ChBE Professor Darsh Wasan Named as Distinguished Professor

ChBE Professor Darsh Wasan has been awarded the title of Distinguished Professor for exceptional achievement in his field, on recommendation from their departmental deans, President Anderson and Provost Cramb, and approved by the IIT Board of Trustees in February. The title of distinguished professor is awarded to full professors who have achieved preeminence in their fields of expertise, based on their scholarly work and the excellence of their teaching.

Wasan currently serves IIT as the Motorola Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering and Vice President for International Affairs. He has spent his entire professional career at IIT where he has served as chairman of the chemical engineering department, dean of engineering, vice president for research and technology, and provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Wasans research interests lie in the areas of colloidal and interfacial engineering to solve energy, environmental and food problems. He is an author of over 400 research publications, co-author of a textbook on interfacial transport processes, and holds 10 U.S. patents. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations Commissioners Special Citation for extraordinary vision and creativity in developing the nations first food safety consortium joining government, industry and academia The National Center for Food Safety and Technology.

He was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2004 for his pioneering research, inspirational teaching and novel technology developments in colloidal processing and interfacial rheology, and to the Indian National Academy of Engineering in 2007.

Wasan is a highly respected and accomplished researcher, a beloved teacher and a passionate administrator dedicated to the success of the university and its students.

ChBE Ph.D. Candidate Awarded ARCS Scholarship

Michael Walker, a ChBE Ph.D. candidate, was named Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Scholar by the Chicago chapter of the ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation, Inc. The ARCS scholarship provides an unrestricted $10,000 annual award for up to four years as long as the recipient continues to make satisfactory progress in his or her graduate program. The fellowship recipients were honored on Wednesday, October 21, at the ARCS Chicago Chapter Annual Awards Luncheon.

Michael's work in the area of advanced gasification-based power generation technologies, such as Integrated Gasification-Combined Cycle (IGCC) and Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) processes, is aimed at the development of a computer-based process simulation model to predict the gasification product and optimize integration with downstream units within an advanced gasification-based power plant. His research will serve to advance process design and changes and to determine optimal plant operation that expedites the commercialization of new technologies. He'll be able to use his recognized teaching abilities, as well, when he participates in the formation of national scientific and environmental policy. His advisor is Professor Javad Abbasian.

In addition to his research work, Michael has been selected by ChBE students as the recipient of the Hamid Arastoopour Excellence in Teaching Award - Teaching Assistant of the Year two years in a row.

“Holography and Science” Exhibit Installed in Chicago Museum by ChBE Department Researchers

Professors David Venerus and Jay Schieber recently installed an exhibit called "Holography and Science" at the Museum of Holography in Chicago. The exhibit is an outreach activity that is part of an NSF-sponsored research project (DMR-0706582) entitled "Determining the relation between molecular structure and macroscopic heat transport in oriented and stressed polymers." Schieber, Director of the Center for the Molecular Study of Soft Condensed Matter, and Venerus, Director of the Center of Excellence in Polymer Science and Engineering, are both faculty in IIT's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

Under the guidance of Venerus and Schieber, graduate student researchers use an optical technique called Forced Rayleigh Scattering to investigate the effects of flow-induced molecular orientation on thermal conduction in polymeric materials.

The museum exhibit explains the connection between optical phenomena that form the basis for the Forced Rayleigh Scattering technique, which is also known as "Holographic Grating Relaxation," and the principles of creating holograms. The Forced Rayleigh Scattering Laboratory is located in IIT's Center of Excellence in Polymer Science and Engineering in Wishnick Hall.

The Museum of Holography is located at 1134 West Washington Boulevard in Chicago (for hours of operation, call 312.226.1007). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Image: ChBE graduate student Sahil Gupta explaining the "Holography and Science" exhibit to a Museum of Holography visitor.

ChBE Congratulates Professor Dimitri Gidaspow on his Retirement

The ChBE department congratulates Professor Dimitri Gidaspow (Ph.D. GT '62) on his recent retirement. Following the completion of his degree, he began his career at Institute of Gas Technology as an adjunct assistant professor. In 1977, he rejoined the ChBE department as a full professor and was bestowed with the honor of Distinguished Professor in 2000 for his exceptional contributions to the chemical engineering profession. Professor Gidaspow was recently appointed to the position of Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

During his time at IIT, Professor Gidaspow has supervised 52 Ph.D. students. Throughout his prolific career, he has published 204 papers and two books, and has received 10 patents and numerous awards for his research achievements. His research is currently focused in the areas of multiphase flow and fluidization, and heat and mass transfer.

In honor of his 75th birthday, Professor Gidaspow's students compiled a Festschrift in recognition of his accomplishments in the chemical engineering research and education. The publication, distributed by the American Chemical Society's Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, is available online.