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DAVE C. SWALM SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING E-NEWSLETTER
Volume 1, Number 4
March/April, 2002
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FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD...
Well, March Madness has come and gone, and we have a lot to be proud of
following the appearance in the NCAA Tournament of both our Men's and Women's
basketball teams.
As fortune will have it, I was with my family at Walt Disney World over
Spring break during the SEC Tournament and first round of the NCAA
Tournament. Every day that State was playing, we proudly wore our MSU
shirts and hats, and chatted in the park with other State fans that were also
vacationing with their families. On the day of the SEC Men's championship
game, we were at the Animal Kingdom park having just finished watching a
musical show called Tarzan Rocks, and joined a group of about 20 MSU fans
huddled with the cell phones calling friends back in Mississippi to find out if
the Dawgs had pulled out a victory over Alabama. We then found a bar with
ESPN on during the NCAA Tournament show, and let out a big yell when we saw the
Men's draw and found out that the Lady Bulldogs had made the Women's tournament
as well. It was an exciting time for MSU fans nationwide.
Well, March Madness also constitutes the start of baseball season. I
was determined to be at the opening game, which had temperatures in the 30's
with a bitter cold wind. The entire time I was sitting at the game with a
hat, gloves, and winter coat, I had the remind myself that I was still in
Mississippi and not back in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Regardless
of the weather, a good time was had by all!
If you haven't done so already, I would invite you to check out the Dave C.
Swalm School of Chemical Engineering WWW page (<http://www.che.msstate.edu/index.html>).
We are constantly updating the School WWW pages, so be sure and check back once
every couple of weeks to see new pictures and stories. We are working
hard to update the School web pages, and I would encourage you to visit the
site often and see what we are doing. I would especially direct you to
visit the alumni page (<http://www.che.msstate.edu/Alumni/alumni.html>).
Past issues of the Electronic newsletter will be posed to this site following
distribution to the electronic email list.
I would also encourage you to send in Alumni Updates. I will put them
in the newsletter (at the end) so that your former classmates can see what you
are doing. If you would like to contribute an update, just send it to me
(schulz@che.msstate.edu <mailto:schulz@che.msstate.edu>).
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the newsletter. Go Dawgs!
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DOW CHEMICAL CEO VISITS SCHOOL
The Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering initiated the Hunter Henry
Lectureship this year. The annual lectureship is given by a prominent
industrial or academic member of the chemical engineering community, and will
involve meeting with Chemical Engineering students, faculty, and staff and
giving a lecture on campus. The Lectureship is named in honor of Mr.
Hunter Henry, a 1950 alumnus of the Chemical Engineering Program, who had a
long and illustrious career with the Dow Chemical Company. Mr. Henry
served in many positions within the Dow Chemical Company, culminating in his
appointment as Executive Vice President of Dow Chemical and President of Dow
USA.
The inaugural Hunter Henry Lectureship was given by Mr. Michael Parker,
President and CEO of Dow Chemical. Mr. Parker gave a lecture to nearly
100 people on April 3 in the Eastman Auditorium in the Chemical Engineering
building. The title of his lecture was "The Keys to Unlocking
Value: People, Innovation, and Growth". After his talk, he
visited with students, faculty, and the university community at a reception
given in his honor on the 4th Floor of the Swalm building.
Many of our undergraduate students had the opportunity to talk individually
with Mr. Parker for some time, which promises to be an experience they will
never forget!
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SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN ON WEB SITE
The Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering has spent a lot of time
over the past academic year developing a plan for the future. A copy of
this plan, entitled "ChE at MSU in 2007 - A Plan for the Future" is
available on the School WWW site at: http://www.che.msstate.edu/Alumni/alumni.htm
. Please send me your comments, suggestions, and criticisms of the
plan. Without alumni and corporate support, reaching many of the goals
and objectives set out in the plan will not be possible. Send any
comments to me at: schulz@che.msstate.edu.
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TAPPI COMPETITION IN ATLANTA
Skimming over the water on a sailboard is a
popular summer sport for many college students, but few take to the water with
a board constructed mostly of paper. That's exactly what a team of
Mississippi State chemical engineering majors will do this weekend on Lake
Lanier in Gainesville, Ga. They, along with teams from Miami (Ohio) and North
Carolina State universities, the universities of Central Florida and Maine, and
Georgia Institute of Technology, compete Saturday in the 2002 Energy Challenge.
Seniors Scott Junkin of Hanceville, Ala., Andrew P. Queen of Baton Rouge, La.,
Ashley D. Slaton of Greenwood, Daniel H. Smith of Clarksdale and Michael
Wilemon of Aberdeen will carry MSU's banner in the event.
The United States Department of Energy, Atlanta,
Ga.-based Institute of Paper Science and Technology, Wilmington, Del., chemical
manufacturer Hercules Inc. and Windsense, an Atlanta windsurfing equipment
supplier, are competition sponsors. The annual challenge involves the
design, construction and racing of a board made only of paper or wood fiber
products. Each entering team receives a $2,000 "start up" grant for
materials and other expenses.
In addition to putting their engineering training to
the test, the students are cruising for a $15,000 first-place prize. The
second-place team receives $10,000; third-place, $5,000.
"The purpose of the Energy Challenge is to increase interest in science
and engineering," said faculty sponsor Clifford George, an MSU chemical
engineering professor. "The competition also promotes awareness of energy
efficiency, manufacturing design, recycling, waste minimization, package
maximizing, and pulp and paper industrial processes."
George said the MSU entry is constructed of
corrugated cardboard with a six-foot long piece of two-by-six inch ply board in
the middle to support the sail. The outer shell is cardboard treated with
waterproofing chemicals. "The project focuses on the structure and
strength of cardboard," said team member Wilemon. "We calculate that
the board will support up to about 300 pounds." For Wilemon, pilot
of the MSU entry, that's a very good calculation since he weighs about half of
that amount.
(Please note: This story was taken from the Starkville Daily News,
April 4, 2002, entitled, "MSU 'cardboard sailors' seeking Peach State
victory 4/5").
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KATHERINE TACONI RECOGNIZED AS OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT
The MSU President's Commission on the Status of Women recently selected Ms.
Katherine Taconi, a Ph.D. student in the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical
Engineering, as the Outstanding Graduate Student. Katherine is doing her
research in the ETech laboratory under the direction of Dr. Mark Zappi.
Her parents joined her at the presentation and sister who drove up from the
coast see Katherine get her award. Congratulations on a job well done!
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ALUMNI UPDATES
ENS DILLON A. ALLEN (Nuclear Engineer, Naval Reactors). I am a May
2000 graduate of MSU with a BS in ChE. I am pursuing a masters degree in
Mechanical Engineering through the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, CA.
I am an ensign in the U.S. Navy living in Washington, D.C. where I work for
Naval Reactors. Naval Reactors is a joint Navy/Department of Energy (DOE)
venture that oversees the Naval Nuclear
Propulsion Program. I am currently responsible for the environmental
management and regulatory affairs of our DOE sites across the country.
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Kirk H. Schulz
Earnest W. Deavenport Jr.
Chair and Director
Dave C. Swalm School of
Chemical Engineering
Mississippi State University
Box 9595
Mississippi State, MS
39762
Email: schulz@che.msstate.edu
Phone: 662-325-2480
FAX: 662-325-2482
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