News & Highlights
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at UD making a difference
2013
High-powered groups: In face of dwindling funding, UD Energy Institute advocates team approach
May 14, 2013--In the face of sequestration, it is a fact that funding sources for research are dwindling. Yet research is still needed to address the world’s global energy challenges. According to Michael Klein, director of the University of Delaware Energy Institute (UDEI), biomass, wind, solar, fuel cells, etc., all have a part to play in future energy solutions. UDEI’s role is to bridge the various academic disciplines that support these energy areas and get people working together.
Germany bound: Graduate student selected to participate in 63rd Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting
May 14, 2013--Elizabeth Kelley, a fifth year graduate student in the University of Delaware’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, will have the opportunity to share her research on targeted drug delivery at the 63rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting to be held June 30-July 5 in Lindau, Germany.
Pioneering polymer research: Delaware Bio selects UD's Kiick to receive Academic Research Award
May 6, 2013--University of Delaware professor Kristi Kiick is currently developing a range of novel hydrogels in order to improve the treatment of cardiovascular conditions as well as the delivery of antibodies to protect against toxins. The polymers that comprise the hydrogels are engineered to regulate the rate of drug delivery and to protect the therapeutic molecules from degrading before reaching their destination.
NSF recognition: UD's Kloxin receives prestigious National Science Foundation Career Award
April 2, 2013--April Kloxin, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware, has been awarded a $500,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Award to study the extracellular signals that regulate tissue stability, disease and repair in the body. According to Kloxin, understanding the complex interplay between cells and their external environment is an essential part of designing therapeutic approaches to prevent the progression of disease or to direct tissue regeneration.
Scouting careers in engineering: Girl Scouts participate in three-part series to encourage interest in engineering
Mar. 21, 2013--Girl Scouts gathered in Spencer Laboratory March 15 as University of Delaware professor Richard Wool described how chicken feathers can help clean up an oil spill. Wool, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, shared that engineers are creative problems solvers and that green engineering is the science of the future.
Young investigator: Engineering's Sullivan to present at Georgia Tech bioengineering workshop
Feb. 25, 2013--Millicent Sullivan, assistant professor in the University of Delaware’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been selected to present at the 2013 Georgia Tech Frontiers in Bioengineering Workshop, Feb. 25-26. Held at the Georgia Tech Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience in Atlanta, the workshop brings together the world’s leading bioengineers to discuss cutting-edge research and identify critical long-term challenges in bioimaging, biomaterials and cellular and molecular bioengineering.
Targeting treatment: Research aims to improve personal care, medicinal products
Feb. 12, 2013--For those who have wondered why shampoo moisturizes hair rather than drying it out, or how antidandruff shampoo works, it is due to a process known as coacervation. The chemicals or organic materials that treat dandruff or moisturize skin are packaged with polymer-surfactant complexes in what is known as a coacervate. Coacervates then release the materials, such as oil droplets that moisturize hair, when exposed to an external compound such as water.
Farm fresh fuels?: UD joins team working to turn farm refuse into useful biofuels, chemicals
Feb. 1, 2013--The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced $25 million in funding to four programs engaged in biomass biofuel, and farm-based technology research. Researchers from the University of Delaware are teaming up with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) program at the Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pa., which received a $6.87 million grant to develop farm-central biofuel technologies.Dion Vlachos, director of the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI) and Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor at UD, will lead modeling studies focused on making fuels from bio-oil as a member of the ARS team.
ISS Update: Studying Smart Fluids in Space
Jan. 30, 2013--Eric Furst joins NASA Public Affairs Officer Kelly Humphries in the Mission Control Center in Houston via telephone to discuss the InSpace-3 experiment taking place aboard the International Space Station.
2012
Driving energy solutions: UD researcher among 66 selected to share in energy technology funding
Dec. 3, 2012--University of Delaware professor Yushan Yan is among America’s top scientists and engineers working to develop transformational energy technology solutions. His work is one of 66 cutting-edge research projects selected for more than $130 million in funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) OPEN 2012 program, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced Nov. 28.
Visiting professor: Epps named visiting professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nov. 14, 2012--Thomas H. Epps, III, Thomas and Kipp Gutshall Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware, has been named one of six new Martin Luther King, Jr., visiting professors/scholars at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As an MIT visiting professor, Epps will collaborate with Timothy Swager, John D. MacArthur Professor of Chemistry at MIT, on research focused on controlled nanoscale assembly processes for organic electronic applications.
Future of bioenergy: Delaware Biotechnology Institute partners with DNREC in biofuel project
Nov. 8, 2012--As part of a five-year, $50,000 grant supporting state greenhouse gas reduction projects, the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI) has partnered with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) in response to the need for 36 billion gallons of petroleum-based fuel to be replaced by biofuels by 2022, according to the Renewable Fuel Standard of 2007. The Framework for Minimizing Energy Input and Environmental Impact in Delaware grant is a joint effort between DBI and Delaware State University (DSU) to create an education and outreach pipeline, as well as training, for the next generation of scientists and Delawareans as part of a sustainable agriculturally based industrial ecology.
Improving batteries: UD doctoral student studies ways to improve lithium battery performance
Nov. 7, 2012--Lithium batteries are used in many devices such as cell phones, computers and cameras, among others. University of Delaware doctoral student Wei-Fan Kuan is investigating ways to improve membranes used in lithium batteries by capitalizing on the innate properties of block copolymers.
Clean energy: UD faculty highlight fuel cell advances during symposium at Clayton Hall
Oct. 25, 2012--More than 40 researchers representing industry, government and academia gathered at Clayton Hall Conference Center on the University of Delaware's Newark campus Oct. 17-18 to discuss the important role of fuel cells in clean energy technology. The event was sponsored by the University of Delaware Energy Institute (UDEI) and organized by the Center for Fuel Cell Research (CFCR). Presentations covered current research aimed at improving the performance and durability of fuel cells, reducing their costs, and exploring new methods to produce hydrogen renewably from sunlight.
2012 Mangone Scholar: Antoniewicz receives Mangone Young Scholars Award
Oct. 22, 2012--The University of Delaware's Francis Alison Society has selected Maciek R. Antoniewicz, DuPont Young Professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering, to receive its 2012 Gerard J. Mangone Young Scholar award. Named in honor of a distinguished University professor, the award is given annually to promising and accomplished young faculty. Recipients are chosen by fellow faculty members who have received the Francis Alison Award, the University's highest faculty honor.
Graduate Travel Award Winner - Wei Fan Kuan
Congratulations to Wei Fan Kuan for winning the Graduate Travel Award, which will be presented to him at the ACS National Meeting in New Orleans in 2013. The ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry's Membership Committee sponsors a program to provide funding for polymer graduate students to travel to National ACS meetings to present the results of their research. Only members of the ACS AND the Division of Polymer Chemistry who currently study at U.S. institutions are eligible for this travel award.
Leading the way: NIST awards UD $7 million for continued neutron scattering research
Oct. 9, 2012--The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded the University of Delaware's Center for Neutron Science $7 million for continued neutron scattering research. Neutron scattering is a nanoscale measurement technique similar to X-ray and light scattering that is used to examine a material's structure at the molecular, nano- and meso-scales. The technique is useful in engineering new nanomaterials for grand-challenge problems ranging from energy storage to biomaterials for improving human health.
Green Liaisons: UD Green Liaisons lunch program to focus on Colburn green roof
Oct. 8, 2012--The University of Delaware Green Liaisons will meet for the first lunchtime presentation of the 2012-13 academic year from 1:15-2:15 p.m., Friday, Oct. 19, in 206 Trabant University Center. The focus of the meeting will be the green roof at Colburn Laboratory.
Out of this world: UD professor reports smart fluids research in scientific journal
Sept. 18, 2012--Imagine a computer chip that can assemble itself. According to Eric M. Furst, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware, engineers and scientists are closer to making this and other scalable forms of nanotechnology a reality as a result of new milestones in using nanoparticles as building blocks in functional materials.
Biotechnology award: Engineering's Wilfred Chen wins Biotechnology Progress Award
Sept. 17, 2012--Wilfred Chen, Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering in the University of Delaware’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, will receive the 2012 Biotechnology Progress Award for Excellence in Biological Engineering Publication at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) annual meeting in Pittsburgh, Oct. 28-Nov. 2. Given annually, the award recognizes outstanding contributions to literature in biomedical engineering, biological engineering, biotechnology, biochemical engineering and related fields.
Green Liaisons events: Sustainability Task Force announces Green Liaisons Lunch schedule
Sept. 13, 2012--The University of Delaware’s Sustainability Task Force has announced the Green Liaisons Lunch schedule for the 2012-13 academic year. Once a month, Green Liaisons are invited to attend a lunchtime presentation on the small steps that can be implemented by every student, faculty and staff member in order to make UD a greener place to learn, work and live.
Neutron scattering advance: UD engineers develop new instrumentation to study a fluid's microstructure
July 13, 2012--A team of researchers from the University of Delaware and two national laboratories have developed a new scientific instrument capable of studying the microstructure of complex fluids, polymers, nanomaterials and surfactant solutions using neutron scattering techniques. The advance adds the ability for researchers to study time-dependent deformations (instances where fluids or solutions distort or change shape over time), a capability not previously available.
Opposites attract: UD professor reports milestone in fuel cell membrane research
June 29, 2012--It looks like a plastic candy wrapper that's been charred on both sides, but it may hold the solution to commercially viable fuel cells. About the thickness of a human hair, it is actually a thin polymer membrane sandwiched between two catalysts. The work is that of Yushan Yan, Distinguished Professor of Engineering at the University of Delaware, who is known for developing new catalysts and membranes to reduce the cost and improve the durability of fuel cells.
IGERT funding: NSF grant supports work in systems biology of cells in engineered environments
June 7, 2012--With the responsibility of great research comes the requirement of educators to also transcend traditional boundaries by integrating multi-disciplinary knowledge into their work. To do this, they must build a team of experts in other fields to integrate programs that will broaden the capabilities of future leaders. In this case, a group of University of Delaware faculty have been awarded a National Science Foundation grant under the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program to train doctoral students in the area of systems biology of cells in engineered environments (SBE2). Led by principal investigator Kelvin Lee, Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering and director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, the grant will bring together experts across the University -- drawn from the colleges of Engineering; Agriculture and Natural Resources; Earth, Ocean, and Environment; Arts and Sciences; and Business and Economics -- for a comprehensive, intense work/study program designed to create the science leaders of tomorrow.
Career development chair: Epps named Gutshall Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
May 31, 2012--Thomas H. Epps, III, associate professor at the University of Delaware, has been named the Thomas and Kipp Gutshall Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The endowed position is funded through a generous gift from UD alumnus Thomas Gutshall and his wife, Kipp. It is meant to reward exceptional young faculty talent. Unlike senior endowed chairs, the designation may rotate among young faculty periodically, depending upon need.
Space research: Sixth annual Delaware Space Grant Research Symposium held
May 23, 2012--The Delaware Space Grant Consortium, of which the University of Delaware is an affiliate, held its annual symposium April 27 on the UD campus to highlight research work that has occurred as a result of funding support from the NASA Space Grant program. The keynote address was given by Phil Spampinato, director of government business development at ILC Dover in Frederica, Del.
Computer technology teaching: American Society of Engineering Education honors UD's Sandler
May 9, 2012--Robert Pagels and Gealina Dun have been selected as the recipients of the Alexander J. Taylor Sr. and Emalea Pusey Warner awards, respectively, as the outstanding man and woman of the University of Delaware's 2012 graduating class. The awards are given annually by the UD Alumni Association to recognize the senior man and woman who most exemplify leadership, academic success and community service.
Top seniors: Robert Pagels, Gealina Dun named outstanding man, woman of the graduating class
May 9, 2012--Robert Pagels and Gealina Dun have been selected as the recipients of the Alexander J. Taylor Sr. and Emalea Pusey Warner awards, respectively, as the outstanding man and woman of the University of Delaware's 2012 graduating class. The awards are given annually by the UD Alumni Association to recognize the senior man and woman who most exemplify leadership, academic success and community service.
May 2012--Tyler Josephson - Winner of the 2012 George W. Laird Merit Fellowship
Congratulations to Tyler Josephson, winner of the 2012 George W. Laird Merit Fellowship! This fellowship is given to honor the memory of George W. Laird, who attended the University of Delaware, and was awarded a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering with highest honors in 1968 and a master's degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 1971. Full-time first year graduate students in Engineering in the process of completing their first year of graduate study at the University of Delaware are eligible for this award. The objective of the fellowship is to encourage the recipient to become engaged in a broadening intellectual pursuit which may or may not be of direct application to the recipient's chosen field of study. Tyler was chosen by a selection committee consisting of members representing the College of Engineering, the University, the community, and the family of George W. Laird. In its evaluations, the committee stresses balanced excellence, combining demonstrated intellectual capability with a strong emphasis placed on human qualities such as character, maturity, sense of humor, creativity, ingenuity, and imagination, coupled with practical skills, perseverance and the common sense necessary to execute ideas.
NSF Graduate Research Fellows: Ten win prestigious graduate fellowships from National Science Foundation
May 2, 2012--Ten University of Delaware students and recent alumni have received National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Program Fellowships. Numerous Nobel Prize winners are among past recipients of the prestigious award. Reserved for outstanding students pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM), these NSF fellowships provide a three-year annual stipend of $30,000, plus a $10,500 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose.
April 25: Inaugural lecture
April 18, 2012--Abraham Lenhoff, the University of Delaware's Allan P. Colburn Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, will deliver an inaugural lecture at 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 25, in 116 Gore Hall. His presentation, "The Colburn Papers", uses the University of Delaware Library's collection of Colburn's early papers to explore characteristics of chemical engineering education and research in the 1920s and 1930s.
Investing in bioschence
April 17, 2012--The Delaware Biotechnology Institute and the Delaware Economic Development Office have announced eight research projects through the recently launched Delaware Bioscience Center for Advanced Technology (Bioscience CAT). These CAT grants link researchers from Delaware academic and research institutions with local bioscience companies to create advanced technologies while investing in the bioscience community to ensure Delaware competes on the world stage in biotechnology innovation.
Goldwater Scholar: Alexandra Bayles
April 16, 2012--University of Delaware junior Alexandra Bayles, a chemical and biomolecular engineering major, has earned a scholarship from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The scholarship program, which honors the late U.S. Sen. Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, aims to inspire outstanding science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students to pursue STEM-related careers. It is the premier undergraduate award of its kind, providing awardees up to $7,500 per year toward tuition, fees, books and room and board costs.
Sustainable curiosity - UD students hold inaugural TEDx event on campus
April 11, 2012--Faculty and students are invited to participate in the first TEDx event at the University of Delaware to be held from noon to 3:30 p.m., Sunday, April 15, in 115 Purnell Hall. The theme for the inaugural UD event is “sustainable curiosity” and includes eight faculty, student and alumni speakers. Combined with a TEDTalks video, the speakers will facilitate small group discussions.
Huntington's disease
April 5, 2012--University of Delaware assistant professor David W. Colby is co-author of a paper in the March 23 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry that suggests protein misfolding may occur early in the pathogenesis, or development, of Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease (HD) is one of several neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or prion disease, associated with proteins that fold into abnormal structures. HD is characterized by progressive motor impairment, cognitive decline and behavioral abnormalities, and ultimately death.
Good to be green
March 22, 2012--In today’s day and age, advances in green chemistry are leading the way for remarkable sustainability efforts. Evidenced in high-performance composites and resins made from soybean and newspapers, as well as computer circuit boards made from chicken feathers, in the hands of researchers, ordinary materials lend themselves to the creation of renewable resources. Among those leading the charge at the University of Delaware is Richard Wool, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and a known authority in green chemistry.
Advancing scientific discovery
March 12, 2012--Every other Wednesday, University of Delaware graduate student Michael Salciccioli meets with faculty, students and postdoctoral researchers from UD along with colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania who are conducting research in UD’s Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI), an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the Department of Energy. During these meetings, students and postdocs present their research, discuss challenges in their work and collaborate with their peers as well as the faculty. These bi-weekly meetings are designed to nurture ingenuity and multidisciplinary teamwork at a highly synergistic level.
For-the-record: Presentations
February 17, 2012--Norman J. Wagner, Alvin B. and Julia O. Stiles Professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, co-chaired the Gordon Research Conference’s Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions program Feb. 5-10 in Ventura, Calif. The conference, which runs every two years, brings together experts in the fields of material science, complex fluid physics, engineering, biochemistry and biophysics to discuss the effects and impacts colloidal, macromolecule and polyelectrolyte solutions have on nanomaterials and particles, drug delivery, energy applications, self-assembly and rheology.
Engineering elite
February 10, 2012--National Academy of Engineering elects UD's Babatunde Ogunnaike. A University of Delaware engineering professor noted for his contributions to advances in process systems, process engineering practice and systems engineering education has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, William L. Friend Chair of Chemical Engineering and interim dean of the College of Engineering, is among the NAE’s 66 new members and 10 foreign associates announced in a press release Feb 9.
March 7: Yan inaugural lecture
Feb. 9, 2012--Yushan Yan, who has been named the University of Delaware's Distinguished Professor of Engineering, will deliver his inaugural lecture at 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 7, in 115 Purnell Hall. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by calling 302-831-2401 or emailing engr-events@udel.edu.
Catalysis Research
Feb. 1, 2012--The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded the University of Delaware $1.3 million for continued catalysis research using facilities at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The three-year grant builds on work initiated by UD Prof. Jingguang Chen in 2005 when he co-founded the synchrotron catalysis consortium (SCC). SCC promotes the use of synchrotron techniques for cutting-edge catalysis research under in-situ conditions. Chen is the consortium’s lead principal investigator.
2011
Remembering Allan Colburn
Dec. 21, 2011--When Milton Harper was a chemical engineering graduate student at the University of Delaware in the 1940, he was one of only about a half dozen students in the program-all males. The department was housed in a wing of Brown Laboratory, where there were no computers and the most modern piece of equipment was a distillation column.
UD chemical engineer guest authors PNAS commentary on directing colloidal assembly
Dec. 21, 2011--The University of Delaware's Eric M. Furst authored a commentary in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) advance online edition Dec. 19.
In search of new biofuels
Nov. 8, 2011--Biofuels are fuels made from renewable resources, such as agricultural and forest products and byproducts. Unlike their non-renewable fossil fuel counterparts, such as oil, their increased usage has the potential to reduce pollution and U.S. dependence on foreign resources. Their production, however, is problematic. Biofuels must be produced quickly and at high concentrations in order to make them economically feasible. Unfortunately, the process can be toxic to cells necessary in their manufacture.
AIChE honors
Nov. 2, 2011--Carissa Young, a graduate student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware, was honored for her work in cellular engineering at the 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) annual meeting in Minneapolis, Oct. 16-21. Young, who is advised by Anne S. Robinson, professor of chemical engineering, focuses her research on evaluating cellular quality control mechanisms in a model organism by monitoring molecular interactions, protein trafficking, organelle dynamics and biogenesis.
Fueling a sustainable future
Oct. 25, 2011--Transportation at the University of Delaware became more environmentally friendly recently, when the campus bus fleet began using biodiesel produced by undergraduate engineering students to, in part, fuel its travel. The project is a collaborative effort between transportation and engineering, inspired by the donation of a biodiesel processor last spring by UD chemical engineering alumnus James Seferis, who received a doctorate in 1977.
Nov. 2: Wilfred Chen inaugural lecture
October 20, 2011--Wilfred Chen, who has been named the University of Delaware’s Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering, will deliver his inaugural lecture at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 2, in 140 Smith Hall.
Oct. 26: Michael Klein inaugural lecture
Oct. 17, 2011--Michael T. Klein, who has been named the University of Delaware’s Dan Rich Chair of Energy and professor of chemical engineering, will deliver his inaugural lecture at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 26, in 140 Smith Hall.
UD alumnus, Rakesh Agrawal, among nation's top scientists and innovators
Oct. 7, 2011--University of Delaware alumnus Rakesh Agrawal, a member of the chemical engineering faculty at Purdue University, is among five individuals named by President Barack Obama as recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
