Our graduate programs continued to operate at a high level and continued to attract the best students. We granted 26 doctoral degrees and 29 master's degrees from the David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice. The Practice School continued to operate stations at the West Point, PA manufacturing plant of Merck Sharp and Dohme and at the Midland, MI facility of Dow Chemical Corporation. In addition; we operated a station during the summer at the Army Research Laboratories in Natick, MA. A class of 52 new graduate students entered September 1994, and was funded initially by fellowship support from our industrial fellowship program, from departmental fellowship endowment and from alumni/ae contributions. A faculty retreat in January 1995 focused on issues in graduate education, including the nature and length of the doctoral thesis and the need for broadening the doctoral experience. The Graduate Committee is working toward implementation of changes in our program to address these issues.
Graduate research in the department continued at a very high level. Total funding of the 30 faculty in the department passed $16M in this academic year with over 40 percent from industry and foundations. An important new initiative in biomedical engineering has nucleated around the hiring of Douglas A. Lauffenburger as a Joseph R. Mares Professor of Chemical Engineering in January 1995. With the substantial financial support of the Institute, Professor Lauffenburger formed the new Center for Biomedical Engineering (CBE) of which he is the first director. The center is bringing together an interdisciplinary group of faculty from Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Health Science and Technology to address important research problems at the interface between modern biology and engineering. Initial research will focus on cell and tissue engineering in biomedical applications. The center is committing significant resources to core research facilities and is already active in several proposals for large research programs. The facilities for the CBE will be located in the renovated building 56, which is expected to become available in fall 1996.
The department hosted several special events this year. In March we held a special symposium on the Frontiers of Chemical Engineering Science, which was co-sponsored by Elsevier Publishing Company to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Journal of Chemical Engineering Science. The symposium featured nine lectures by international experts in fields of chemical engineering ranging from catalysis and reaction engineering to cell and tissue engineering in biomedical applications. The intellectual excitement created by the progress and challenges in these areas will be captured in the special issue of Chemical Engineering Science that is due out in December. The department also co-hosted in April a special symposium on Computational Chemistry in Materials Design with the Biosym Corporation.
Several departmental faculty were honored this year by significant national and international awards. The American Institute of Chemical Engineers honored Professor Daniel I. C. Wang with the William H. Walker Award, the highest research award given by the AIChE. Professor Wang also received the Amgen Biochemical Engineering Award from the Engineering Foundation. In June 1995, Professor Wang was named an Institute Professor, the highest honor for an MIT faculty member, in recognition of his contributions to education and research at the Institute.
The Materials Division of the AIChE also recognized Professor Klavs F. Jensen with the Charles M.A. Stine Award for outstanding research in materials. Professor Jackie Y. Ying received several honors: an award from the Young Investigator Program of the Office of Naval Research and the Ross C. Purdy award for the outstanding research publication of the year from the American Ceramics Society. Professor Paul E. Laibinis received a Beckman Research Award from the Beckman Foundation.
Space for teaching and research laboratories continues to be very tight, especially since building 56 has closed for renovation. Several renovation projects in the department were completed or begun in Building 66 to increase the use of available space; these projects were funded by a combination of departmental and Institute funds. Most notably, the majority of the subbasement of Building 66 has been renovated for housing special facilities and as an undergraduate teaching laboratory. This space has been critical for accommodating the large junior and senior classes.
The department continued to be very active in fund raising. Efforts among the graduate alumni/ae led to 28 Graduate Alumni/ae and Named Alumni/ae Graduate Fellowships, and nine corporate fellowships to incoming graduate students in the fall of 1994. Of these, 20 were generated by endowment. The department also announced a new graduate fellowship: the John C. Sluder Graduate Fellowship in Food and Bioprocessing which will be given for the first time in the fall of 1995. Two other endowments were established in the last academic year. The department established the Alan S. Michaels Distinguished Lectureship in Medical and Biological Engineering as part of the Alan S. Michaels endowment fund. The lectureship will be inaugurated in the next academic year with a symposium in Dr. Michaels' honor in October and the first lecturer next spring. A generous bequest from Raymond and Helen St. Laurent has led to the establishment of two professorships in the department. The Raymond and Helen St. Laurent Career Development Professorship has been awarded to Professor Jackie Y. Ying beginning in July 1995. A full professorship carrying the same name will be established next fall.
There were no departures from the faculty in the last academic year. Two new faculty, Assistant Professor Paula T. Hammond and Professor Douglas A. Lauffenburger joined the department. Professor Hammond is an expert in applied polymer synthesis and is assembling an active research program in this area. Professor Lauffenburger's interests are described above.
These data show clearly the continuation of the trend in increasing enrollment that we have been experiencing since the 1987-88 academic year. The 1994-95 class is 144 percent larger than that in 1987-88. This past year each undergraduate class in chemical engineering was at least 100 students. Although it is gratifying to see the high degree of interest in chemical engineering among MIT undergraduates, these large numbers continue to strain our teaching resources, both faculty and space. The current projection for next year's sophomore class size is similar to this year's number. Coupled with the relative uniform class sizes across years, this suggests we will not see further large increases.
The total for 1994-95 includes 77 foreign students, 49 female students, and 14 minority students (not including Asian Americans). Graduate admissions data suggest that graduate enrollment will remain in the low 200s for the next several years. The Graduate Committee, under the direction of Professor Robert E. Cohen, continued to implement changes in the structure of the doctoral program. During the past year the committee also began to address concerns regarding the length of time required to complete the typical doctoral thesis. Strengthening the role of the Thesis Committee and implementing a required Plan-to-Finish document in the fourth year of residency are measures which have been approved by the faculty for immediate implementation. The Graduate Committee also launched an experiment to provide hourly graduate student graders to help alleviate the burden of large classroom enrollments on faculty and teaching assistants.
David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice
A total of 32 students participated in the Practice School Program during the 1994-95 academic year. The two permanent stations at Dow Chemical Company in Midland, MI, and the Merck Manufacturing Division in West Point, PA, and a third summer station at the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Laboratory in Natick, MA provided a wide variety of excellent projects and opportunities for the students. Some projects were also carried out at Dow Corning to supplement those offered by Dow Chemical. Dr. Thomas Meadowcroft was succeeded as director of the West Point Station by Dr. Janet Griffiths, a graduate of UC Berkeley with postdoctoral experience at MIT, while Dr. Barry Johnston continued to serve as director of the Midland Station. The assistant director position at these stations has been eliminated. The Natick Station was directed by Dr. Colin Wolden, assisted by Mr. Fred von Gottberg. Professor T. Alan Hatton continues to direct the Practice School from Cambridge.
Professor Paul I. Barton gave invited lectures at the AIChE/CCPS International Symposium on "Safe Chemical Process Automation" in Houston in September 1994, and the Aspen World Conference in Boston in November 1994.
Professor Janos M. Beer, Professor Emeritus of Chemical and Fuel Engineering, received the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences Axel Ax:son Johnson Lecture-Medal Award. The medal was presented to Professor Beer by H M Carl XIV Gustaf, the King of Sweden, in a ceremony at The Academy in Stockholm on March 21, 1995. The Medal is awarded every three years internationally and the citation reads: "For outstanding contribution to the engineering sciences in the service of mankind."
Professor Robert A. Brown, Warren K. Lewis Professor and Department Head, was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in October 1994. Professor Brown also was honored as the Donald L. Katz lecturer at the University of Michigan in March of 1995. He took on two additional external tasks this year. He chaired the first "Frontiers of Engineering Conference" for the National Academy of Engineering. The meeting was held in September and brought together 100 leading young engineers from industry and academia to discuss research across all engineering disciplines. Professor Brown also began a three-year term as a Member-at-Large on the U.S. National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the National Research Council.
Professor Linda G. Cima was named to the Georgia Technical Council of Outstanding Engineering Alumni. Professor Cima was an invited lecturer at Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, and Loyola Universities, and at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting in Atlanta. AT MIT, Professor Cima co-chaired the Biomedical Engineering Curriculum Committee, which won approval of the first interdepartmental minor degree program for undergraduates at MIT.
Professor Robert E. Cohen has been serving as Program Chair for the Polymer Section of the AIChE Materials Division; in this capacity he is organizing a 25-session topical conference on "Polymer Structure, Properties and Processing" for the 1996 Annual Meeting in Chicago. In 1995, the American Institute of Physics expanded Professor Cohen's responsibilities as consulting editor for the book series, "Polymers and Complex Fluids" to include a seat on the AIP-wide Committee on Books. Professor Cohen was an invited speaker at the "Nanocomposites" workshop in San Diego, California and at the "Polymer Blends" workshop in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Professor Charles L. Cooney, Executive Officer of the Department of Chemical Engineering effective July 1, 1995, was the Plenary Lecturer at the European Society of Animal Cell Technology in September 1994, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Professor Cooney was elected to the Advisory Panel for the Pharmaceutical Engineering Program at Columbia University.
Professor Karen K. Gleason was promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure and became the first woman to be granted tenure in the department. Professor Gleason gave an invited talk at the 1994 Gordon Conference on "Diamond Synthesis" and was elected as vice-chair for the 1996 meeting and will serve as conference chair in 1998. She was also elected to the Editorial Board of the journal, "Concepts in Magnetic Resonance," published by John Wiley and Sons. During the past year, she presented invited talks at the University of Delaware, Sherbrooke University, Rice University and University of California at Berkeley. Professor Gleason was selected to serve on the advisory board for the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Experimental NMR Conference (ENC).
Professor T. Alan Hatton was an invited speaker at the ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium in June 1994, and served on the organizing committee of the Engineering Foundation Conference on Separation Technology, July 1995. He is organizing an Engineering Foundation Conference on "Complex Fluids and Self-Assembled Systems: Technological Opportunities and Challenges" in January 1997. Professor Hatton became a member of the Editorial Board of the new journal, "Current Opinion in Colloid and Surface Science."
Professor Klavs F. Jensen presented invited talks at the Seventh International Conference on "Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy" in Yokohama, Japan, May 1994; at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society, Washington DC, August 1994; and at the spring meeting of the Materials Research Society, April 1994. Professor Jensen was the "Graduate Student Selected Seminar Speaker in Recognition of Pioneering Research and Outstanding Leadership" at the University of Michigan, February,1994.
Professor Paul E. Laibinis was selected for the Victor K. LaMer Award from the American Chemical Society's Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry including a plenary address at the 68th Colloid and Surface Science Symposium held at Stanford University. Professor Laibinis was selected as the McGill University Sixth Annual Chemistry Visiting Speaker.
Professor Robert S. Langer was awarded the International John W. Hyatt Service to Mankind Award (Society of Plastics Engineers) and the Ebert Prize (American Pharmaceutical Association) in 1995. Professor Langer was selected as the Lacy Lecturer (California Institute of Technology), and the Distinguished Medical Scientist Lecturer (Ohio State University). He gave the keynote lectures at the Keystone Symposium on "Drug Delivery," Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and the P.L. Virtenen Symposium at Kuopio, Finland. He was the Plenary Lecturer at the Materials Research Society, San Francisco, CA. Professor Langer was named to the Science Board of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [the highest Advisory Board of the FDA].
Professor Douglas A. Lauffenburger joined the faculty as a J.R. Mares Professor in January 1995, coming from the University of Illinois. Professor Lauffenburger was appointed director of the new MIT Center for Biomedical Engineering. He gave the Kelly Lecture at Purdue University and Merck Lecture at Rutgers University. Professor Lauffenburger was appointed to the editorial boards of "Annuals of Biomedical Engineering" and the "Journal of Cellular Engineering", and will serve as the co-chair of the 2nd International Conference on "Cellular Engineering," to held in LaJolla, CA, August 1995.
Professor Edward W. Merrill was presented the 1995 Outstanding Faculty Award by the graduate students of the Department of Chemical Engineering. Professor Merrill was an invited lecturer at the American Society of Artificial Internal Organs in Chicago, May 1995 and at the Annual Technical Conference of the Society of Plastics Engineers in Boston, May 1995.
Professor Gregory C. Rutledge was promoted to the position of Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and was named a National Young Investigator of the National Science Foundation. Professor Rutledge joined the Editorial Board for Polymer and was an invited speaker at POLYMAT'94 (meeting of the Royal Institute of Materials), at EPF'94 (5th European Polymer Federation Symposium on Polymeric Materials), at the meeting of the American Fiber Society, and at ANTEC`95 (meeting of the Society of Plastics Engineers).
Professor Adel F. Sarofim spent three weeks in July presenting a keynote lecture at the International Symposium in Kitakyushu sponsored by NEDO; the Center for Coal Utilization, Japan; and Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan. He was also invited to give lectures at the GREEN Center of the Hitachi Research Laboratories, and the Chemical Engineering Departments of the Universities of Tokyo and Tokyo A and T. Professor Sarofim continues his interaction with Finland through service on the Ahlström Prize Committee and through his invitation to give a keynote lecture at the European Aerosol Conference to be held in Helsinki. He became an Honorary Tailhooker by virtue of having caught the wire on and been catapulted off the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an activity related to his service on the National Research Council Committee on Sipboard Pollution. Professor Sarofim serves on the NRC Committee on Health Effects of Incineration.
Professor Jefferson W. Tester was on sabbatical leave for the 1994-95 academic year. During that period he finalized his revisions to the department's core graduate thermodynamics textbook, "Thermodynamics and Its Applications," originally written by Michael Modell and Robert C. Reid. The 34d edition will be co-authored by Professor Tester and published in the Prentice-Hall Physical and Chemical Engineering Sciences series in 1996. In addition, Professor Tester along with Professor Mujid Kazimi of Nuclear Engineering are leading a major $10-$15 million/year university research consortium on various topics of regional and national interest for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) managed by the Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Professor Daniel I.C. Wang was presented with the Asia-Pacific Distinguished Biochemical Engineering Award at the 3rd Asia-Pacific Biochemical Engineering Conference in Singapore, June, 1994. Professor Wang was also given the William H. Walker Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineering in San Francisco, CA in November, 1994. Professor Wang chaired the Committee on Membership for the National Academy of Engineering for its 33rd Election in 1994. In 1995, he was presented with the Amgen Biochemical Engineering Award for the Engineering Foundation in Davos, Switzerland. He was also elected to the Council for the National Academy of Engineering for a three year term (1995-1993). Lastly, Professor Wang was appointed as an Institute Professor at MIT in June of 1995.
Professor Jackie Y. Ying was selected to be an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator, and was recently presented the Ross C. Purdy Award. Professor Ying was an invited lecturer at the Second International Conference on "Nanostructured Materials" in Stuttgart, at the Gordon Research Conferences on "Liquid Crystals" and on "Solid State Studies in Ceramics,"at the Fourth International Conference on "Advanced Materials "in Cancun, as well as an invited speaker at the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society Annual Meeting. She is on the Editorial Board of the"Journal of Porous Materials," and is a guest editor for "Materials Science and Engineering A." Professor Ying is on the Board of Directors for the Alexander von Humboldt Association of America, and is the Ceramics Area Vice-Chair for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
The Dunbar L. Shanklin undergraduate scholarships in Chemical Engineering for 1994/95 to Winnie Y. Lo, a junior from Houston, TX, and Anthony R. Nole, a junior from Bloomfield, NJ. In conjunction with the Student Financial Aid Office, Amoco Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships were acknowledged for recipients Celia Huey, a junior from Jamaica, NY, and Anthony R. Nole (see above). The John H. Dessauer and James E. Cunningham Memorial Scholarships were acknowledged for recipient Jessica R. Oleson, a junior from Auburn, MA. The Dow Chemical Company Outstanding Junior Award recipient was Aaron P. Reichl, a junior from Blooming Prairie, MN, for his balanced record of achievement in academics and campus professional and social organizations, as well as work experience. The Robert T. Haslam Cup was awarded to Brett W. Bader, a senior from Albuquerque, NM, for outstanding professional promise in chemical engineering. The Roger de Friez Hunneman Prize, the oldest prize in the department (begun in 1927), was awarded to Patrick M. Piccione, a senior from Sweden, in recognition of outstanding scholarship and research.
The newly initiated members of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honorary society for excellence in academic studies, were recognized: Nameeta M. Dookeran, a junior from Trinidad and Tobago; Susan M. Dusenberry, a junior from Midwest City, OK; Howard F. Fine, a junior from Parsippany, NJ; Celia Huey (see above); Audrey Kuang, a junior from Spring, TX; Winnie Y. Lo (see above); Anthony R. Nole (see above); Jessica R. Oleson (see above); Ashish R. Patel, a junior from Burlington, MA; Abhilash R. Vaishnav, a junior from Knoxville, TN; Karen K. Zee, a junior from Kettering, OH; Hong (Annita) Zhong, a junior from Shanghai, China; Matthew E. Konosky, a senior from Stratford, CT; Gwendolyn K. Lee, a senior from Brea, CA; Heather M. Lee, a senior from Newburgh, IN; Stella C. Lymberis, a senior from Rumson, NJ; Patrick M. Piccione (see above); Stephanie L. Shaw, a senior from Fort Myers, FL; Rahul A. Shendure, a senior from Solon, OH; Chitra Viswanathan, a senior from Spring, TX; and Laura J. Vojvodich, a senior from Morris Plains, NJ.
The Edward W. Merrill Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award was presented to Doron Levin, a graduate student from South Africa, for excellence in teaching in an undergraduate subject. A second place award went to Kevin M. Parker, a graduate student from Lincoln, RI. Chemical Engineering Department Special Service Awards were given to Joao Paulo Aumond, a graduate student from Sao Paulo, Brazil; Christopher J. Dowd, Jr., a graduate student from Wilmington, DE; Randy D. Weinstein, a graduate student from Wyncote, PA: and Nancy M. Ho, a senior from New Paltz, NY; for their unselfish contributions to the success of departmental activities. The Chemical Engineering "ROCK" Award for outstanding athletics, as voted by the graduate students of the department went to Chase E. Orsello, a graduate student from North Saint Paul, MN. The Outstanding Employee Award was presented to Arline Benford, an Administrative Assistant in Chemical Engineering Headquarters, for her exceptional service to the department and its students. The Outstanding Faculty Award from the graduate students, was presented to Professor Edward W. Merrill. Undergraduate students in the department presented an Outstanding Faculty Award to Professor C. Michael Mohr.
Robert A. Brown
MIT Reports to the President 1994-95