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DAVE C. SWALM SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING E-NEWSLETTER
Volume 3, Number 1
September/October, 2003
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FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD.
November is always a big month for our family, as both my sons have
birthdays in November. My oldest son just turned 13, so we are now the
proud parents of a teenager. It is amazing the transformation in our son
from an 11 year old to two years to a 13 year old today. Our biggest family
battles these days are over videogames, and answering the modern question of
³how many different videogame players does one household need?². We already
have a Nintendo Game Cube and a Sony Playstation II. However, as I am told
often (mainly when we are in an electronics store), ³This game is only on
the X-Box, and it is the best game ever, and we really need it, etc..²
Somehow, I can imagine that if we also had an X-Box, soon we would be
hearing that we need to buy the Playstation XXIV that is the hottest new
system, etc.... My conclusion is that you just can¹t win when it comes to
teenagers and videogames.
I hope that you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Turkey and had an enjoyable
holiday. We had family in from Virginia and Florida, and they enjoyed the
relatively warm weather and Southern Hospitality in Starkville. Of course,
Thanksgiving is never complete without the annual Egg Bowl game. Despite
really poor weather, the stadium was almost full at the beginning of the
game, and had a nice crowd until about half-time when the rain really
started coming down. We made it until half-time when we left to go home
cold, wet, and discouraged about a disappointing season. Hopefully, by the
time your read this, we will have hired a new football coach, and
expectations will be high that we will turn things around next year.
However, the good news is that basketball season is upon us, and the Men¹s
and Women¹s teams should both be very good this year. I had a chance to see
the men play against South Alabama last week, and I think you will enjoy
reading about Bulldog basketball after a long football season.
The tailgates this year were a huge success, and we had our highest
attendance ever, including 4 out of the 6 home games with corporate
sponsors. It is never too early to start thinking about next year¹s
tailgates, so if you are interested in sponsoring one, send me an email note
(schulz@che.msstate.edu) and we will get you on the list for the Fall of
2004 season.
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!
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ATLY JEFCOAT SELECTED AS OUTSTANDING AICHE CHAPTER ADVISOR
Each year, AIChE student chapters can nominate their chapter advisor for the
Outstanding Student Chapter Advisor Award. I am pleased to announce that
Dr. Atly Jefcoat, Hunter Henry Chair of Chemical Engineering, was selected
as the 2002-2003 Outstanding Student Chapter Advisor in a national
competition. Atly was nominated by the student officers and the Department
Head for the award, which is given in recognition of excellence as a Chapter
Advisor over a sustained period of time. Dr. Jefcoat was recognized at the
AIChE National Meeting in San Francisco, were he received a plaque and a
cash award.
Congratulations on a job well done Atly!
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OUTSTANDING SENIORS HONORED AT COLLEGE BANQUET
Each fall semester the Bagley College of Engineering holds a banquet in
recognition of the outstanding seniors (typically the top 10 to 15% of the
class) graduating over the course of the year. Out of the ten or so students
from Chemical Engineering who attend, one is chosen as the ³Outstanding
Graduating Senior², and receives a token from the Bagley College of
Engineering in recognition of their outstanding achievements. Ms. Laura
Beth Dong was chosen as the Outstanding Graduating Senior in Chemical
Engineering for the 2003 2004 academic year. Congratulations to Laura Beth
and to all of the outstanding seniors representing Chemical Engineering at
the banquet:
Scott Crymble
Laura Beth Dong
Courtney Danielle Frawley
Laura Herron
Julie Isonhood
Trent Jeffreys
Natalie May
John Roberts
Chad Royston
Aaron Smith
Cindy Williams
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SEMINAR PROGRAM SPEAKERS FOR FALL SEMESTER
The Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering sponsors a seminar program
each fall and spring semester for our faculty and graduate students.
Speakers from industry, academia, and national laboratories give technical
lectures focused on their research or engineering related projects. Dr.
Rudy Rogers, Professor of Chemical Engineering, coordinated the seminar
program for the Fall 2003 semester. As part of our seminar program, we have
initiated speaker exchanges each year with Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, and
Clemson. All lectures are open to the public. A copy of the seminar program
announcement is on the School WWW site at:
http://www.che.msstate.edu/academics/grad_prog/Seminars/2003-2004/.
This seminar speakers for the fall semester include:
September 9, Steve Ritchie, University of Alabama, ³Separations with
Membranes and Thin Films²
September 16, Ram B. Gupta, Auburn University, ³Formation of Drug
Nanoparticles and Microparticles Using Supercritical Fluids²
September 23, Juan Silva, MSU, ³Cryogenically Frozen, Whole Freshwater
Prawns²
September 30, Scott Husson, Clemson University, ³Molecular Engineering of
Surfaces for Selective Separations and More²
October 7, Doug MacEachern, Shell Oil Company, ³Deep Drilling in the Gulf of
Mexico²
October 14, David Shaw, MSU, ³Remote Sensing: Challenges, Opportunities,
and Applications²
October 21, Tommy Phelps, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ³Environmental
Microbiology²
October 28, Clint Williford, University of Mississippi, ³Enzymatic
Conversion of Biomass²
November 4, Douglas Wicks, University of Southern Mississippi, ³High
Throughput Screening for Studying Polymer-Based Formulations²
November 11, Bill Wilson, MSU, ³Protein Crystallization and Analysis²
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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.
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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
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