************************************************************************

DAVE C. SWALM SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING E-NEWSLETTER

Volume 3, Number 5

May/June/July/August 2004

************************************************************************

FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD.

Greetings from the very warm and sunny south! MSU will start up in a couple of weeks, and my sons are headed back to school this next week. Where did the summer go?

Have you ever had one of those sudden impulses which you acted upon (and which seemed like a good idea at the time) and that you later regretted? Well, as I was getting ready to send our 4^th grader off to camp, I thought it would be a good idea for him to have a cell phone to call home if needed during his different summer camps. He had used his older brother’s cell phone frequently, and he knew how to use a cell phone. So with good intentions in mind, I trotted into the Cingular store and came out with the cheapest Nokia phone they had. With his new phone in hand, we sent Andrew off to Tennis camp at MSU. It was great hearing from him in the evenings on how the day went and when we needed to come and pick him up. Shortly after this, he went to his first overnight camp with his Cub Scout den. As we got ready for bed, it started to rain. Noel turns to me and says, “I hope Andrew will make it through the night”, and I say, “He has camped with me so many times that I know he will be fine”. The words were barely out of my mouth, when our telephone rings, and Andrew is calling telling us that he won’t make it through the night. After talking with him, about 10 minutes later, my wife’s cell phone beeps - she has a text message from my son saying “I am terrified”. To make a long story short, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., we got either a phone call or text message every 15 minutes. Noel was not pleased with my impulsive cell phone purchase for Andrew - yet another example of a “good dad” decision gone bad.

During the next academic year, we will be preparing for an ABET Accreditation visit occurring during the fall of 2005. As part of our assessment program, we have an alumni survey that we would like each of you to fill out. It is on the School WWW site, and will take no longer than 5 to 10 minutes to do. Please see the related story below, and fill out the survey as soon as you can.

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!

************************************************************************

ALUMNI SURVEY ON-LINE

As part of our continuous assessment and improvement process, we are asking our alumni to provide some feedback as to their impressions of their level of preparation for their careers following their graduation from Mississippi State. The survey results are used along with senior exit interview data, course assessment forms, and FE Exam results to give the faculty a clear idea of areas that need improvement within the Chemical Engineering program. I would ask each of you to take a few minutes to fill out the survey on the WWW by no later than September 1, 2004. If you have any questions about the data or how it will be used, please feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns.

Survey WWW link: http://www.che.msstate.edu/alumni/survey/index.php

************************************************************************

DR. MARK ZAPPI WINS COLLEGE RESEARCH AWARD

Dr. Mark Zappi, Texas Olefins Professor of Chemical Engineering, was recently selected to receive the 2004 Faculty Research Award from the Bagley College of Engineering. Dr. Zappi is the first Chemical Engineering faculty member to receive this award. During his career, Dr. Zappi has published over 120 technical publications, presented in excess of 120 oral presentations, and been the PI or Co-PI on over $17M in externally sponsored research expenditures. He has been honored on several occasions for his research, including the Sigma Xi Ralph Powe Research Award in 2003 and the Texas Olefins Professorship that same year.

Congratulations Mark on a job well done!

************************************************************************

DEAN OF ENGINEERING FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Following a national search, three finalists were recently announced for the open Dean of Engineering position here at Mississippi State. Dr. Kirk Schulz, Earnest W. Deavenport Jr. Chair and Head of the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering at Mississippi State interviewed on July 6 and 7; Dr. Thomas Burton, Professor and Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Texas Tech University interviewed on July 15 and 16; and Dr. J. Ronald Bailey, F. W. Olin Professor and Dean, College of Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology interviewed on July 19 and 20. As part of their interviews, all candidates presented their vision for the Bagley College of Engineering, and met with students, faculty, staff, and the senior administration. More information can be found on the Bagley College of Engineering Dean’s search site at: http://www.engr.msstate.edu/faculty_staff/career_opportunities/dean_of_engineering/#candidates

************************************************************************

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 <mailto:schulz@che.msstate.edu>) and we will “reserve” that spot for you. As of today, five of the remaining 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 U. Alabama-Birmingham

October 23 Florida - Sponsor: Yazoo City ChE Alumni

October 30 Kentucky - Sponsor: Eka Chemicals

November 20 Arkansas

************************************************************************