American Institute Of Chemical Engineers Honors Outstanding Achievements With 2011 Awards | AIChE

American Institute Of Chemical Engineers Honors Outstanding Achievements With 2011 Awards

October 17, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS (October 17) – In a ceremony during its Annual Meeting here yesterday, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) presented awards to 14 leaders and innovators in chemical engineering. 
 
AIChE’s highest award, the Founders Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Chemical Engineering, was presented to Rakesh Agrawal, the Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University. Earlier this year it was announced that Agrawal will receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation - the highest honor for technological achievement bestowed by the President of the United States on America's leading innovators. He has compiled an extraordinary record of innovations and contributions to the fields of separations, cryogenics and energy.
 
In addition, AIChE also honored these 13 outstanding chemical engineers and chemical engineering teams:
 
Warren D. Seider, professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, received the F. J. and Dorothy Van Antwerpen Award for Service to AIChE.  The award is sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company.
 
Celeste M. Nelson, assistant professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University, received the Allan P. Colburn Award for Excellence in Publications by a Young Member of the Institute.  The award is sponsored by E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company.
 
Christopher N. Bowman, professor and Patten Endowed Chair in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at The University of Colorado, was presented with the Professional Progress Award for Outstanding Progress in Chemical Engineering.  The award is sponsored by Air Products.
 
Enrique Iglesia, the Theodore Vermeulen Chair in Chemical Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, was presented with the Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research.  The award is sponsored by the Alpha Chi Sigma Educational Foundation.
 
Dionisios G. Vlachos, the Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware, was presented with the R.H. Wilhelm Award in Chemical Reaction Engineering.  The award is sponsored by ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company.
 
The Eastman Chemical Company of Kingsport, Tennessee, and its team responsible for the development and commercialization of the Eastman Tritan CoPolyester – a new family of engineering plastics – received the Industrial Research and Development Award.
 
Ganesh Kailasam, vice president of R&D at The Dow Chemical Company’s Performance Materials Division in Freeport, Texas, was presented with the Industry Leadership Award.
 
Randall Q. Snurr, professor of Chemical Engineering at Northwestern University, received the Institute Award for Excellence in Industrial Gases Technology. The award is sponsored by Praxair, Inc.
 
Paul F. McKenzie, head of global development at Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development in Spring House, Pennsylvania, received the Lawrence B. Evans Award in Chemical Engineering Practice. The award is sponsored by CACHE Corporation. 
 
Peter B. Lederman, of New Providence, New Jersey, was presented with the Award for Service to Society. The award is sponsored by the Fluor Foundation.
 
David T. Allen, the Gertz Regents Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, received the Warren K. Lewis Award for Chemical Engineering Education. The award is sponsored by ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company.  
 
Klavs F. Jensen¸ department chair of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was presented the William H. Walker Award for Excellence in Contributions to Chemical Engineering Literature. The award is sponsored by John Wiley & Sons.
 
The Xerox Corporation will be awarded this year’s Corporate Innovation Award on Thursday, October 20 in connection with the Corporate Innovation Lecture. Dr. Hadi Mahabadi, Vice President and Director at Xerox Research Centre of Canada in Mississauga, Ontario, will present the lecture, “Development and Commercialization of Emulsion Aggregation Toner Technology at Xerox.”    
 
“Chemical engineers are innovators helping to solve problems across the globe,” said Maria Burka, president of AIChE. “The awards ceremony is a great opportunity to recognize the leaders in our field.”
 

About AIChE:

AIChE is a professional society of more than 40,000 chemical engineers in 92 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontier of chemical engineering research in such areas as nanotechnology, sustainability, hydrogen fuels, biological and environmental engineering, and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.