GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY • SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL & BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING • VOL. 13 NO. 2 • FALL 2005

Dr. Thomas Connelly, Jr., SeniorVice President and Chief Science andTechnology Officer for DuPontCorporation, began his remarks inthe Phillips Petroleum/C. J. Pete SilasSymposium on Ethics and Leadershipby noting that the chemicals businessenvironment has changed drasticallyin recent years. These changes aremanifested primarily in rising globalcompetition, increased costs ofenergy feedstocks, faster productcycles, and increased societal activismas evidenced by public demand foradherence to safety and environmen-tal stewardship. Within this changingbusiness climate, public opinion ofstandards and values of corporationsand corporate leaders has declined.Values are at the heart of all aspectsof corporate business activities andthus affect policies and strategies,management procedures, and cooper-ation of employees within companies

as well as with customers, suppliers,and contractors.

Furthermore, values are only effectivein establishing behavior if they areimplemented into the company at alllevels; ultimately, the people withinthe organization determine the ethicsof the company. That is, corporateethics are more than the policies andprocedures; they require leadershipwith defined values and a corporateculture for implementation.

Dr. Connelly stated that an enduringcorporation such as DuPont, whichcelebrated 200 years of operation in2002, requires the establishment ofan ethical culture and values. Indeed,he feels that there must be unrelent-ing commitment to a set of corevalues throughout the life of the

Thomas Connelly, Jr. Delivers the 2005 Silas Ethics & Leadership Symposium

ChBE Boasts Three Impressive STEP Fellows for 2005-2006

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This fall, three ChBE graduate students, Benita Comeau, Neil Mukharjee, andAmanda Amos, are serving in the Atlanta-area community as STEP Fellows, whichis part of The Georgia Tech Student and Teacher Enhancement Partnership (STEP)Program. This unique program partners advanced students from fields supportedby the National Science Foundation with high school Science, Mathematics, andTechnology teams.

STEP, which is under the administration of Tech’s Center for the Enhancement ofTeaching and Learning (CETL), seeks to improve the teaching-related communicationand leadership skills of Tech students and to use the exceptional scholarly expertiseavailable at Tech to assist in increasing the mathematics and science performance ofAtlanta-area school students. STEP Fellows participate in summer training workshopsto familiarize them with inquiry-based learning pedagogy, classroom management and

Thomas M. Connelly, Jr. presents “Core Values and DuPont’sThird Century” to a standing-room-only crowd during the2005 Silas Ethics & Leadership Program Symposium.

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From left: Cedar Grove High School science teacherMichael Pastirik and STEP Fellows Neil Mukharjee,Amanda Amos, and Benita Comeau.

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Focus on the SchoolMessage from the ChairBy Ronald W. RousseauSchool Chair

A brief editorial…….

The past six months have beenfilled with events that have beentrying for many of our nation’scitizens. As a native of Louisiana,I could not help but feel a specialconnection to those who wereimpacted by Katrina. My nieceSandy Mix captured the horrificlosses of the New Orleans area ina letter she wrote to me: “I didsome volunteer work at a triagearea for the elderly and the sick.I had never seen hopelessnessbefore, and to see the absoluteemptiness in their eyes was morethan I could bear. Not only arethey without a home and all thatcomes with it, but so many aremissing family members.”

At a Council for ChemicalResearch (CCR) meeting in April2003, I heard a talk on futureglobal energy requirements byRichard Smalley, a Nobelprizewinner in chemistry for hisdiscovery and elucidation of thestructure of fullerenes, the 60-carbon structures known famil-iarly as Buckyballs. He displayeda top-10 list of problems hepredicted humanity would face inthe next 50 years. Sitting in thetop four positions were energy,water, food, and environment,followed by poverty, terrorismand war, disease, education,democracy, and population. Notonly are the top four at the heartof what chemical engineers do, itcould be argued that our profes-sion has a role to play in address-ing most of these ten concerns.

What is the link between the twopreceding paragraphs? To methey reflect a responsibility thatmust be taken on by the engineer-ing and science communities inthis nation. We have the duty –to ourselves, but mostly to oursuccessors – to plan for the long

term in our policies and actions.What makes this task especiallydifficult is that at the same time,we must be sure to provide suste-nance for the present. Besideslevees, waterways, roads, andbridges, the nation’s infrastruc-ture, which seems finally to begaining the interest of policymakers, includes two importantfoundations for the future: (1) theintellectual foundation that comesfrom an educational system thatprepares young minds, thatstretches their horizons, thatenlightens their thoughts, and thatlifts their confidence; and (2) thefoundation from which creativityand innovation spring, fromwhich an idea can be turned intoan invigorating research program,and from which the successfuloutput can be turned into prod-ucts and processes that advancethe welfare of our globe.

The National Academies Presshas recently published an impor-tant report, “Rising Above theGathering Storm: Energizing andEmploying America for a BrighterEconomic Future,” whichprovides recommendations thatshould stimulate serious thoughtand action. The full report canbe accessed at nap.edu/books/0309100399/html, and I encour-age you to read at least the execu-tive summary. If there is noimprovement in our infrastruc-ture, the gathering storm mayhave more serious consequencesto our nation’s future thanseveral Katrinas.

There are School matters I wouldlike to bring to your attention.

• At the conclusions of Fall ‘04,Spring ‘05 and Summer ‘05, thetotal numbers of graduates were:BS-90, MS-24, PhD-29. Consis-tent with the national trend inChemical Engineering, this is oneof the smallest numbers of BSdegrees given in the last several

years. However, enrollments areincreasing and the number ofdegrees will follow. The numberof PhD degrees is the largest theSchool has given.

• Since the last newsletter, anumber of our faculty receivednational or international awards:

• Charles A. Eckert has beenselected to receive the 2005Clarence Gerhold Award fromthe Separations Division ofthe AIChE.• Martha Gallivan was named the winner of the 2005 W.David Smith, Jr. Graduate Student Paper Award (based on work she did as a graduatestudent), which is given by the Computing and Systems Tech-nology Division of the Ameri- can Institute of Chemical Engineers.• Dennis Hess received the Award in Solid State Science and Technology, which is given by the Electrochemical Society.• Christopher Jones was named to receive a DuPont Young Professor Award.• Hang Lu was identified as one of the nation’s Top 35 Young Innovators by Tech-nology Review.• Athanasios Nenes was selected to receive the 2005 Sheldon K. Friedlander Award,which is given by the American Association for Aerosol Research.• Mark Prausnitz received the 2005 Young Investigator Award from the Control Release Society.

• Alumni to be recognized at theCoE Awards Ceremony inNovember include

Hall of FameJohn Hunter, III, ChE ‘69For leadership in the internationalproduction of high performance,chemically based materials thatimprove lives during his career inthe armed forces and at Mon-santo and Solutia.

Distinguished EngineeringAlumniGerri B. Dickerson, ChE ‘78For exceptional leadership withCH2M Hill and for her dedicationand service to Georgia Tech.

Roger Kearns, ChE ‘78For expertise in directing strategic,global business divisions forSolvay Advanced Polymers.

Council of Outstanding YoungAlumniKellye P. Hafner, PhD ChE ‘96For remarkable career advance-ment within the carbon manufac-turing industry, including newproduct development, research,and application.

Vandana Vishnu, PhD ChE ‘95For expertise in photolithographyand for managing the start-upof a multi-billion dollar facilityfor IBM’s most advanced technol-ogy processes.

We are extremely proud of ouralumni and are very happy to beable to recognize these individu-als for their accomplishments.Please help us identify those ofyour fellow graduates you thinkworthy candidates for thesehonors. It doesn’t take a lot ofeffort: just an email or a note tome with your nominee’s nameand a few sentences about his orher accomplishments.

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effective teaching skills, and appro-priate uses of educational tech-nologies. They also work withhigh school personnel to develop aneeds assessment and action planfor the school. During the acade-mic year they work in teams withtheir partner school, choosingactivities from a menu of optionsthat include 1) Student instruction,2) Teacher professional develop-ment, 3) Student enrichment andmentoring, 4) Implementation ofclassroom websites, 5) Science fairproject assistance, and 6) GeorgiaTech lab tours.

Benita and Neil are on the same team working at Cedar Grove HighSchool in DeKalb County. Benita is paired with Mr. Michael Pastirik,who teaches AP Chemistry and Physical Science, and Neil is workingwith Ms. Barbara Heusel, who teaches AP Environmental Science.

Benita and Neil design and oversee all of the laboratory experimentsfor their respective classes and assess each student’s progress. Benita isalso designing and implementing a webpage for Mr. Pastirik to usewhile he is in Antarctica working on the collaborative research projectANTCI (Antarctic TroposphericChemistry Investigation). Thewebpage will allow Mr. Pastirik tostay connected with his studentsand to share this unique researchexperience. While Mr. Pastirik isaway, Benita will serve as a primarypoint of contact for the school andstudents and will continue theinstruction of the AP Chemistryclass. Benita says that she is “reallyenjoying working with thestudents” and “values the opportu-nity to work in the surroundingcommunity while gaining classroomteaching experience.”

Neil has enjoyed working with Ms. Heusel’s AP Environmental Scienceclass but next semester he hopes to also be involved with othersubjects, including Chemistry and Physics. He says that the biggestchallenge he has had working with the high school students is captur-ing their attention. “I have been trying to increase the depth of theirlearning because at the beginning of the year it was very shallow.”

Neil says that over the past two months, he has made progress with thestudents. “They are more receptive, they’re participating more,” hesays. Neil’s goal for his class is to turn the “shallow-type” knowledge ofsimple memorization of basic principles into a more conceptual knowl-edge where the students have a deeper understanding of the materialand can use learned concepts in a variety of scientific applications.

Amanda is working with Celis Hartley-Lewis’ Anatomy & Physiologyclasses at Marietta High School in Cobb County. Her major projectfor the year stems from Frankenstein. First, she watched Mary Shelley’sFrankenstein with the students and used the thematic elements of thework to introduce the topic of tissue engineering as it applies totoday’s medical technology. She used the story of graduate studentVictor Frankenstein, who gathersdead tissue and creates a newhuman that he brings to life bysending electricity through it, tocapture the attention of thestudents and to inspire enthusiasmfor their class project.

Amanda says that “Over the courseof the year, they, much like Victor,will build a model of the humanbody. When they study bones, theywill build bones. When they studythe liver, they will build a liver.”She has charged them with the taskof mimicking as closely as possibleboth the structure and function ofthe organ or tissue. At the end of the year they should have acomplete model.

In addition to working closely with the students on the scientific level,Amanda also introduced the topic of ethics. She says that “becauselittle of Frankenstein actually deals with the creation of the human andmuch more is devoted to the implications of creation for the humancreated and for society as a whole, I gave a talk on ethics in humanresearch.” As a fifth-year graduate student, Amanda insightfully incor-porated principles that she has acquired from ChBE’s Phillips Petro-leum/C. J. “Pete” Silas Program in Ethics and Leadership and from herservice as a teaching assistant for ChBE’s Engineering Ethics course.Her presentation spawned perceptive questions about current medicalethics topics such as embryonic stem cells and cloning.

All of these three students have an exceptionally friendly demeanor,have demonstrated enthusiasm for their research projects, and alsohave outstanding academic records. These qualities, combined withtheir remarkable ability to explain complicated scientific processes tonon-engineers, make Benita, Neil, and Amanda perfect choices to serveas STEP Fellows. Everyone in the School is proud to have themrepresenting ChBE in the community.

Benita Comeau

Neil Mukharjee

Amanda Amos

STEP FELLOWS AT A GLANCE

Benita Comeau – 4th-yr. PhD CandidateAdvisor: Cliff Henderson • BS: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Neil Mukharjee – 4th-yr. PhD CandidateAdvisor: Athanassios Sambanis • BS: University of Florida

Amanda Amos – 5th-yr. PhD CandidateAdvisor: Timothy Wick • BS: Auburn University

Focus on Students Student News

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Focus on Students Student News & Events

This past summer, Prof. Dennis Hess welcomed two high schoolstudents and two undergraduates into his lab group as visitingresearchers. One of the high school students was a participant inthe NASA SHARP (Summer High School Apprenticeship ResearchProgram) and the other was enrolled at a local private school,Woodward Academy. The latter participated upon the recommen-dation of his chemistry teacher, Jessica Bartling, PhD ChE ‘01.Will Harper is currently enrolled at Tech in the ChBE undergradu-ate program and continues to work with Prof. Hess’ group. Theother undergraduate, Alicia Williams, was participating in conjunc-tion with Tech’s SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research in Engi-neering/Science) and has returned to Fort Valley State University inMiddle Georgia, where she is studying Chemistry.

ExxonMobil Mentors Hensley Sejour (left) and Keith Reed withProgram Leader Prof. Sue Ann Bidstrup-Allen, Associate Chairfor Student Initiatives and Executive Assistant to President Clough,at the first ExxonMobil Success Program meeting of the semester.The program provides mentoring, study help, and professionaldevelopment assistance to undergraduate and graduate students.Meetings are held every other Thursday at 11:00 a.m. with lunchimmediately following. Special speakers are often invited and thisyear’s schedule included Prof. Emeritus Arnold Stancell, who is aformer vice president of the U.S. oil and natural gas business and aformer vice president in the international area for Mobil Oil.Latoya Bryson and Jeessy Medina are also serving as ExxonMo-bil Mentors this year.

Under the outstanding leadership of officers Shruti Prakash, KeithReed, and J.R. Johnson, the Association of Chemical EngineeringGraduate Students (AChEGS) has been living up to its missionstatement: “AChEGS is a student run and supported organizationdedicated to promoting and facilitating interaction between faculty,staff, and graduate students; sponsoring academic and social activi-ties; and enhancing graduate student life.” They hosted the annualAChEGS fall picnic in August and also sponsored a mixer, both ofwhich were tremendously successful events with virtually everymember of the School in attendance. The photo above capturesone scene of many smiling faces at the mixer held on September 23.

Sponsored by the Alumni Association, Family Weekend 2005 onSept. 16-17 was a great success with many exciting events, includingseminars, bus tours of campus, a Murder Mystery Dinner Theatreshow, and a Family Tailgate Party before the game against theUniversity of Connecticut Huskies. In addition to the campus-wideevents, family members of ChBE students attended a special recep-tion on Friday afternoon. The event provided an opportunity forfamily members to meet their student’s ChBE professors and to tourthe state-of-the-art facilities in the Ford ES&T Building. The photoabove shows Prof. Pete Ludovice advising a student’s mother onthe undergraduate curriculum.

Focus on Research

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Environmental Science & Sustainable DevelopmentCharles Eckert

Prof. Charles Eckert works jointlywith Chemistry Prof. CharlesLiotta: they share laboratoryspace and codirect students fromboth disciplines. Their research isfocused at the interface betweenchemistry and engineering, focus-ing on sustainable technology.They draw on the molecularinterpretations of chemists tounderstand intermolecular inter-actions in solutions, and fromthese tailor a variety of opportu-nities to couple reactions withseparations in processes that areboth greener and more economic,

using novel, tunable solvents – supercritical fluids, nearcritical fluids,and “smart” solvents. For example, nearcritical water (250-300ºC) isa safe solvent that dissolves both salts and organics to make reac-tions homogeneous, and simple cooling permits facile separations.Moreover, at these temperatures the water dissociates sufficiently topromote both acid and base catalysis – without added acids andbases and without the salt waste of neutralization. Because much ofthis work is done in partnership with industry, technology transferoccurs naturally, and many of their methods are in industrial usenow. For their work, Profs. Eckert and Liotta received jointly thePresidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award last year.

James FrederickProf. Frederick is the Directorof The Institute of PaperScience and Technology (IPST),which integrated its operationswith the Georgia Institute ofTechnology on July 1, 2003.His research in the area ofenvironmentally sustainablechemical products and processtechnology is centered on theutilization of renewable rawmaterial. His current focus ison the Forest Biorefineryconcept and its development,utilizing lignocellulosic matter

for production of high-value materials and transportation fuels.Thermochemical processing, especially at elevated pressure, is akey technology for biorefineries as a way to convert wastes tosyngas for production of fuels and chemicals. The knowledgebase for thermochemical conversion of biomass and biomasswastes at elevated pressure is very limited. While biomass andbiomass wastes are readily converted to syngas, tar is a problematicco-product that can limit process efficiency. In-process destruc-tion of tar is essential for the technical and economic viability ofthermochemical processing of biomass and biomass wastes.

Matthew RealffProf. Realff ’s activities in thearea of environmentally benignproduction systems are centeredon the design and analysis ofrenewable raw material systems,with a particular interest inbiorefineries based on pulpingcellulosic biomass andfermentable sugars. The keyprocess questions are choicessurrounding the use of thehemicellulose fraction and thechoice of pulping technologycoupled with gasification.Understanding these options and

modeling the outcomes of different choices requires coupling ofsimulation with decision-making under uncertainty where risk isan important component of the objective function. He is alsointerested in the design of recycling systems for polymers, particu-larly carpet, and the use of catalysts for the pyrolysis of polymers.He has recently been leading an effort to develop carpet as analternative fuel to help prime high-volume collection systems forthis product. A 500-750 ton trial is in progress at Lehigh CementCompany in Pennsylvania that is testing all components of thesystem, from collection through logistics and size reduction to theemissions from the carpet.

Athanasios NenesEven though a minor atmos-pheric constituent, particlesreleased from smokestacks, carexhaust, or any human activitycan have a profound effect onregional air quality, the hydrologi-cal cycle, and climate. Despitetheir importance, the complexrelationship between atmosphericparticulate matter, or aerosols,and their impacts is still notquantified. Consequently, societyis currently incapable of assess-ing its impact on the current andfuture environment. Prof. Nenes

and his research team are focused toward resolving this problemby a) development of simple, physics-based equations that linkaerosol particles and cloud droplets for use in global and regionalclimate models, and b) development of novel instrumentation andmeasurement techniques for characterizing the interactions ofambient particulate matter with water. Both measurements andmodels are closely integrated into state-of-the-art global climatemodels. In addition, Prof. Nenes’ research focuses on developingstate-of-the-art thermodynamic aerosol models used for assessingthe impact of particulate matter on air quality.

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On-site Machine Shop Contributes to Outstanding Research in ChBE

Imagine wanting to set up an experiment thatrequired a part that is unavailable. Not only isit unavailable, it has never before been made.Fortunately, that situation is one that Tech’sChBE students and other researchers neverhave to experience because the School has itsown Machine Shop. In the Shop, ForemanJeffrey Andrews and Research MachinistBradley Parker design and craft tools andparts to fit virtually any customized exper-iment out of almost any raw material.

Jeff and Brad collaborate one-on-one withstudents, assisting them with the conceptu-alization of staging an experiment, designingthe necessary components, and generating themechanics involved in crafting the parts. Onceall of the components of the experiment arein place, Jeff and Brad visit the laboratory toinspect the finished product and make anynecessary alterations.

When a new project is requested, the machin-ists work closely with the students to formulatethe best method to create the needed part.Brad says, “When a student comes to me todiscuss what they hope to accomplish in anexperiment, I provide feedback that helpsthem to understand exactly what they need.”

Jeff agrees. He says, “Sometimes the studentsneed to see the mechanics involved – theyhave the scientific knowledge, we just helpthem take their ideas a step further and showthem how the mechanics apply to their needs.”

The most important part of thisprocess, says Jeff, is that “thestudents learn a lot about themechanical element from us, andwe learn a lot about the applicationelement from them. We all benefitfrom the collaboration and itmakes us [the machinists] betterable to approach the next projectbecause we learn what the studentsdo with the parts in the labs.”

This close collaboration betweenthe machinists and the researchers,combined with access to com-pletely original parts, contributesto the overall success of researchin the School by reducing the timenecessary to set up an experimentand, in some cases, conduct anexperiment that would not bepossible without the unique parts.

Although almost all of the work completedrequires hands-on craftsmanship using bothmanual equipment and hand tools, the Shopalso has a state-of-the-art computer-integrated,numerical-controlled (CNC) milling center, aCNC milling machine, and a CNC lathe. TheCNC milling center has three axes thatproduce 3-D parts from a variety of raw mate-rials, which is impossible to accomplish withthe manual milling machine. The CNC millingmachine functions much like its manual coun-terpart, only it is fully automated. The CNClathe machines parts that have curves or arounded radius.

Considering the high volume of requestssubmitted to the Shop each semester, Jeff, asForeman, must determine the most expeditiousprocedure to manufacture each finished prod-uct. Some projects are completely hand-tooledor created using only the manual equipment;others are made primarily using the CNCmachines. All of the parts are hand-tooled atsome point in the production process.

The CNC equipment is much more efficientthan the manual machines but requirescomputer prep-work that is also time consum-ing and unnecessary for all projects. There-fore, the machinists primarily use the CNCmachines for intricate projects requiringextreme accuracy or for projects requiring anextensive amount of time. For example, Bradrecently used the CNC equipment to machine

a part with 100 minuscule holes. “The CNCmilling machine can drill a hole that is .005 ofan inch, and it maintains accuracy up to .0002of an inch. That is impossible to do manu-ally,” Brad says.

Additionally, the CNC milling center is alwaysused to manufacture 3-D objects. Using Surf-CAM and other design software, the machin-ists generate 3-D paths that are uploaded tothe machine’s on-board computer. Themachine then operates three axes simultane-ously. The machinists have created originalmolds on this machine that students used toform their own customized polymers.

Both Jeff and Brad most recently worked forGTRI before joining the ChBE staff. Jeff, whohas 25 years of experience as a machinist, saysthat he “thoroughly enjoys his job, especiallyworking with the students.” His former posi-tions involved producing parts withoutinvolvement in their design or application. Jeffsays that working for ChBE “allows me tohave a say-so in the design and I get to see theend product. That is something that has keptme here 11 years!”

Brad, who has 12 years of experience, agrees.He says that “it is very rewarding to be able tosee what you are accomplishing, to be able tosee the finished product.”

Jeff and Brad invite all alumni and friends ofthe School to visit the ChBE Machine Shopwhen they are on campus.

Machine Shop Foreman Jeffrey Andrews and graduatestudent Benita Comeau examine the experiment she has setup for tissue engineering research. Jeff assisted Benita withdesigning the customized platform that was needed toproperly conduct the experiment.

Research Machinist Bradley Parker operatingthe computer-integrated, numerical-controlled(CNC) Milling Machine, one of three automatedmachines in the On-site ChBE Machine Shop.

Graduate student BenitaComeau and undergraduateBenjamin Katz are wellacquainted with the benefits ofhaving a machine shop in thesame building as their laborato-ries. They both are studentsworking for Prof. CliffordHenderson in the area of bioma-terials and rapid prototyping/manufacturing of bioengineeringdevices. Specifically, Benita andBen are working to develop newmaterials and methods for manu-facturing the biocompatible,biodegradable polymeric scaffolds

used in tissue engineering applica-tions. The manufacturing methodthe students are working with isreferred to as “stereolithography”(SL). In traditional stereolithogra-phy, a single laser beam is scannedover a vat of a photopolymeriz-able monomer, which results inthe local formation of solid poly-mer in the exposed regions. Aseach layer is polymerized, the partis lowered into the monomer vatand the process is repeated tobuild up another solid polymerlayer. This process is repeatedlayer-by-layer until a finished 3-Dsolid part is completed. This typeof method allows complex threedimensional parts to be fabricateddirectly from computer-aideddesign (CAD) files. In Benita andBen’s case, they needed to usemore than a single wavelength toperform their exposures, and theyneeded substantially higher reso-lutions than those provided bycommercial laser stereolithogra-phy systems. Therefore, theydecided to build their own highresolution microstereolithography(SL) system. The system theydesigned utilizes a digital mirrordevice (DMD), similar to thatused in new digital light projec-

tion televisions. The DMDcontains almost 800,000 individu-ally movable mirrors to projectpatterns of light onto themonomer vat. As one mightimagine, the entire machine isvery sensitive to alignment andvibration. Many of the compo-nents they needed were availablecommercially, but when it cametime to mount and align theDMD itself, no commercial solu-tions were available.

The need for precision led Benitaand Ben to seek assistance fromthe ChBE machinists. With helpfrom Jeff and Brad, the studentsdesigned an advanced gimbalmount that allows them tocontrol the 3-D orientationof the mirrorassembly withgreat ease andprecision.With the helpof theadvanced CNCmachines avail-able in theshop, Jeff andBrad were ableto turn the

CAD files from the studentdirectly into finished metal parts.The final product is shown belowwith the array of mirrors in place.The gimbal platform is fabricatedfrom lightweight aluminum andcontains a two-axis pivotingsystem that allows light to beprojected at virtually any anglethrough the array of mirrors.

Benita says the platform provided“the solution we needed to makethe experiment run the way it wasintended.” She and Ben are bothgrateful for the services providedby the Machine Shop and espe-cially for the opportunity to worktogether with the machinists todesign custom materials.

Silas Ethics & Leadership Program Symposium

organization. For DuPont, these values encompasssafety and health, environmental stewardship, thehighest ethical behavior, and respectfor people.

Dr. Connelly described a number of examples ofhow DuPont has adhered to and promoted thesevalues since 1802. The company places thesevalues above business success because such behav-ior leads to public trust. In addition, high corpo-rate ethics yield cost-effective programs, whereaslack of ethical behavior results in the loss of repu-tation, loss of business, and perhaps loss of theright to operate the business. Such ethical valuesare epitomized in DuPont’s vision: “To be the world’smost dynamic science company, creating sustainable solutionsessential to a safer, healthier life for people everywhere.”

Dr. Thomas Connelly (second from right) speaks with students and faculty during the reception heldimmediately following his keynote address.

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From Concept to Finished Product: ChBE Machinists Help Find the Solution

Benita displays the fragile array ofmirrors (see arrow) that she uses toconduct an experiment with a rapid-prototyping machine.

Benita demonstrates how the lightweight inner platformpivots to allow light to be directed onto the array ofmirrors at virtually any angle.

Tom Fuller Joins the ChBE Faculty

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Professor Timothy Wick, who joined the faculty of the School of Chemi-cal& Biomolecular Engineering in 1988, left Georgia Tech in August to serveas Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University ofAlabama at Birmingham.

Prof. Wick was a favorite of both his students and his colleagues and servedthe Institute in numerous leadership roles, including holding a joint appoint-ment to the School of Mechanical Engineering, directing the Phillips Petro-leum/C.J. “Pete” Silas Program in Ethics & Leadership, and most recentlychairing the Interdisciplinary Bioengineering Graduate Program for the pasttwo years. He was also an adjunct professor to Emory University’s School ofMedicine and Tech’s School of Biomedical Engineering.

The faculty, staff, and students of ChBE wish Prof. Wick and his family thebest for their future.

Prof. Tim Wick accepts his departure gift from ChBE as hiswife, Kyle, and professors Larry McIntyre and Robert Neremgather around him.

Focus on Faculty Faculty News

Tom Fuller joined the Schoolof Chemical & BiomolecularEngineering in the Summer of2004. He also has a jointappointment as a PrincipalResearch Engineer at GTRI anddirects the GT Center for Inno-vative Fuel Cell and BatteryTechnologies. Prof. Fullerreceived his BS in ChemicalEngineering from the Universityof Utah in 1982. He served inthe Navy for the next five yearsas a Nuclear Engineering Offi-cer on a submarine. Subse-quently, he received his PhD inChemical Engineering from theUniversity of California, Berke-ley in 1992.

His doctoral thesis was on waterand thermal management ofproton exchange membrane(PEM) fuel cells. Thermal andwater management are morehighly coupled in PEM fuel cellsthan other fuel-cell types, andthis work was among the first totreat the phenomena simultane-ously. This research focused onmodeling of water transport inthe ionomer membranes andmeasuring transport properties.

A general concentrated solutionmodel for transport in the fuelcell was created, and a novelexperimental method for deter-mining the electroosmotic dragof water as a function ofconcentration in the membranewas developed. Following hisdoctoral work, Prof. Fullerworked as a Postdoctoral Fellowat Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory (LBNL). His workfocused on modeling of lithiumbatteries as part of the U.S.Advanced Battery Consortium.These models were the first totreat in detail lithium-ion andlithium polymer batteries. Theinitial models and subsequentrefinements to them made atLBNL are still widely used inthe battery community.

Before joining Georgia Tech,Prof. Fuller spent just over tenyears at United TechnologiesCorporation in Connecticut. Hebegan as a research engineer andwas principal investigator forDARPA and DOE programs indirect methanol. Prof. Fulleradvanced to manager and thendirector of engineering at UTC

Fuel Cells. He was responsibleboth for directing research anddevelopment and for the designand delivery of cell stacks. Itwas this experience that gotProf. Fuller interested in thefundamentals of durability ofPEM fuel cells.

Prof. Fuller’s research at GeorgiaTech lies in fundamental under-standing of degradation mecha-nisms in the fuel cell. Theseinclude chemical attack of theionomer membranes, stability ofthe precious metal catalysts, andcorrosion of catalyst supports.This research combines macro-scopic modeling and directedexperiments to elucidate kineticand transport data.

The motivation for this work istwofold: 1) to guide the devel-opment of new materials, and 2)to mitigate the degradationthrough novel system architec-tures and controls. “Often asystem solutions is much easierto implement compared to find-ing a new material, and we planto use the capabilities at GTRIin developing application-

specific prototypes to test thesesystems,” he says.

Prof. Fuller hopes that throughhis role in GTRI, the Center forInnovative Fuel Cell and BatteryTechnologies will become thepreferred place that researchersat Tech go to advance theirtechnology from fundamentaldiscovery in the lab to a work-ing prototype.

Prof. Fuller enjoys hiking andother outdoor activities. Heis eagerly waiting for his four-year old son to have staminathat matches his desire sothat they may enjoy theseactivities together.

Professor Tom Fuller

Timothy Wick Accepts Chair Position at University of Alabama at Birmingham

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Focus on FacultyFaculty NewsA Los Angeles Times column “In the Lab” reported on implantablepressure sensors being commercialized by Advanced TechnologyDevelopment Center (ATDC) company CardioMEMS. The sensoris based on technology developed in the lab of Mark Allen. Thecolumn also reported on Tech’s microneedles drug delivery system,which replaces traditional hypodermic needles with an array of verysmall metal or polymer needles too small to cause pain. The Labo-ratory for Drug Delivery is led by Mark Prausnitz.

Andreas Bommarius was appointed to the editorial board ofEnzyme and Microbial Technology and delivered two invited lectures,including at the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing at theUniv. of Iowa.

Rachel Chen was appointed to the editorial board of Microbial CellFactory. She also presented at an invited workshop on BiochemicalEngineering XIV: Frontiers and Advances in Biotechnology, Biologi-cal and Biomolecular Engineering and delivered an invited lecture atthe Gordon Glycobiology Conference.

Yulin Deng was appointed an Adjunct Professor at Tianjin Univer-sity of Science and Technology in China. He also gave three invitedlectures, including at the Pira International Conference of Pigmentand Filler in Lisbon, Portugal.

Charles Eckert was selected as the 2005 recipient of the ClarenceGerhold Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers(AIChE). Additionally, he, along with Charles Liotta, was part of aresearch team that included members from Queen’s University inCanada that reported on the development of “switchable solvents”in the August 24 issue of the journal Nature. Development of thisnew class of solvents could provide a more environmentally friendlyway of producing specialty chemicals for pharmaceuticals and otherhigh-value specialty chemicals.

Martha Gallivan was named the winner of the 2005 W. DavidSmith, Jr. Graduate Student Paper Award for her graduate work,which is given by the Computing and Systems Technology Divisionof the AIChE. She also presented invited lectures in October atVirginia Tech and the University of Washington and will present atThe City College of New York in December.

Dennis Hess was the 2005 recipient of the Solid State Science andTechnology Award from the Electrochemical Society (ECS).

Recently appointed to Associate Professor, Chris Jones wasselected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s(NAE) 11th annual Frontiers of Engineering Symposium. Thethree-day event in September brought together engineers ages 30 to45 who are performing cutting-edge engineering research and tech-nical work in a variety of disciplines. Prof. Jones also presented sixinvited lectures, including at Eastman Chemical Company and atLonza Group, Ltd.

Paul Kohl was granted five new patents and delivered three invitedlectures, including at the Intel Corporation, which was a world-wideIntel broadcast.

William Koros was an invited speaker at the 8th InternationalConference on Frontiers of Polymers & Advanced Materials inCancun, at the International Congress on Membranes in Seoul,Korea, and at the Herman Mark Symposium at the American Chem-ical Society (ACS) Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Charles Liotta received the 2005 Mac Pruitt Award, the highestaward given by the Council for Chemical Research (CCR).

Hang Lu was named one of 35 top technology innovators underage 35 by Technology Review magazine. She was recognized for herexpertise in building bioMEMs to devise innovative experiments inneurobiology. Currently, Prof. Lu has designed minute mazes to testhow microscopic worms learn using smell, and she constructedmicroscale gas gradients to help identify the sensory pathways thatthe worms use to detect oxygen levels. She hopes her continuedworm work will yield clues to the workings of the human brain.

ChBE named J. Carson Meredith, who was recently promoted toAssociate Professor, the James F. Simmons Faculty Fellow. In addi-tion, Thompson Essential Science Indicators™ has ranked him inthe top 1% of cited authors in the field of combinatorial materials.Prof. Meredith also presented invited lectures at the Arkema CentralResearch Facility in France and at the ACS Fall Meeting in Washing-ton, D.C. He and his family welcomed their second child, a son,Grant Michael, on July 20.

John Muzzy received the 2005 Circle of Excellence Award given bythe National Textile Center.

Athanasios Nenes was the 2005 recipient of the Sheldon K Fried-lander Award from the American Association for Aerosol Research.He also presented at the ACD Seminar at the National Center forAtmospheric Research in Boulder.

Mark Prausnitz and Andreas Bommarius co-developed a newcourse entitled “Drug Design, Development, and Delivery,” whichwas offered for the first time in Spring 2005 to senior undergraduateand graduate students. Prof. Prausnitz also gave invited talks at the32nd Annual Meeting & Exposition of the Controlled Release Soci-ety and at the 230th American Chemical Society Meeting and wasappointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of NanoVec, LLC.

Matthew Realff is currently on leave from Tech to serve as aProgram Director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in theDivision of Design and Manufacturing Innovation (DMI).

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Adapted from an article thatappeared in the GT Alumni Asso-ciation’s Tech Topics magazine

This year, three Chemical &Biomolecular Engineering gradu-ates were elected as Trustees ofthe Alumni Association. ChBE isproud to have them representingTech in the Association. Thefollowing profiles provide anoverview of their backgroundand accomplishments:

Thomas C. DeLoach Jr., ChE‘69, is the retired executive vicepresident of Mobil Oil Corp. andpresident of Global Midstream,both wholly owned subsidiaries ofMobil Corp. From 2000 to 2003he was an active partner, thenconsultant with Penske Racing’sNASCAR Winston Cup RaceTeam. He is the managing part-ner of PIT Instruction and Train-ing in Mooresville, N.C. He wasnamed to the College of Engi-neering Hall of Fame in 2000 andis vice chairman of the ChBEExternal Advisory Board. Heand his wife, Carol, live inMooresville and have two grownsons and four grandsons.

James P. Harris, ChE ‘70, issenior vice president of Exxon-Mobil Chemical Co. As an alum-nus, he chairs the ChBE ExternalAdvisory Board and is a memberof the advisory board to theCollege of Engineering, whichnamed him a distinguished alum-nus in 1996. Harris also serveson the board of the ChemicalIndustry Association in Europe, ispast chairman of the AmericanPlastics Council, and is a pastmember of the board of theAmerican Chamber ofCommerce of Belgium. He andhis wife, Pam, live in Houstonand have two grown children.

Brittany Robinson, ChE ‘95, isan environmental engineer withInternational Paper in Savannah,Ga., where she chaired the Savan-nah Georgia Tech Club’s scholar-ship program for four years. Shewas named the Alumni Associa-tion’s Outstanding Young Alumnain 2004. As the recipient of abone marrow transplant, she hasvolunteered as a spokesperson forthe American Red Cross in Savan-nah and coordinated blood andbone marrow drives.

Focus on AlumniAlumni News

Paul H. Williams, ChE ‘60, stands with Joey Kenny, who is thecurrent recipient of the Paul Williams Presidential Scholarship and alsoa Student Ambassador. Mr. Williams established the scholarship in1999 to assist engineering students from small towns in the South, withpreference to those wishing to study chemical engineering. PaulWilliams is an avid fan of the Yellow Jackets and a very loyal alumnuswho has served ChBE and Tech on many boards and committees.

Have you receivedone of these?ChBE has returnedextra copies oftheses to dozens ofour graduates whoearned theirMasters andPhDs inchemicalengineering.Rest assuredthat origi-nals of allremain inthe GeorgiaTech library;many arenow available on-line as well. If we sent you a card and you’d likeyour thesis but haven’t yet responded, please do so by December 1st.Thanks to alumni who shared memories with their responses, likeZelvin Levine, BS ‘51, PhD ‘56: “Choosing Georgia Tech for gradu-ate education was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” We’reglad to hear Dr. Levine feels this way, and we’re always happy to hearfrom alumni with remembrances and news of what’s happening now.Contact Jenny Daley, Director of Development, anytime to keep intouch at jenny.daley@chbe.gatech.edu.

Dr. Freeman Carystands beside aplaque listing 20years of speakers inthe Ashton CaryLecture Series in theSchool of Chemical& BiomolecularEngineering. Heestablished the seriesin memory of hislate brother AshtonCary, ‘43, whoserved in the U.S.

Army and later built a career in Georgia’s textile industry. The CaryLecture Series draws distinguished scholars in fields of significance tochemical engineering. Dr. Cary also studied chemical engineering atTech, received his M.D. from Emory University in 1950, and laterbecame the attending physician for the U.S. Congress.

The 21st Annual Lecture will be held January 18, featuring DameJulia Higgins, who is a Professor of Polymer Science at ImperialCollege London.

1970Dave Burford has been namednuclear fleet security and emer-gency preparedness manager forSouthern Nuclear. Burford isalso a brigadier general in theAlabama National Guard and in2001 was immediately mobilizedafter Sept. 11 as the deputycommanding general of the U.S.Army’s Green Beret specialoperations force. He spentmore than two years on activeduty and served in severalcombat zones.

1980Chris Broome was namedgeneral manager of the Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. papermill in Ontonagon, Mich. Heand his wife, Virginia, anddaughter, Abby, are movingto Michigan.

Rebecca Peterson, plantmanager for Solutia Inc.’s nylonfiber plant in Cantonment, Fla.,was featured in the St. PetersburgTimes in a story about womenwho have “cracked the glassceiling” in business. Peterson,her husband, Kyle, and theirtwo children live in Pace, Fla.

1982 Wilbur Strickland Jr. has beenappointed Science and Technol-ogy Director for Europe, theMiddle East, and Africa forCadbury Schweppes. Stricklandwill lead scientists at 16 loca-tions in those regions. He livesnear London with his wife,Cindy, and sons, Blake and Brad.

1984 Kathy Pearson is the recipientof the Texas Chemical Council’s(TCC) A.D. Cypher’s SafetyProfessional of the Year(SPOTY) Award for 2004.Pearson is currently a senior riskanalyst for Rohm and HaasTexas, in Deer Park.

1991Janice Dodson Teske and herhusband, Erich, announce thebirth of a son Alexander, onOct. 3. Alexander joins brotherAndrew and sister Susanna atthe family’s home in Chicago.Teske is a technical innovationknowledge manager with TheWrigley Co.

1995 Keisha Wilson Tanner andher husband, Tyrone, announcethe birth of a daughter, ChelseaTiana, on Sept. 26. Tanner isa project manager with BP.The family lives in MissouriCity, Tex.

1996Kimberly Cochran Kozakisand Jason Kozakis, announcethe birth of a son, AlexanderJames, on Feb. 26. Kimberly isan environmental engineer withthe Shaw Group and Jason is amanagement consultant forMercer Management Consulting.The family lives in Chicago.

Jay Curtin and Tiffany DickeyCurtin, CE ‘97, announce thebirth of a daughter, AbigailConstance, on Dec. 29. Abigailjoins brother Leo at the family’shome in Marietta, Ga. Jay is aradiologist with Emory Univer-sity Hospital and Tiffany is afull-time mother.

1999Jennifer Stoudt received herMBA in April from the Univer-sity of Florida. She and herhusband, Damon Woodson, areresidents of St. Petersburg, Fla.

2000Allison Dickey and JohnStalvey were married July 31 inForsyth, Ga. Dickey is a seniorbusiness analyst at Delta Tech-nology in Atlanta. They live inHapeville, Ga.

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Bill Grieco (left), PhDChE ‘92, ProcessEngineer in MonomerResearch for Rohmand Haas, speaks withan undergraduatestudent during a mixerand informationsession the corpora-tion sponsored onOctober 14. Rohm

and Haas has donated almost $400,000 to Tech, mostly toChBE. In the School, the corporation sponsors an award foran outstanding sophomore, and proceeds from their endow-ment assist with graduate student funding.

Graduate and undergraduate participants in the ExxonMobilSuccess Program in ChBE recently met for lunch on campuswith corporate representatives to provide feedback about theiractivities in this dynamic initiative. Guests from ExxonMobilincluded Bing Kao, ChE ‘97 (front row, far left); Ken Lee,Truman Bell, Charlie Dickson, ChE ‘87, MS Env ‘01 (backrow, from far left); and Gerald McElvy (back row, 2nd from right).Under the leadership of Prof. Sue Ann Bidstrup-Allen (frontrow, third from left), Associate Chair for Student Initiatives andExecutive Assistant to President Clough, the program providesmentoring, study help, and professional development assistanceto students, as well as sponsors guest speakers from academiaand business.

Lee Suber and Kelly Points,Mgt ‘00, were married June 5,2004. Lee graduated fromDuke University School ofMedicine in May and Kelly is acommunication coordinator ata non-profit trade associationin Raleigh, N.C. The couplelive in Durham.

DEATHS1943 Mr. Francis S. Dennis, Jr. ofAugusta, Ga. on Sept. 3, 2005.

1955James F. Rutledge of Smithville,Tex., on March 2, 2004.

Focus on Alumni & FriendsNews Briefs

We Welcome Your Questions, Comments, or News:

ChBE Newsletter:Josie Giles (404) 385-2299Email: josie.giles@chbe.gatech.edu

ChBE Program Information:ChBE Main Office (404) 894-1838Email: grad.info@chbe.gatech.eduEmail: ugrad.info@chbe.gatech.edu

ChBE Development & Alumni News:Jenny Daley (404) 894-0987Email: jenny.daley@chbe.gatech.edu

Susan Hutcheson (404) 894-8475Email: susan.hutcheson@chbe.gatech.edu

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ChBE

Construction continues on The Molecular Science and Engineering Building, which is the fourth and final building in the Biotechnology Complex.The photo on the left, taken in mid-October, shows the side of the building visible from the Ford ES&T Bldg. The image on the right depicts a render-ing of that side’s final appearance. ChBE will have laboratories in the “M” building, which is expected to be completed in September 2006.

Focus on Success!