 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Center for Catalytic Science & Technology | ||||||||
| Comprised of the following departments: Chemical Engineering :: Chemistry & Biochemistry :: Materials Science & Engineering | ||||||||
What's New in CCST...
Nominations for the Eastman Chemical Graduate Student Award
CCST is soliciting nominations for this award from CCST faculty by February 15th. Each faculty member may nominate up to one senior graduate, preferably in his/her 4th (or 5th) year. The nomination should include the student’s CV and a recommendation letter from the nominating faculty.
Please send nominations to Marguerite Mahoney or Dion Vlachos.
Professor Vlachos accepts prestigious award from AAAS
Dion Vlachos, Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering at UD, has been named fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Each year, AAAS awards the distinction to members for “their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.” Vlachos will be honored along with the other new fellows on February 20, 2010, at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the society's annual meeting in San Diego.
Vlachos was cited for his outstanding work on multiscale modeling and application to development, design, and elucidation of catalytic reaction mechanisms, nanotechnological processes, and signaling pathways in cancer.
He is currently involved in two major projects in conjunction with the Center for Composite Materials and Army Research Lab--one addressing fabrication and testing of lightweight catalytic micropower generators and the other focused on chemical erosion of silicon nitride.
Vlachos is an internationally recognized leader in the field of multiscale modeling of complex processes, including energy conversion, film growth, nucleation, and biological systems. His research has been supported by a number of agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.
Earlier in 2009, a research group led by Vlachos was selected to receive a multi-million-dollar grant from DOE to establish an Energy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC) focusing on the development of innovative catalytic technologies for the efficient conversion of biomass such as trees and grasses into chemicals, electricity, and fuels.
He also heads a major NSF-funded effort to develop a nanoscale materials design framework and a DOE grant to identify low-cost, nano-sized catalysts that can spur the chemical conversion of liquid fuels into hydrogen for applications ranging from powering cars to heating homes.
“I am very happy to see Dion get this very well-deserved recognition,” says Michael Chajes, dean of UD's College of Engineering. “At UD, he has proven to be an outstanding leader of the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, a prolific researcher and director of the recently awarded Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation, and an outstanding mentor and advisor of students. I am glad to see AAAS recognize him for the leadership role he has taken in the area of multiscale modeling.”
Vlachos earned his doctorate at the University of Minnesota. He joined the UD faculty in 2000.
Article by Diane Kukich
Vlachos lecture addresses multiscale modeling, simulation
Dion Vlachos delivered his inaugural lecture as Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware on Tuesday, December 8.
"Everything in our world is multiscale,” Vlachos said. “We just have to decide what we want to focus on." "Living in a Multiscale World" described his work in multiscale modeling and simulation, an emerging multidisciplinary scientific field that enables prediction of material properties and processing behavior while reducing computational requirements.
"Everything in our world is multiscale,” Vlachos said. “We just have to decide what we want to focus on."
He cited the example of a hike through the woods. The experience can be enjoyed at the “macro” level as just an enjoyable walk in a beautiful place. Increasingly smaller-scale views would take in a tree as a whole entity, just the structure of the bark, the molecular composition of the bark, and so on. READ MORE
Article by Diane Kukich
Photo by Evan Krape
UD awarded multi-million grant to establish DOE Energy Frontier Research Center
The University of Delaware will be home to a new Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) focusing on the development of innovative catalytic technologies for the efficient conversion of biomass such as trees and grasses into chemicals, electricity, and fuels.
The UD EFRC, which the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to fund at a level of $17.5 million over five years, will be led by Dion Vlachos, Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering and director of the Center for Catalytic Science & Technology (CCST). The program will also have two co-directors: Jingguang Chen, Claire D. LeClaire Professor of Chemical Engineering and interim director of the University of Delaware Energy Institute (UDEI), and Raul Lobo, professor of chemical engineering. READ MORE
Article by Diane Kukich
Photo by Ambre Alexander
CCST students take 4 out 5 awards at Catalysis Club of Philadelphia's poster contest
Congratulations to the following winners of the Student Poster Competition at the Catalysis Club of Philadelphia monthly meeting on March 19, 2009!
Danielle Hansgen – 1st place
Bill Lonergan
Allan Stottlemyer
Nate Hould
Danielle will be a presenter at the annual Catalysis Club symposium on May 21, 2009, which will be at UD's John M. Clayton Hall Conference Center.
CCST Director
Prof. Dion Vlachos is named the Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering
Effective March 1, 2009, Dion Vlachos, director of CCST, is named the Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering. Prof. Vlachos is an internationally recognized leader in the field of multiscale modeling of complex processes, including energy conversion, film growth, nucleation, and biological systems. His research is epitomized by a symbiotic integration of cutting-edge mathematics, high performance computing, experimentation, data mining and analysis via multiscale modeling across all scales, with technologically important applications.
Air Products Graduate Fellowship Recipient
CCST student is recipient of the first Air Products Graduate Fellowship
Air Products has given the University of Delaware an $18,000 fellowship gift to support a graduate student in chemical engineering or materials science. Elizabeth D’Addio, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering, has been selected to receive the fellowship for the 2008-09 academic year. D’Addio is advised by Prof. Jochen Lauterbach.
“Elizabeth has been studying ammonia decomposition catalysts for hydrogen generation for fuel cells,” Lauterbach says. “She has performed excellent work in her first two years and has already given multiple presentations at international meetings and actually won the young scientist award at the International Congress in Catalysis in her second year as grad student. She has also taken a leadership role with the undergraduate researchers in my group.” “I was very attracted to UD because of the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology,” says D'Addio.
D’Addio, who earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Villanova, chose the University of Delaware’s doctoral program because of her strong interest in catalysis. “I was very attracted to UD because of the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology,” says D'Addio.
D’Addio’s interest meshes well with ongoing research at Air Products, and the company selected her out of a pool of highly qualified candidates. In addition to the financial support she is receiving with the fellowship, she will have the opportunity to serve an internship at one of the company’s sites in the upcoming year. The internship will be from three to nine months in duration and will be funded directly by Air Products.
“Elizabeth D’Addio is an excellent choice for the first Air Products Graduate Fellowship,” says Department Chair Norm Wagner, Stiles Professor of Chemical Engineering. “We appreciate this excellent support for the College of Engineering’s graduate program.” The gift includes a $2,000 increment above the student’s current stipend, with the remaining $16,000 applied toward the base stipend.
Air Products provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and service to customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide.
Article by Diane Kukich
