invites nominations and applications for the
position of Dean of the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering. It is
expected that the new Dean will be committed to enhancing the substantial
research activities of the college, the national reputation of its excellent
educational programs, and the continuing development of the college's role
in stimulating economic growth in the state and region. The Bagley College,
which has ambitious goals and a vision for the future, seeks a dynamic
leader who can garner support from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and
external constituents to realize a level of excellence for the college that
will place it among the finest programs in the country.
Mississippi State University is a comprehensive, land-grant university with
a total enrollment of 16,225. The Bagley College enrolls about 2,000
undergraduates, 500 graduate students, and has approximately 100 faculty
members. The university is among the top 60 research-funded public
universities in the United States; the college had research expenditures of
$64,000,000 in the last fiscal year, ranking it in the top 30 nationally.
The Bagley College benefits from a substantial endowment of approximately
$70,000,000.
The Dean reports to the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs and has
curricular, budgetary, and personnel responsibilities for seven academic
departments/units:
Aerospace Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Swalm School
of Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Civil Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering.
In addition, the Dean shares responsibility with the Dean of Agriculture and
Life Sciences for the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
Associated research units include the Diagnostic Instrumentation and
Analysis Laboratory (DIAL) and a graduated NSF Engineering Research Center,
including the Computational Simulation and Design Center (SimCenter), the
Center for DOD Programming Environment and Training, the Center for Advanced
Vehicular Systems (CAVS), and the GeoResources Institute (GRI). Candidates
must possess an earned doctorate in engineering, computer science, or a
closely related field, and must qualify for the rank of professor in one of
the college programs by virtue of a distinguished record of research,
scholarship, and teaching. Experience in academic administration, budget
management, personnel management, and strategic planning is also expected.
Candidates should possess strong communication and interpersonal skills, and
have demonstrated a commitment to teaching at both undergraduate and
graduate levels, faculty development, and the ability to secure external
funding, including private giving from industry, alumni, and friends.
Demonstrated commitment to and success in achieving faculty, staff, and
student diversity is also required. Professional registration as an engineer
is preferred.
Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Candidate
credentials will be reviewed upon receipt, and the search will continue
until the position is filled. The tentative starting date is July 1, 2004.
Korn/Ferry International is assisting with this search and invites
confidential inquiries, nominations and applications. For inquiries,
additional information, and nominations contact Karen Vassar at
msu-engineering@kornferry.com; fax 202-318-4475.
To apply please visit www.ekornferry.com and click OPPORTUNITIES. Enter code
QQ658 to view the full position description and follow online instructions
for submitting confidential materials.
************************************************************************
ALUMNI UPDATES
MICHAEL HARRIS, B.S. 81, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at
Purdue University was elected to be a University Faculty Scholar for
2003-2007, by the faculty of Purdue University. He was also elected by
members of the AIChE to a two year term as one of two Directors of the
Materials Science and Engineering Division of the AIChE. Additionally,
he is serving as Chair of Session 8d (Ceramics) in the MESD of the AIChE.
MILTON YOUNG. In October 2003 I was named Director - Procurement for
Whirlpool China, with responsibility for approximately 50 procurement staff
in two factories (washing machines and microwave ovens) and our
International Procurement Office. Last week I formally relocated to
Shanghai, China from St. Joseph, MI. My wife Angelica will join me once she
finishes her MBA at Loyola University in Chicago. Anyone who is visiting
China and plans to stop in Shanghai should look me up.
My email address is still: Milton_J_Young@Whirlpool.com
************************************************************************
____________________________________________________________________________
Kirk H. Schulz
Earnest W. Deavenport Jr. Chair and Director
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering
Box 9595
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Phone: (662) 325-2480
FAX: (662) 325-2482
Email: schulz@che.msstate.edu
____________________________________________________________________________