Highlights from 2014 Honors Ceremony at AIChE's Annual Meeting

The 2014 Institute and Board of Directors' Award winners were given at the Honors Ceremony at the Annual Meeting in Atlanta. These are AIChE's most prestigious awards, honoring eminent chemical engineers for career accomplishments, service to society, and service to the Institute. Current President Otis Shelton presented the Board of Director Awards. See a full list of awards presented at the Annual Meeting.

Founders Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Chemical Engineering

Sponsored by Evonik Corporation, The Founders Award is presented to engineers who have had a profound impact on the way that chemical engineering is practiced, and whose achievements have advanced the profession in any of its aspects. This year's Founders Award recipient is Stuart Cooper, Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University.

"For innovative research, influential publications, strong administrative leadership, effective mentoring of students and faculty, and outstanding professional service."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Stuart Cooper.

F.J. & Dorothy Van Antwerpen Award for Service to the Institute

This award, sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company, is presented to Maria Burka, Program Director, The National Science Foundation.


"For three decades of exemplary service to AIChE, and for her major initiatives to promote diversity and international outreach activities that have significantly strengthened and enriched the Institute."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Maria Burka. Before moving on to the Institute Awards, Otis Shelton recognized this year's Institute Lecturer, Edward L. Cussler, a past-president of AIChE and the Distinguished Institute Professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Cussler will deliver his 2014 Institute Lecture entitled, "The Future of the Lecture," on Wednesday at 11:15 AM in Marquis Ballroom B. He will be honored formally at the end of his lecture. Otis then introduced the Chair of AIChE's Awards Selection Subcommittee, Kristi Anseth of The University of Colorado, Boulder, to present this year's Institute Awards.

The Energy and Sustainability Award

One of AIChE's newest awards, The Energy and Sustainability Award recognizes individuals, teams, or entire companies for accomplishments in energy savings, improved sustainability of chemical processes, or development of innovative technologies for efficient energy generation. It is sponsored by Air Products & Chemicals. This year's award recipient is Dr. Frank Zhu, Senior Technology Fellow at UOP LLC, A Honeywell Company.

"For the development and application of novel process design and operation optimization methodologies, and computational tools to achieve significant energy savings in the refining and petrochemicals industries."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Dr. Frank Zhu.

The Allan P. Colburn Award for Excellence in Publications by a Young Member of the Institute

Sponsored by DuPont, The Allan P. Colburn Award is the second oldest award of AIChE and was established in 1945. It is is given to encourage excellence in publications by a younger member of the Institute. This year's and the 80th recipient of the award is Dr. Liangfang Zhang, Professor, University of California, San Diego.

"For outstanding contributions to creating and advancing biomimetic nanomaterials for drug delivery to improve treatments of cancers and infectious diseases."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Dr. Liangfang Zhang.

Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research

Sponsored by the Alpha Chi Sigma Educational Foundation and established in 1966, this award is presented to Dr. Paula T. Hammond, David H. Koch Professor of Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and co-founder of MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies.


"For pioneering new approaches to biomaterials, including development of nanoscale assemblies that manipulate cellular behavior through controlled spatial and temporal release to achieve medical benefits."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Dr. Paula T. Hammond.

The R. H. Wilhelm Award in Chemical Reaction Engineering

Sponsored by ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company, this award recognizes significant new contributions to chemical reaction engineering. This year's recipient recipient is Dr. Manos Mavrikakis, The Paul A. Elfers Professor at The University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"For pioneering new avenues for research in the field of chemical reaction engineering by elucidating how results from electronic structure calculations can be employed to understand the reactivity of metal surfaces, leading to new materials with improved performance for catalytic reaction systems."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Manos Mavrikakis.

The Industrial Progress Award

Recognizing significant contributions by an individual under the age of 40 and working in industries served by chemical engineers, the 2014Industrial Progress Award is presented to Laura Leonard, Principal Development Specialist in Olefins and Detergents Development, UOP LLC, A Honeywell Company.

"For a consistent track record of technical leadership and innovation, translating fundamental knowledge into commercially relevant engineering solutions."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Laura Leonard.

The Industry Leadership Award

The Industry Leadership Award is presented to individuals or teams working in industries served by chemical engineers, and recognizes accomplishments in management; sales and marketing; public, community, and industrial relations; and public service. This year's recipient is Mr. Mark W. Pilling, Manager of Technology, Sulzer Chemtech USA, Inc.

"Mark Pilling is a recognized expert in distillation, who has served the profession by promoting the development of a fundamental understanding of mass transfer devices."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Mr. Mark W. Pilling.

Process Operations Award

The Process Operations Award recognizes individuals or teams working in plant operations, process control, or supply chain management, that have significantly improved the safety, reliability or economics of process operations. The Award is presented Mr. Stephen A. Kiorpes, formerly of Scientific Design Company and Rust/Raytheon Engineering Company.

"For personally directing the field commissioning of five unique first-of-a-kind chemicalprocess plants, all without safety incidents; and for participating in the design and/or startup of a great many others."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Stephen A. Kiorpes.

Industrial Research and Development Award

The Industrial Research and Development Award recognizes individuals or teams working in the industries served by chemical engineers, for innovation that has resulted in the commercial development of new products and/or new processes for making useful products. This year's award recipient is Dr. Van N. Truskett, Jetting Technology Manager at Canon Nanotechnologies, Inc.

"For development of scalable, sub-1pL drop-on-demand inkjets for the nanoimprint lithography process to use in high volume manufacturing of CMOS devices, hard disk drives, and tablets."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Dr. Van N. Truskett.

Engineering & Construction Award

The Engineering and Construction Award recognizes individuals or teams for achievement in the design and/or construction of process plants or process plant revamps. The award is presented to The Bechtel Pueblo Team of Pueblo, Colorado -- a multidisciplinary task force of engineers, construction contractors, and operations personnel -- for their design and completion of the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant. Learn more about this award.

"For the successful completion of design and construction of the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant for an innovative alternative chemical warfare agent elimination system."

The Institute Award for Excellence in Industrial Gases Technology

Sponsored by Praxair, this award was established in 1993 and recognizes sustained excellence in contributing to the advancement of technology in the production, distribution, and application of industrial gases. The 21st recipient of this award is Dr. J. Douglas Way, Professor at the Colorado School of Mines.

"Doug Way is an international leader in the synthesis, characterization and application of inorganic membranes for use in hydrogen separation processes."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Douglas Way.

The Lawrence B. Evans Award in Chemical Engineering Practice

Sponsored by CACHE Corporation, this award recognizes outstanding chemical engineering contributions in the industrial practice of the profession. This year's recipient is Dr. Carmo J. Pereira, DuPont Fellow at DuPont.

"For pioneering applications of catalysis and reaction engineering in the petrochemicals and chemicals industries."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Carmo J. Pereira.

Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering

Last year, former students of Andreas Acrivos, the Albert Einstein Professor of Science and Engineering, Emeritus, at the City College of New York, decided to create a lasting tribute to their mentor by establishing an AIChE endowment to fund a major Institute Award. They turned their attention to the Professional Progress Award, which was first presented in 1948, and which Dr. Acrivos himself received earlier in his career. At a reception this afternoon, AIChE formally unveiled the newly renamed Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering. This award recognizes outstanding progress in chemical engineering by an AIChE member under the age of 45. This year's award is presented to Dr. Zhenan Bao, Professor at Stanford University.

"For the design, processing and applications of organic semiconductors for flexible and stretchable electronics."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Dr. Zhenan Bao.

The Award for Service to Society

The Award for Service to Society, sponsored by Fluor Corporation, recognizes outstanding contributions by a chemical engineer to community service and to the solution of socially oriented problems. It is presented this year to Dr. Adam Heller, Research Professor at The University of Texas at Austin.

"For life contributions of medical products that have helped hundreds of thousands of patients suffering from diabetes and other diseases."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Dr. Adam Heller.

The Warren K. Lewis Award

Sponsored by ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company, this award recognizes contributions to chemical engineering education. This year's winner is Dr. L. Gary Leal, the Schlinger Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

"For outstanding scholarship and academic leadership."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Dr. L. Gary Leal.

The William H. Walker Award

Sponsored by John Wiley & Sons, this award recognizes excellence in contributions to chemical engineering literature. This year the Walker Award winner is Dr. Gregory Stephanopoulos, W. H. Dow Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"For advancing the fundamental chemical engineering science supporting metabolic engineering as an enabling technology for the production of pharmaceutical and chemical products from renewable resources."

Learn more about this award. Learn more about Dr. Gregory Stephanopoulos. The awards ceremony ended with Kristi Anseth congratulating the recipients and encouraging nominations for next year.