Hall News OLINOctober 2015 No. 104

Fleming Gift Supports CBE Graduate Fellowships TABLE OF DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE CONTENTS

Julian C. Smith ’41 at the age of 96. Julian focus to the research powerhouse we have Sincerely, MESSAGE FROM: will always hold a special place in the become today. Thanks to the persons Julian field for the large number of students recruited in the early days of the transition, around the world he introduced to the culture of bringing faculty research LYNDEN A. ARCHER Chemical Engineering Unit Operations stars who are also excellent, committed The cover story for this issue of the via his similarly named textbook, co- teachers to Olin Hall continues to this day. Dear Alumni Olin Hall News focuses on an important authored with Peter Harriott ‘49. He will I hope you enjoy the stories we have Lynden A. Archer and Friends, new development in the graduate be remembered among the faculty for assembled and feel informed after reading William C. Hooey Director and James program. A generous gift by Sam Fleming his skillful leadership of the department this issue of the Olin Hall News. If your A. Friend Family Distinguished ’ve written to you previously ’62 and Nancy Fleming will provide from 1975-83, during a period of transition travels bring you to the Ithaca area, please Professor of Engineering about the high levels of student support for up to four CBE doctoral from a primarily undergraduate education make plans to visit Olin Hall. interest in chemical engineering at students each year. These Fleming Scholars Cornell. I’ve also written about the are among the very best students in the commensurate rise in enrollments in graduate program pursuing research on all of the school’s programs. These biomolecular engineering themes. On page trends continued in 2015 with 81 students 3 we report a related story that highlights TABLE OF CONTENTS Igraduating with B.S. degrees in chemical the success of our students in winning engineering this May and 96 (53 percent highly competitive graduate fellowships Claude Cohen: A career focused on polymer networks...... 2 women) of the College of Engineering’s from the National Science Foundation. Cornell chemical engineering students shine brightly among strongest juniors choosing to affiliate with Along with the Fleming Scholar awards, the chemical engineering major in spring these new fellowships are transforming recipients of NSF Graduate Fellowship Awards...... 3 2015. Research expenditures increased the climate for graduate studies in the Fleming Gift Supports CBE Graduate Fellowships...... 7 by 11.4 percent year-over-year, close to department. We are likewise grateful to Graduate Student Awards...... 10 the five-year average increase of 12.3 Gordon Dibble ’50 for creating the Gordon percent. Total Ph.D. student enrollments L. Dibble ’50 Endowed Professorship in Faculty Research...... 11 reached a new high of 119, meaning CBE to recognize excellence among the Alumni News...... 13 that with an average time to complete faculty. And, to Michael Zak ‘75 (ORIE) for Reunion 2015...... 15 the Ph.D. degree of 5.4 years, each of establishing the Roxanne E. and Michael and generosity in supporting the school In Memoriam...... 16 the school’s 20.5 faculty members is J. Zak Endowed Professorship in Energy with both your time and resources. recruiting approximately one new Ph.D. Systems Engineering in CBE. This year Faculty News & Awards...... 18 Thanks to you, the school’s largest class student per year; an important milestone we recruited Professor Fengqi You from CBE News & Events...... 21 of seniors will this fall move into a newly that highlights the emergence of the Northwestern University as the inaugural renovated and expanded Unit Operations CBE Women’s Outreach in Materials, Energy and Nanobiotechnology Event...... 25 department as a leading national center holder of the Zak Professorship. Professor (UO) Laboratory that preserves the for chemical and biomolecular engineering You’s research lies at the important 5th Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium...... 26 high standards and important role of (CBE) research. Enrollments in the school’s interface between chemical engineering Staff News & Programs...... 27 the UO Lab in the chemical engineering professional master’s degree programs and operations research; his presence on undergraduate experience at Cornell. I will ChemE Car Comes in First...... 29 remained steady at 78. While it is the CBE faculty will add an important new single out Peter Wright ‘75 and the class of Undergraduate Student Profiles...... 30 gratifying to conclude from this snapshot dimension to our education and research 1975, John Herslow ‘63, Jack Huddleston that the school is vibrant and strong, the programs in an area of high demand Student Awards...... 33 ‘51, Billie Nelson ‘49, Richard Sommer ‘63 responsibility of maintaining the high among the companies that hire CBE and Ken Wattman ‘49 for their generous Congratulations to the Class of 2015!...... 35 standards that define a Cornell chemical students. gifts that made the UO Laboratory engineering education continues to reveal I convey my personal gratitude to the Modernization Project a reality. important opportunities for redefining school’s exceptional network of alumni Photos provided by Thomas Hoebbel Photography, John Reis Photography, In closing, I draw your attention the school’s staffing and space utilization and friends who continue to inspire our and University Photography to the recent passing of our teacher, plans for Olin Hall. students and faculty with your loyalty colleague, mentor and former Director

1 | OLIN Hall News NSF Claude Cohen FELLOWS

Cornell chemical engineering students shine brightly Honoring Claude Cohen’s among recipients of NSF Graduate Fellowship Awards scientific achievements technique to measure RNA structure- function relationships inside E. coli company devoted to plastics injection remediation studies, these nano-particles cells. He presented this work at the 2014 molding. outperformed molecular surfactants in American Institute of Chemical Engineers The overarching goal of Cohen’s terms of low adsorption onto soil and (AlChE) Annual Meeting and received the research has been to understand structure- greater extraction capacity. Cornell Engineering Alumni Association property relationships in homopolymer During his 38-year career at Cornell, Undergraduate Research Award and networks and particle suspensions. A Cohen supervised 19 Ph.D. students, about the Ferdinand Rodriguez Outstanding major part of his efforts over the last two a half-dozen postdocs and has authored Student Award. During his time at decades concerned elucidating the effect of 116 technical publications in refereed Cornell, Abbott also served as an intern polymer network structure and chemistry journals and eight publications in books for Genentech, where he showed that on microstructural, swelling and dynamic and book chapters. His contributions as a performance of engineered strains of E. Claude Cohen properties of cross-linked polymeric mentor and teacher have been recognized coli cultures is robust across many factors. laude Cohen, the Fred H. Rhodes materials. Cohen devised several clever by several awards, including the Merrill From left to right: Kevin Weyant, Cameron Glasscock, Joseph Brown, Nick Horvath, and Lakshmi Nathan Outside of research, Abbott participated in schemes for synthesizing model, end- Presidential Scholar Mentor and the Mr. Professor of Engineering at Cornell his year, students in the This year six graduate students and Cornell’s iGEM (international genetically linked polydimethylsiloxane networks and Mrs. Richard F. Tucker Award for University, retired this year after School of Chemical and two undergraduates from CBE were engineered machines) team, a competition C with well defined, controlled architectures, Excellence in Teaching. For the last fifteen 38 years of outstanding research, teaching Biomolecular Engineering recognized with these prestigious in which students use synthetic biology including systems with either uniform years, Cohen taught and perfected a very and service in the School of Chemical and (CBE) were recognized fellowships. NSF fellows have gone on to solve real-world problems, and ChemE chain size or mixtures of precursor chain successful Polymer Science elective course Biomolecular Engineering. with the largest single-year to become recognized leaders in their Car, a competition where students use sizes. Careful measurements of the elastic, for advanced undergraduates and first- Cohen earned a B.S. degree in number of National Science field, with past winners including Nobel chemical reactions to power and stop a car scattering and orientation relaxation year graduate students. This course is one chemistry from the American University Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowships Prize-winning Secretary of Energy, Steven after a precise distance. characteristics of these tailored materials of CBE’s most popular electives campus- in Cairo, Egypt, in 1966 and a Ph.D. in inT the department’s history, and one Chu, and Google co-founder, Sergey Abbott came to Cornell intent on have provided critical insights into the wide, and has provided an excellent chemistry from Princeton in 1972. Before of the largest cohorts of NSF Graduate Brin. Winners must not only demonstrate pursuing his high-school interests in role of network architecture and chemical introduction to polymer physics, chemistry joining Cornell, he was a Postdoctoral Fellowship winners among its peer exceptional levels of achievement in structure on physical properties. These and applications to generations of Cornell Fellow at Brown University (1972-73), departments nationally. “Success of CBE academics, but must show that their studies have also guided collaborations graduates. a Katzir-Katchalsky Fellow at the graduate students in winning external proposed doctoral work has potential for and catalyzed efforts by research groups A symposium honoring Cohen was Weizmann Institute of Science (1973-75) fellowships is not only a strategic priority broad-based technological and societal worldwide to improve theoretical and held in the Robbins Auditorium, Olin Hall, and a Research Associate at the California for the School, but confirms what we’ve impact beyond their immediate field simulation models of polymer network on May 21, 2015. Talks were presented by Institute of Technology (1975-77). Cohen known for sometime, that the chemical of study. Below are brief vignettes that behavior. Cohen’s CBE colleagues, including Don joined Cornell in 1977 as the third of seven engineering program at Cornell is capture the strength of CBE’s cohort of As important as Cohen’s contribution Koch, Fernando Escobedo and Lynden members of the faculty hired by Julian attracting some of the top graduate NSF fellowship winners. to our understanding of cross-linked Archer, as well as by several leaders Smith, who would go on to transform student talent in the nation,” said Lynden Timothy Abbott (Lucks Group) polymers are the advances his work in the field: Ralph Colby (Penn. State), the research culture in the school. Cohen Archer, the William C. Hooey Director plans to pursue research in synthetic has enabled in the areas of amphiphilic Horst Henning Winter (UMass, Amherst), was promoted to the rank of Associate and James A. Friend Family Distinguished biology and biomolecular engineering in and ionomeric polymer networks. In a Lashanda Korley (Case Western Reserve), Professor in 1981 and Professor in 1987. Professor of Engineering. graduate school. series of contributions, Cohen and his Christopher Macosko (Univ. of Minnesota), Timothy Abbott His administrative and professional The NSF Graduate Fellowships Abbott recently completed his activities include service as director of students showed that networks can be Anthanassios Panagiotopoulos (Princeton recognize and support outstanding undergraduate degree at Cornell and will chemistry and physics, but his curiosity the School of Chemical Engineering engineered with nanoscale structural Univ.) and Michael Rubinstein (Univ. of graduate students in science and pursue a Ph.D. in Stanford University’s about biology and biomolecular (1990-93), organizer of multiple technical features by cross-linking droplets in an North Carolina, Chapel Hill). The day engineering, and is one of the most Bioengineering Department this fall. In his engineering ultimately won out. After symposiums and sessions at national oil-in-water suspension. The particles concluded with a dinner at The Heights highly sought after early-stage awards time at Cornell, Abbott performed research contemplating which major to choose, he meetings, consultant to various chemical function as “nano-sponges,” imparting Café in Ithaca; one of Claude and his wife for graduate students pursuing doctoral in Julius Lucks’ group, where he helped decided that chemical engineering would companies and a member of the board remarkable ability for the materials to Nora’s favorite restaurants. studies in the sciences and engineering. develop a next-generation sequencing be most conducive to a strong career, of directors of C-MOLD — a successful absorb hydrophobic pollutants. In soil

2 | OLIN Hall News 3 | OLIN Hall News NSF FELLOWS

yet he still wanted a powerful biology exploring the city with my friends. Of College Discovery Program with the Ithaca obtain my first publication in Nano Letters. of Professor Jeffrey Varner, who is now water-shortage problems. After I returned component in his education. Weighing these experiences, my interest in organic Youth Bureau. Cameron Glasscock (Lucks/ my advisor. I also had the privilege to from my trip to Costa Rica, I began these options, Cornell stood out, as the and polymer chemistries and desire to DeLisa Groups) is using advanced RNA serve as a teaching assistant for CHEME leading a team focused on educating university had strong programs in both help people led me toward chemical gene regulation strategies to optimize 2880, working alongside Varner and two children in the community about resource chemical and biological engineering. engineering. production of glycoprotein therapeutics in talented undergraduate TAs. conservation and introducing them to Additionally, the campus and scenery was At North Carolina State University, I bacteria. I am honored to be awarded the NSF engineering. I established and held several reminiscent of home. earned my B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Glasscock began his career at Oregon Graduate Fellowship, and I look forward leadership positions and eventually There was never a dull moment splitting my time between work, State University where he studied to applying all that it offers to my research became the president of our chapter. I working with Kyle Watters (2015 Fleming research, academics and acapella. Some biological engineering. There, he became in cell-free protein synthesis. also worked with the South Houston Scholar in CBE and a 2012 NSF Graduate of my favorite memories are singing with excited about research and joined a lab to Lakshmi Nathan (Daniel Group) is Professional Chapter and Engineers Fellowship winner), in Julius Lucks’ lab, Acappology at acapella competitions and understand the important parameters in using single particle tracking to study viral without Borders-Qatar. I gained further according to Abbott. This collaboration various venues. My research experiences long-term storage of biological materials entry of coronaviruses to understand how international engineering experience by led to a myriad of fond memories and shaped my interests and motivated me by cryopreservation. The summer after his these viruses mutate and gain entry into spending a summer at Tianjin University above all else, shaped Abbott’s interest in to pursue graduate school. I worked at Taha Ezzyat junior year, Cameron also went to perform human hosts. in China and a semester at Texas A&M research. He says he will never forget the Liquidia Technologies, Inc. improving roll- research at Northwestern University, From a young age, I watched my University at Qatar. While studying in Taha Ezzyat (Clancy Group) uses ceremony for the Undergraduate Research to-roll therapeutic nanoparticle production studying the potential of graphene oxide family overseas experience life without the Qatar, I worked as a peer writing tutor. computational methods to study the Award or the 2014 AIChE Annual Meeting, by creating in-line characterization of thin- as a material for delivering MRI contrast many conveniences I took for granted in My research focuses on how mechanism of lead selenide nanoparticle but his fondest memory is the support, films. I completed a Research Experience agents into living cells. the U.S. The realization that not everyone proteases in the extracellular environment formation. mentorship and camaraderie of all the for Undergraduates at Columbia After graduating from Oregon State had access to the quality of life I enjoyed influence viral tropism. Transmissible As a New Jersey native I attended lab members who have made the sting University improving the fabrication of in 2013, Cameron began working on his became my motivation for studying gastroenteritis of swine and porcine Noor-Ul-Iman High School in South of failed experiments not so bad, and the nanoscale arrays for studying mechanical doctorate in CBE under the joint guidance engineering, so I could use my skills to respiratory coronavirus are closely-related Brunswick, New Jersey, which fostered experience as enjoyable as it has been. T-cell stimulation. And most importantly, of Professors Matthew DeLisa and Julius develop a better world for people to live coronaviruses with different tropisms. a love and excitement for the physical Joseph Brown (Alabi Group) uses in Professor Orlin Velev’s lab, I worked Lucks. His research focuses on using RNA in. Both viruses can utilize a common sciences. After high school, I made the engineering sequence-controlled polymers on the development of antimicrobial molecules to dynamically control the I received my B.S. in chemical receptor, and I suspect differences in the move to Chicago to obtain my B.S. in to analyze the surface composition environmentally benign nanoparticles. biosynthesis of complex carbohydrates engineering from Texas A&M University. proteases present in the gastrointestinal Mathematics and B.A. in Chemistry of synthetic and biologically derived This work led to the formation of in bacterial cells. In addition to research, I worked with Dr. Arul Jayaraman tract and the respiratory tract may from the University of Chicago. There nanoparticles. Benanova, Inc. where I served as a Cameron spends his free time enjoying to investigate the anti-inflammatory be responsible for the different host I gained my first research experience in I am originally from Pilot Mountain, founding research member, and has also the outdoors by running, snowboarding/ properties of tryptophan-derived bacterial tissue specificities of these viruses. I the lab of Dr. Gopal Thinakran studying North Carolina, and have lived in N.C. all been accepted for publication in Nature skiing and cycling. metabolites. Through an NSF Research will investigate the effects of protease the molecular and cellular mechanism my life before making the jump to Cornell. Nanotechnology. Nicholas Horvath (Varner Group) Experience for Undergraduates (REU) activation of fusion proteins on the viral of Alzheimer’s disease. I was also able As a second-year graduate student in the Overall, my research interest will develop a dynamic genome scale program, I worked with Dr. Cynthia fusion kinetics of these coronaviruses. I to take part in an Research Experiences Alabi Research Group, I am working on surrounds the complex interactions of model of cell-free metabolism in E. coli, Collins on developing a synthetic will then use this information to design for Undergraduates (REU) program surface characterization of nanoparticles therapeutic nanoparticles with biological in combination with a “cell-free factory communication pathway between E. targeted virus-like particles that deliver with the Universidad de Santiago de by measuring the adsorption of sequence- phenomena—proteins, biological on a chip” to produce and recover coli and B. megaterium. I completed two material to cells when stimulated by Chile in Santiago, Chile, where I used defined polymers. My current goals are to transport, et cetera—I consider myself glycoproteins. This innovation will open internships with NASA, and I was selected specific proteases. kinetic studies to examine the antioxidant develop connections between nanoparticle lucky to have had such a myriad of up many applications, for example, in as a NASA Student Ambassador. One of Outside of research, I am involved properties of synthetic vitamin E analogs. surface properties and biological function. experiences and opportunities, which situ personalized production of critical my favorite memories is working a shift in in the CBE Graduate Women’s Group. Later in my junior year, I joined I attended the North Carolina School has led me to give my time volunteering glycoproteins such as coagulation factors. mission control inspecting images of the I helped run a lab that introduced 10th Professor Dmitri Talapin’s lab to study the of Science and Mathematics in Durham, as much as possible. Currently, I am I am from Morgantown, West space shuttle’s wings for damage during grade girls to concepts in polymer science application of semiconductor nanoparticles N.C., where I broke out of my small- leading the organization for the Alabi Virginia. I spent my undergraduate the last shuttle mission. and I am currently involved in planning in solar devices. This experience helped town shell, matured and experienced the Group’s second year of hosting a 4-H career at West Virginia University where With Texas A&M’s Engineers Without an engineering workshop for local Girl me identify the area of research that I diversity of science and engineering. Some Career Explorations camp for high-school I graduated with degrees in chemical Borders (EWB) chapter, I spent a week in Scouts. most enjoyed, bridging chemistry and of my favorite memories are competing in students. I have and will continue to engineering and physics. I chose Cornell San Juan de Penas Blancas, Costa Rica, Kevin Weyant (DeLisa Group) is engineering. This led me to pursue a the FIRST Robotics competition, playing volunteer with the Expand Your Horizons for its emphasis on biological research, testing water for bacteria, studying the working on engineering bacterial outer doctorate in chemical engineering. From in symphony and orchestra, as well as Conference, the CBE Women Event and the specifically the computational efforts water system, and learning about local membrane vesicles to function as delivery the research I performed I was also able to

4 | OLIN Hall News 5 | OLIN Hall News NSF FLEMING FELLOWS SCHOLARS

vehicles for DNA vaccines. interesting people with whom I could see Weyant dedicated much of his time to myself spending much of my time. When Fleming Gift Supports CBE research and volunteering for Engineers I got home from the weekend, I switched Without Borders (EWB) while he was an my application from regular to early undergraduate at the University of Illinois. decision and never looked back. Graduate Fellowships As a researcher, he spent three and a half Upon arriving at Cornell, I knew bestowed yearly, students receiving the years characterizing and developing that I had a strong, yet vaguely defined, recognition in any given year will hold the flavin-based fluorescent proteins for desire to save the environment, but I distinguished title Fleming Scholar in CBE biological imaging. Although graduate had no clear idea how to accomplish this for the duration of their Ph.D. The group school did not seem to be a feasible option admittedly lofty goal. I actually arrived of four inaugural awardees provide brief at first, his confidence and interest in at Cornell initially intending to study Bill Wheatle narratives below. continuing research increased over time environmental engineering. However, with the help of his graduate mentor, Although I currently live in Gladstone, upon attending an interesting seminar on and, by the time he graduated, he was I consider myself a native of Maryland, the energy landscape of the United States an author on three published papers. where I spent the majority of my formative during my freshman year, I immediately However, his experience with EWB has years. I was raised in a single-parent home knew that I wanted to dedicate my life’s had the most profound impact on his and am also a first-generation American. work to energy science and engineering. motivations to do meaningful work and Thus, like the children of other working Environmental engineering would have lead others. As an EWB volunteer, he class parents, I witnessed the struggles and most likely constrained me narrowly to struggled to sustain a water distribution sacrifices my mother made to support our studying biofuels. However, I chose to system in a rural community of 3,000 family and was continually encouraged study chemical engineering as I believed, people in southeastern Nigeria. He by her to pursue a higher education in a both then and now, that it would best traveled to the community twice and well-paying field. Because of my love for broadly prepare me to innovate in energy science and mathematics that I developed helped lead the team at Illinois for two engineering and pursue my environmental Morgan Baltz and a half years. Over those years, Kevin through my middle and high school objectives. developed valuable leadership skills, the years, I chose to pursue engineering once I I began research in the Abruña Sam and Nancy Fleming I received my B.S. in Chemical ability to think critically about complex matriculated at a university. Group of the chemistry department at and Biomolecular Engineering at The problems with no clear answer as well as When applying to colleges, I had the beginning of my junior year. There I n March, Trustee Emeritus Sam biomolecular engineering,” said Lynden University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In the a passion for helping others. At Cornell, no idea what school would be the best gained a great deal of computational and Fleming ’62 and his wife, Nancy Archer, the William C. Hooey Director beginning, I originally intended to follow Weyant hopes to apply his unique for me. Obviously, I wanted to attend a experimental knowledge and was able Fleming, made a generous $5 of the School. “By showing that he can a more traditional chemical engineering perspectives to his research, support school with a strong engineering program. to develop strong relationships with the million gift to create new graduate trace with a bright line his phenomenal career. I completed two co-op rotations collaborations with the developing world, However, I wanted to gain as much group’s graduate students and Professor fellowships in CBE. The Fleming successes in the private sector right back with ExxonMobil, the first in Baytown, and continue to volunteer for EWB and perspective as possible by interacting with Abruña. It was an exciting experience to be Scholar award recognizes the very to the principles he studied, and habits Texas, producing polypropylene and the similar organizations. students from all walks of life and with a on the cutting edge of energy research and best graduate students in CBE working on he developed, decades ago as a student second in Fairfax, Va., facilitating the Bill Wheatle (Abruña Group) wide variety of intellectual interests. Thus, to contribute my own findings to the field. Ibiomolecular engineering research themes. of chemical engineering at Cornell, Sam marine transportation of crude oil. specializes broadly in the field of I was also looking to go to a school that I look forward to attending University of By providing early recognition to students provides a reminder to all of us that we are My research career truly began with electrochemistry and is primarily was not solely focused on engineering Texas—Austin next year to continue my with exceptional talent, the long-term truly educating engineers for careerlong my internship at Oak Ridge National concerned with developing and but had a good mixture of humanities journey that first began in this group as a goal of the Fleming Scholars program is success and lifelong impacts.” Laboratory where I worked in a mass characterizing materials for use in energy and the liberal arts. I knew that I wanted scientist. to attract, educate and graduate Cornell Fleming fellowships will be awarded spectrometry group. This experience storage and conversion technologies, such to apply to Cornell because it met my Ph.D.s capable of leading their fields to four graduate students annually. sparked my interest in the biosciences, as batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors. criteria but I was not sure whether I would and pioneering new areas of study that Nominations for the award typically and led me to explore the non- I hail from Gladstone, Virginia, a attend if I was accepted. That changed, advance biomolecular engineering science. come from a student’s thesis advisor traditional biomolecular side of chemical very little town near Appomattox, which however, upon attending the Diversity “Sam [recently] visited our or from someone knowledgeable engineering.I became a founding member is where the Civil War officially ended if Hosting Weekend sponsored by Diversity department and met with faculty about the nominee’s scholarship and of UT-Knoxville’s International Genetically you remember your American history. Programs in Engineering. I saw the and graduate students working in potential. Although the award will be Engineered Machineteam, which campus firsthand and met a lot of very

6 | OLIN Hall News 7 | OLIN Hall News FLEMING SCHOLARS

competed against other universities with with gradients of nutrients—while in tumor tissue, which culminated in localization following endocytosis, SUNY Polytechnic Institute investigating our self-designed project to standardize allowing for the interrogation of cellular a recent publication in Biotechnology thus improving potency and efficacy of off-gassing of photoresists at ultra high the use of internal ribosomal entry sites in and molecular details. I bring to this & Bioengineering in 2015. Conducting delivered siRNA. vacuum using mass spectrometry. He yeast. project a strong background in bioprocess independent research in Dr. Forbes’ lab also worked at a precious metal refining I was also an undergraduate research engineering and expertise in molecular was the real driving force in my decision to company designing a portable scrubber assistant with Dr. Eric Boder, studying the biology, live-imaging techniques, and pursue my Ph.D. in chemical engineering. for capturing rhenium particulate matter. structural properties of hemagglutinin, a the construction and characterization of Teaching and mentorship have been a However, Watters credits his internships at membrane fusion protein critical to the complex 3-D cell culture. large part of my academic career thus far, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Genentech as influenza virus infection mechanism. Outside of research, I enjoy outdoor and have extended beyond the classroom. being the most influential. At Genentech, In the years I spent researching under activities, swimming, cooking, traveling During my undergraduate education, I he focused on improving aspects of the Dr. Boder, I learned skills related to and volunteering for outreach programs. participated as an undergraduate teaching company’s ion-exchange purification steps. mammalian cell culture and flow assistant for an introductory chemical There, he also learned the importance of cytometry. More importantly, I received Mengrou Shan engineering course, and was a mentor focusing on the patient, and not just the great mentorship and discovered that I for new undergraduate researchers in the research, which later served as a strong I developed a passion for science and enjoyed the life of a researcher. Ultimately, Forbes Lab, trying to inspire interest in the motivator for his participation in outreach engineering at a very young age, inspired it was this experience that inspired me to biomolecular side of chemical engineering programs. by my father, who is also an engineer. Kyle Watters pursue my doctorate at Cornell. for new students. For two years I was also At Cornell, Watters’ work is aimed After graduating high school, I came I am a third-year doctoral candidate, a resident assistant, working with students Before entering the world of biological at understanding how RNA-based to the United States to study chemical studying targeted protein degradation of all disciplines to help them deal with sciences, Watters was deeply interested in biological circuitry functions at the most engineering at Purdue University. under Dr. Matthew DeLisa. Protein the personal and academic issues in their the world of robotics, chip manufacturing fundamental level. Specifically, his Ph.D. is Alongside my coursework, I studied silencing has emerged as a popular own educational pursuits. Here at Cornell, and programming. Ultimately, the focused on developing new RNA chemical the spatial arrangement of nanoparticles reverse genetic method for investigating I’ve used my experiences to mentor three number of unsolved world health issues probing tools that reveal which parts of an through conjugation with nucleosomes the effect of a protein on the cellular undergraduate students, and serve as and the unmatched beauty and intricacy RNA molecule are most flexible, providing under the guidance of Dr. Chongli Yuan. phenotype. Traditional techniques like external liaison for the CBE Graduate of biological molecules brought him to clues as to how an RNA molecule’s I was exposed to various measurement Dana Thornlow gene silencing and RNA interference, Women’s Group (CBE Women), a group synthetic biology, the closest interface structure is related to its function. More techniques such as UV spectrometry and which operate on the DNA and RNA I first discovered the outcome whose mission is to inspire young girls to between these very different fields. recently, he is beginning to apply these obtained molecular biology training in levels respectively, cannot discriminate of dedication to pursuing a passion pursue a career in engineering. Watters received his bachelor’s new tools to design new synthetic RNA this project. I also completed the ChemE between different protein isoforms. My through dance. From a young age, I My current research under degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic circuitry elements in a ‘smart’ way, Honor Program with an undergraduate group has successfully addressed this devoted countless hours to practice and Dr. Christopher Alabi involves the Institute (RPI) in 2011 with minors in avoiding traditionally painstaking research thesis by working with Dr. Osman limitation by creating protein chimeras, performances, and was eventually able development of a dual-delivery antibody biology and economics. While there, he approaches like mutagenesis. Basaran investigating the drop formation called “ubiquibodies.” These ubiquibodies to share my passion with young dancers conjugate system for the efficient cytosolic worked on two projects in the Dordick Watters has also been heavily of complex fluids. employ a binding domain to recognize as a teacher. Throughout college and into delivery of small interfering RNA and Bystroff Labs. The goal of the first was involved in leadership roles in the As a Ph.D. student in the Stroock the target protein and a catalytic domain, my Ph.D. work, I’ve been able to apply (siRNA). RNA interference (RNAi) is a to engineer a green fluorescent protein Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Group, I am studying the impact of cell which adds a “tag” to the target. This tag the same skills by pursuing research and naturally occurring pathway in cells that biosensor to detect influenza peptides. Association, the CBE Graduate Women’s metabolic behaviors on tumor survival and then signals the cell to degrade the target sharing my love of scientific discoveries utilizes short, double-stranded siRNA The second project focused on the features Group, the local Tau Beta Pi chapter and growth with a focus on the coupling of using its natural machinery to degrade the through mentorship. molecules to sequence—specifically, of psychrophilic (cold-loving) enzymes other outreach opportunities. He has population dynamics, transport processes target. I received my B.S. in chemical silence—gene expression at the mRNA that enabled them to function at low also served as a long-term mentor for and the kinetics of metabolism. My effort In addition to my research, I have engineering from the University of level, and holds therapeutic potential temperatures. three CBE undergraduate students, a involves the development of numerical, participated in several outreach events Massachusetts, Amherst and conducted for an extensive list of disease targets. While at RPI, he was also involved in fact Watters is very proud of. Following theoretical and experimental tools. These through the CBE Graduate Women’s independent research under Dr. Neil However, inefficient cytosolic localization the general community through leadership graduation, Watters is interested in approaches, which are strongly grounded Group and the CBE Graduate Student Forbes. Dr. Forbes’ laboratory focuses of delivered siRNA continues to be a key roles in Tau Beta Pi, the Tau Epsilon Phi pursuing an academic postdoc with the on the fundamental principles of chemical Association, including leading the parent- on the use of bacteria as drug delivery challenge in widespread RNAi therapeutic fraternity, and the Professional Leadership longer-term goal of a tenure-track faculty and biomolecular engineering, account student lab for the CBE Women’s Outreach vectors for cancer. My research focused development. My goal is to use this dual- Program, among others. Along the path position. for the complex ecology within tumors— Event, and the “Lip Balm and Perfume” on isolating a highly motile population of delivery strategy to uncover polymer to discovering his passion for biology, many cells with multiple phenotypes workshop for Expanding Your Horizons. S. typhimurium for enhanced penetration properties that facilitate cytoplasmic Watters interned in a wide variety of interacting within an extended domain fields including a position at what is now

8 | OLIN Hall News 9 | OLIN Hall News FACULTY awards RESEARCH

Graduate Building “Inside the Box” Fernando Escobedo work for five years as an R&D engineer in by saying that in materials design “energy a Peruvian company before coming to the is designed intelligently while entropy is U.S. for graduate studies. He then received designed accidently.” Through his group’s STUDENT awards a chemical engineering M.S. degree from research, Escobedo is decisively changing the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in these prejudices. “We believe that being Yacet Acevedo Ashley M. James 1993 and a Ph.D. from the University of proactive and using the creative power (Clancy Group) Macner (Steen Stevenson Wisconsin-Madison in 1997. of entropy to make new structures, will won the Robert Group) won an (Clancy Group) Attracted to Cornell for the lead us to rediscover the helpfulness of Mozia Graduate Austin Hooey received a national collaborative research culture and the entropy.” Indeed, while entropy may Distinguished Graduate Research AIChE Award from quality of the undergraduate and graduate be what limits the efficiency of power Service Award, Excellence the Computational students, Escobedo brought his expertise plants, it is also the force responsible for Diversity Programs Recognition Award, Science and in materials physics, originally focused the elasticity of rubbers, the blending of in Engineering, May 2015, and NASA Engineering Forum on polymers, to the School of Chemical components in a mixture, the depletion- Cornell May 2015. ISS Post-Graduate Award. for Outstanding Ph.D. Research and an and Biomolecular Engineering. His induced precipitation of colloids, the invited talk at the Keck Institute for Space research group, currently comprised of six supergluing used by mussels under water, Akanksha Bryan Rolfe (Joo Sciences, Caltech, as well as a plenary talk students and postdoctoral scientists, has the folding of proteins mediated by water Agrawal (Archer Group) won a Best at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, June 2015. been developing algorithms and utilizing rearrangements (hydrophobic effect), Group) and Joe Image Award at the computer simulation tools to broaden this favoring many reactions with gaseous Carlin (Joo Group) CBE Grad Research Melissa Takahashi (Lucks Group) influence to advance understanding of (high-entropy) products like hydrogen and arjorie L. Hart Professor of won a Graduate Symposium, won an Austin thermodynamic and structural transitions (counterintuitively) the formation of many Engineering, Fernando Escobedo, Teaching Assistant September 2014 Hooey Graduate in materials created from nanomarticles novel types of liquid crystals and crystals. is known for his path-defining of the Year Award Research Excellence M and polymer-particle hybrids. They research aimed at using entropy to for their assistance in Recognition Award, have also developed approaches for “energy is designed engineer polymer- and particle-based CHEME 3240 (Heat and Mass Transfer). May 2015, and investigating mesoscale phenomena, intelligently Victoria Sorg received an AIChE nanomaterials and their assemblies. By stressing the crucial role played by small- developing computer simulations able while entropy Maciej Lukawski (Clancy Group) Women’s Initiatives scale heterogeneities responsible for key to accurately capture complex and subtle is designed (Tester Group) won received an Intel Committee Travel properties of many materials at larger interactions that determine the structure an award from Foundation/ Award. length scales. Escobedo’s research also accidently.” Semiconductor of materials, Escobedo and his students aims to leverage such understanding the Geothermal Escobedo’s recent selected awards Research Graduate Mardochee have already shown that it is possible to to correlate between features of the Resources Council, and honors include the Impact Award Fellowship. Reveil (Clancy imagine novel material designs that have building blocks of materials and the 2014. in Computational Molecular Science & Group) won the not yet been made. His overarching drive mesosctructures that these blocks form. Engineering in 2012 and being selected as Best First Year is to develop simulation tools that allow According to Escobedo, “Entropy an American Physical Society Fellow in Graduate Student one to “look inside the box” and play with has a bad reputation due to its association 2014, among various others. He teaches of the Year Award, the assembly of the uncountable types of with disorder and being a destructive the advanced classes on Thermodynamics Diversity Programs new building blocks (based on polymers force in nature. Entropy is prejudged to and Chemical and Physical Kinetics and in Engineering, and nanoparticles), which can now be always be a bad player. When it comes recently published a review of the research Cornell May 2015. made routinely in chemistry laboratories. to engineering materials, researchers in his field “Engineering Entropy in Soft Before joining the School of Chemical have focused on designing the energetic Matter: the Bad, the Ugly, and the Good” and Biomolecular Engineering in 1998, interactions, while the role of entropy is (Soft Matter 42, 8379, 2014). Escobedo received a B.S. degree in often overlooked, misunderstood or even Written by Alison Gabay ‘16. chemical engineering from the University suppressed.” He has summarized this idea of San Agustin in Peru in 1987, going on to

10 | OLIN Hall News 11 | OLIN Hall News FACULTY ALUMNI RESEARCH NEWS

example, is attach complex carbohydrates development. Prior to joining MBI College of Fellows Class of 2015. Breaking rules to to proteins.” in December 2006, Bringi and his The most accomplished and This process, called glycosylation, team developed and successfully distinguished engineering and medical revolutionize vaccine is ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells but is commercialized an innovative synthesis school chairs, research directors, completely absent in most prokaryotic for the anti-cancer drug Taxol, without professors, innovators and successful production cells, including the E. coli that DeLisa was having to harvest 100-year-old yew entrepreneurs constitute the AIMBE’s using. “Glycosylation is a key ingredient trees. This entrepreneurial experience College of Fellows. They are regularly a living playing soccer professionally Matthew DeLisa in many proteins, including some that allowed Bringi to conceive and champion recognized for their contributions in after college, so he buckled down on his are used to prevent or treat human derisking, MBI’s unique process that teaching, research and innovation. coursework and graduated with a B.S. in diseases. So equipping E. coli cells with quickly and cost-effectively fails flawed AIMBE Fellows have been awarded the chemical engineering. He planned to get this function would be game changing technologies while accelerating viable Presidential Medal of Science and the a job and go into industry right away. But for the basic understanding of this ones through a rigorous innovation Presidential Medal of Technology and the economy was reeling from a recession important mechanism and also for drug process. As a mission-inspired, market- Innovation and many also are members and the job market had collapsed, so development.” says DeLisa. “While I had driven 501(c)(3), MBI is demonstrating its of the National Academy of Engineering, DeLisa applied to graduate school to, in no idea at that time how this feat could be multidisciplinary approach to innovation Institute of Medicine and the National his words, “wait things out.” accomplished, I was convinced that it had through a campaign seeking philanthropic Academy of Sciences. But then a funny thing happened. In a to be possible and that somebody would Bobby Bringi, Ph.D. ’91 partners for its AFEX platform. AFEX graduate chemical engineering program at eventually figure out how to reprogram inducted into is a biobased technology that converts the University of Maryland, DeLisa finally E. coli to make and attach complex cellulose—the planet’s most ample organic found his passion. “I quickly fell in love engineering elite for carbohydrates to proteins.” material, found in plants and in the with the work I was doing,” says DeLisa. biobased innovations, To make a long and technically abundant crop residue left over from grain “I caught the proverbial research bug and challenging story short, in 2012—15 years leadership harvests—into a sustainable source of it turned my world upside down. I was after first putting the E.coli glycosylation cattle feed and biofuels. now fully committed to pursuing a career he American Institute for Medical atthew DeLisa was not one of challenge in the back of his mind—DeLisa Bulky and unwieldy crop residues in academia.” As DeLisa tells the story, he and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) those kids who always knew and his collaborators published a paper and grasses are converted into easily sounds just as surprised today as he must inducted Bobby Bringi, Ph.D. 1991, he wanted to be an engineer. In in the journal Nature Chemical Biology T transported pellets, and because the M have been back then. CEO of MBI to its College of Fellows at a second grade he did not take the remote documenting their success at engineering crops are converted in a decentralized It was the late 1990s and DeLisa’s March 16, 2015 ceremony in Washington, control apart to see how it worked. While the first eukaryotic protein glycosylation system of depots built where they are advisor, Professor William Bentley, D.C. The College of Fellows is comprised he enjoyed math and did well in science pathway in E. coli. “It felt great to finally grown, the technology platform allows the had a lab that was interested in of the top two percent of medical and classes in high school, English and history do it,” says DeLisa. “My long-term world’s rural poor to earn more for their biomanufacturing—the production of biological engineers in the country. were more to his liking. If there are any interest is in developing next-generation families. MBI’s vision is to promote AFEX useful compounds using living organisms Dr. Bringi was elected by peers rules about how you become a professor therapeutic proteins and vaccines using worldwide on an affordable, accessible ranging from single-celled bacteria to and members of the College of Fellows in a highly-ranked College of Engineering, biological machinery and this brings us a basis, maximizing the technology’s global Bob Langer ’70 intact larvae. “At the time, I was agnostic for “the development of the plant cell DeLisa broke most of them. giant step closer to that goal.” and societal impact. Three hundred about what sort of biology I wanted to fermentation process to make taxol and named Cornell Just take a look at the touchstone DeLisa currently has 20 graduate million tons of AFEX pellets could replace use to make things,” says DeLisa. “The leadership of Michigan Biotechnology Entrepreneur of the decisions in his early academic career: students and post-docs in his lab, along all grain currently fed to beef and dairy ability to leverage simple E. coli bacteria Institute.” A Lansing, Michigan-based Most of the colleges he applied to were with 12 undergraduates, and has even cattle, freeing up enough grain to feed one Year 2015 as a cellular factory for producing valuable not-for-profit biotech accelerator and a strictly liberal arts schools with no hosted a large number of high-school billion people. For more information on proteins such as human antibodies wholly owned subsidiary of the Michigan ntrepreneurship at Cornell has engineering programs. He eventually students over the years. “The science and AFEX, go to mbi.org/afex. sounded really cool and so I opted for a State University Foundation is pioneering named Robert Langer ’70, the David opted for the University of Connecticut not its applications are what drive me, but The formal induction ceremony was project to do just that. Along the way, one the AFEX technology platform, a game- H. Koch Institute Professor at the because they offered engineering degrees just as motivational for me is the chance to held March 16 during AIMBE’s 2015 E of the things I quickly learned was that E. changing solution to the world’s grand Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but because they had a premier NCAA mentor the next generation of engineers,” Annual Meeting at the National Academy coli cells are really great at some things challenge of feeding nine billion people by Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2015. He Division I soccer program. Sophomore says DeLisa. Inspiring words from of Sciences Great Hall in Washington, but not so good at others. One thing that the year 2050. will be honored in November 2015 during year of college he looked ahead and saw someone who went to grad school simply D.C. Dr. Bringi was inducted along with natural E. coli bacteria cannot do, for Bringi has broad experience and Cornell’s annual Entrepreneurship Summit that he was not going to be able to make to “wait out” the recession. expertise in biobased technology 151 colleagues who constitute the AIMBE in New York City.

12 | OLIN Hall News 13 | OLIN Hall News ALUMNI REUNION NEWS 2015

Langer, who majored in chemical Langer is the winner of more than 220 MIT prize, the world’s largest prize for engineering at Cornell, holds nearly 1,100 major awards and is one of only five living invention, for being “one of history’s patents issued or pending worldwide, individuals to have received the National most prolific inventors in medicine.” In Reunion 2015 which have been licensed or sublicensed to Medal of Science (2006) and the National 1989, Langer was elected to the Institute more than 300 pharmaceutical, chemical, Medal of Technology and Innovation of Medicine of the National Academy of biotechnology and medical device (2011). He also received the 2002 Sciences, and in 1992 he was elected to the companies. He is the most-cited engineer Charles Stark Draper Prize, considered National Academy of Engineering and to in history. Langer has also founded more the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for the National Academy of Sciences. than 25 companies, many of which have engineers; the 2008 Millennium Prize, the The Cornell Entrepreneur of grown into successful ventures. world’s largest technology prize; the 2012 the Year award is given annually He served as a member of the United Priestley Medal, the highest award of the by Entrepreneurship at Cornell States Food and Drug Administration’s American Chemical Society; the 2013 Wolf to a Cornellian who exemplifies Science Board from 1995 to 2002 and as Prize in chemistry; the 2014 Breakthrough entrepreneurial achievement, community its chairman from 1999-2002, advising Prize in Life Sciences; and the 2014 Kyoto service and high ethical standards. the commissioner and other officials on Prize, Japan’s highest private award for complex scientific and technical issues global achievement. important to the FDA and its mission. In 1998, he received the Lemelson- n June 6, 2015, classes from years with classmates, and learned what’s new Duncan, Professor of Practice, Alfred Plant Design projects tackle fungal ending in 5 and 0 gathered on in the school. Center ’65, Professor Abe Stroock and O Cornell’s campus. In keeping Lynden Archer, William C. Hooey Assistant Professor Roseanna Zia. Also fermentation, olefin conversions, natural gas with tradition, the School of Chemical and Director, welcomed the group along with included were Professor Claude Cohen Biomolecular Engineering welcomed close Lance Collins, the Joseph Silbert Dean and Professor Jeff Tester. In brief remarks, to 100 alumni for breakfast. Ranging from of Engineering. Other faculty who were Archer singled out Gordon Dibble ‘50 (top fungal fermentation process. Professors 1950 to 2010, classmates shared reminis- present to welcome our honored alumni, left photo, center) and Peter Wright ‘75 Alfred Center and Alan Feitelberg split the cences of beloved faculty and fun times include Associate Professor T. Michael (top right photo, red shirt). job of directing the GREENGENE teams. Eight teams were assigned the SPRC project, which dealt with different options for converting C3 and C4 olefins to higher value products. Each team selected a separate upgrading option so that their efficacies could be compared at the end of the semester. Professor Simon Coulson directed all of the SPRC teams. Four teams were assigned the KHMERGAS project, which dealt with the cryogenic recovery of natural gas liquids from a raw natural gas stream. Removal of Left to right: Apeksha Shapeti, J. Kent Carpenter, Muqtadar Quraishi, Simon Coulson, Dick Hauptfleisch, Kent Göklen, Alfred Center, and David Hurwitz hydrogen sulfide from the gas stream and conversion to liquid sulfur was also part of s part of the spring semester’s olefin conversion, and natural gas the process. Professor Muqtadar Quraishi ChemE 4620 course, better known processing. directed the KHMERGAS teams. Aas Plant Design, 21 student Nine teams were assigned the The final projects were then reviewed teams were assigned final projects GREENGENE project, which dealt by panels comprised of faculty, TAs, and with challenges in the areas of active with the production of a new active outside reviewers. pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing, pharmaceutical ingredient in a submerged

14 | OLIN Hall News 15 | OLIN Hall News In Memoriam

rofessor Emeritus Julian Cleveland Julian C. Smith Jr. of many committees, academic, social Smith, Jr. died peacefully after a and charitable, including work on the Pshort illness on Aug. 30, 2015, at redevelopment of the Reconstruction Kendal Ithaca, his home for the last fifteen Home. IN MEMORIAM years. He also engaged in a number of Smith was born in Montreal, Canada hobbies, taking many of them to semi- Name Degree/Year Date Of Death Hometown on March 10, 1919; the last of four children professional levels. His documented land of American parents, Julian C. Smith, Sr. snail collection is now part of the research Julian C. Smith ...... M.S. ChemE, 1942...... 8/30/15...... Ithaca, NY and Bertha Louise Alexander Smith. He materials at the Paleontological Research Richard Eustis...... B.S. ChemE, 1943...... 1/15/15...... Lynchburg, VA was educated at Westmount High School Institution. His Canadian stamp collection Richard Hillman...... B.S. ChemE, 1944...... 9/17/14...... Northridge, CA and Phillips Exeter Academy before won international prizes. He contributed B. Clifford Shaw...... B.S. ChemE, 1944...... 8/24/14...... Independence, MO studying engineering at Cornell, earning another volume to the Smith family his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in tradition of writing genealogical works, Charles McCoy...... B.S. ChemE, 1944...... 2/23/15...... Orinda, CA 1941, and master’s degree of chemical March 10, 1919 - August 30, 2015 and, confirmed his early Puritan Smith H. F. Corning...... B.S. ChemE, 1945...... 11/18/14...... Cranford, NJ engineering in 1942. ancestry by taking part in the Smith DNA William Rossi...... B.S. ChemE, 1947...... 3/20/15...... San Francisco, CA During World War II he worked for said, “Julian was a giant among educators project. He had a passion for golf which in our field. He was also a crucial, skillful M. Dudley Smith...... B.S. ChemE, 1948...... 1/4/15...... Camp Hill, PA the Dupont Company in Wilmington, continued with watching the professionals Del. on war work, including time on the force in shaping the department into the on television long after he was too William Vosseller...... B.S. ChemE, 1949...... 3/29/15...... Green Valley, AZ Manhattan Project. He also met his future vibrant place it has become for teaching a unsteady to swing a club. He was almost C. W. Shonnard...... B.S. ChemE, 1949...... 1/4/15...... Vergennes, VT wife, Joan Dolores Elsen and they were rising number of undergraduate students certainly the oldest member of the Ithaca Donald Rowland...... B.S. ChemE, 1949...... 2/1/15...... Woodbridge, CT married in Wilmington on June 1, 1946. the principles of chemical engineering Country Club. He wrote and published and for discovery of new paradigms that Alvin Ries...... B.S. ChemE, 1951...... 12/17/14...... Highland, IN Smith was hired as an assistant their history, Breaking Ninety. professor in Chemical Engineering at are defining the frontiers of the field. He Julian was a very capable musician, Gordon F. Mead...... B.S. ChemE, 1952...... 1/9/15...... Winfield, WV Cornell in 1946. He and his new bride defined the strong foundation, during playing classical piano. He had a Harvey Schadler...... B.S. ChemE, 1953...... 11/30/14...... Schenectady, NY moved to Ithaca that year where they his period as Director, for the School’s light-hearted side, being a member Robert L. Johnson...... B.S. ChemE, 1953...... 11/10/14...... Jupiter, FL remained for the rest of their lives. balanced focus on graduate research and of the Savage Club, a social club for undergraduate teaching that frames its Arlington Harman...... B.S. ChemE, 1954...... 1/24/15...... Greenwood, SC Joan Elsen Smith died in 2003 after a the performing arts, while a student marriage of 57 years. Julian Smith served programs today.” and rejoining in his forties, remaining Irwin Kaufman...... B.S. ChemE, 1954...... 2/25/15...... Washington, DC as associate professor starting in 1949 Smith was a Cornell man first and a member to the end. His humorous Robert Bunting...... B.S. ChemE, 1955...... 3/2/15...... Hilton Head Island, SC and then as a full professor in 1953. He last. His parents were both Cornell compositions, both words and music, in Edgar Averill...... B.S. ChemE, 1957...... 3/10/15...... La Habra Heights, CA became Director of Continuing Education graduates, father Julian Smith Senior in the style of Flanders and Swann, were 1900, and mother Bertha Smith in 1901. At John R. Atwater...... B.S. ChemE, 1958...... 2/4/15...... Exeter, NH for the Engineering College in 1965, and a feature of many performances at the Director of Engineering in 1975, returning least another ten relatives from the 1860’s Savage Club. Edward Kramer...... B.S. ChemE, 1961...... 12/27/14...... Santa Barbara, CA to teaching in 1983 and finally retiring to the present day have attended Cornell He is survived by son Robert Elsen Alan Rowland Goelzer...... B.S. ChemE, 1963...... 11/23/14...... Durham, NH in 1986. He was a joint author of the including Julian’s son, Brian Smith, and Smith, daughter-in-law Donna Chuzi, Philip A. Palmer...... B.S. ChemE, 1963, M.Eng. 1964...... 4/17/15...... Newark, DE internationally important textbook, Unit grandson, Daniel Smith. grandson Daniel Worthington Smith, Smith was a valued consultant to Robert A. Fisher...... B.S. ChemE, 196, M.Eng. 1966...... 5/20/15...... Irvine, CA Operations in Chemical Engineering, and daughter Diane Louise Brook, son-in-law made contributions to another five books DuPont for decades, and to various David Charles Brook, granddaughters James Staid...... M.S. ChemE, 1965, M.Eng. 1966...... 5/22/15...... Ithaca, NY as well as authoring 50 technical articles. government agencies. In Ithaca, he has Joanna Katherine Brook and Lisa Margaret Jeffrey F. Ellis...... B.S. ChemE, 1974...... 4/7/15...... Laytonsville, MD At the end of the last revision of the served in leadership roles with the Ithaca Brook, and son Brian Richard Smith, Robert Matusiak...... M.S. ChemE, 1971...... 2/25/15...... Silver Spring, MD textbook, the publisher was pushing him Opera Association, the United Way daughter-in-law Kim Kristie Veronica and the Cerebral Palsy Association, to John Harriott...... B.S. ChemE, 1979...... 3/5/15...... Winston Salem, NC to meet a deadline. “I am 85, you know,” McClain, and granddaughter Celeste Smith said. name just a few; he also was an elder of Juliana Smith. He is also survived by Fiona Wilcher...... B.S. ChemE, 1980...... 10/31/14...... Glencoe, IL Lynden Archer, the current Director of the First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca, nephews, nieces, their families, and William C. Rippe...... B.S, ChemE, 1981...... 7/21/15...... Westport, CT Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, where he sang in the choir for almost 50 cousins. years. In retirement, Smith was a member

16 | OLIN Hall News 17 | OLIN Hall News Faculty News & Awards

FACULTY NEWS & AWARDS faculty. The Professor of Practice title is a new academic title ratified by the Cornell Faculty Senate to help attract, to academia, distinguished professors who have pursued careers in industry. Center’s appointment is a reflection of the strong record of service he has rendered to the school, to the College of Engineering, and to Cornell over a 16-year—post industry retirement—career teaching the school’s capstone Unit Operations Laboratory and Chemical Plant Design courses. As educational institutions. at understanding molecular scale physics part of the evaluation process that led to Susan Daniel This project is aimed at promoting of macromolecules and colloids through Center’s elevation to the title Professor of Associate Professor Susan Daniel the sustainability efforts of a rural village computer simulations. The citation for Practice, we solicited letters from former was awarded the College of Engineering in India by hands-on involvement in his award reads: “For the elucidation and students and from external advisors for Alice H. & Constance E. Cook Award. Chris Alabi Lynden Archer energy-related service projects. The first prediction of complex phases formed the capstone courses. Center consistently Named in honor of the late Constance Chris Alabi, Assistant Professor, Lynden Archer, William C. Hooey such project will involve the design and by block copolymers, elastomers, and received high praise from his students and E. Cook, Cornell’s first woman vice was recognized with a 2014 Research Director, was elected the James A. fabrication of a biodigester. colloidal suspensions of anisotropic peer instructors alike for the passion with president, and the late Professor Emeritus Starter Award from the Pharmaceuticals Friend Family Distinguished Professor particles, and the advancement of novel which he has approached teaching Process Alice E. Cook, founding member of the Foundation (PhRMA). in Engineering by vote of the Board of Monte Carlo simulation methods.” The PhRMA Foundation Research Trustees. This distinction recognizes and Plant Design and for the innovations Advisory Committee on the Status of Starter Award is a prestigious early Archer’s uniformly outstanding he has brought to teaching these subjects. Women, the Award honors individuals career grant award designed to recognize contributions as a researcher, educator, and Another consistent theme that defines for their commitment to women’s issues young scientists of exceptional promise. most recently as director of the school. Center’s tenure on the academic staff is and their contributions for changing the The award is specifically intended to that he has injected a needed element climate for women at Cornell. Daniel’s catalyze innovative work by young of realism in the chemical engineering award recognizes her leadership role in the scholars in the areas of biopharmaceutics undergraduate curriculum that is fueling professional development and mentoring and pharmaceutical technology targeted sentiments among employers of our of students and postdoctoral associates at development of safe and effective students that Cornell Chemical and in the department. Her inspired and therapeutics. Biomolecular Engineering graduates are impactful leadership of the group CBE Alabi’s award will support work among the best prepared in the country. Women was singled out for special praise. on design and development of modular bioconjugates for enhanced cytoplasmic Paulette Clancy Fernando Escobedo delivery of short interfering RNA (siRNA) Paulette Clancy, Samuel W. and Claude Cohen Fernando Escobedo, Marjorie L. therapeutics. The work will also develop M. Diane Bodman Professor, and Dr. Hart Professor of Engineering, has been Claude Cohen, Fred H. Rhodes engineering principles for a novel modular Julie Nucci (MSE) won an ICC grant to elected Fellow of the American Physical Professor, has retired after 38 years of bioconjugate-based dual delivery strategy fund a collaboration that links Cornell’s Society (APS). Election to fellowship in the Julius Lucks outstanding research, teaching and that decouples the requirements of drug engineering students with Indian students American Physical Society is a recognition Assistant Professor Julius Lucks is the service in the School of Chemical and uptake from endosomal escape, with the on service projects related to renewable by peers for outstanding contributions recipient of a 2015 Faculty Early Career Biomolecular Engineering. Cohen is ultimate aim of rationally designing cell- Alfred M. Center energy. to physics. Escobedo was recognized Development Award from the National now an emeritus professor in the school, specific therapeutics. Senior Lecturer Alfred M. Center In India, the collaboration is headed by the APS Division of Computational Science Foundation. The Career Award is effective July 1, 2015. was promoted to the rank of Professor by Samir Somaiya, B.S. ’90, whose Physics for his path-defining work aimed the most prestigious recognition given by of Practice by unanimous vote of the family founded the Somaiya Vidyavihar

18 | OLIN Hall News 19 | OLIN Hall News Faculty CBE News & AWARDS NEWS

the NSF to teacher-scholars early in their academic careers. Lucks’ NSF Career proposal titled, CBE NEWS & EVENTS ‘Uncovering Quantitative Design Principles of RNA Regulators for Synthetic achieving tight blood glucose control, Biology,’ aims to pioneer quantitative, without hypoglycemia, to significantly multi-level design principles for RNA reduce diabetic complications which structure/function relationships. are debilitating, costly and pervasive. Lucks proposes to use this knowledge As president and CEO, Zion raised to create new types of RNA-mediated $10 million over the course of six years genetic controls and new RNA genetic from private investors to develop networks for tailoring gene expression the technology and demonstrate its logic and dynamics. The work builds upon preclinical safety and efficacy. In 2010, recent efforts in his group, which led to Merck acquired the company for upfront and milestone payments in excess the creation of a new RNA-based genetic Abraham D. Stroock University and, before joining the faculty at Northwestern University, worked at of $500 million and is now actively regulatory mechanism which can be used Abraham D. Stroock was promoted Argonne National Laboratory. commercializing the technology for the to selectively activate gene expression. Dr. Todd C. Zion to the rank of full professor by vote of treatment of diabetes. the Board of Trustees. Stroock’s research uses experiment and theory to study the 2014 Raymond G. The lecture focused on one example of 2015 Julian C. Smith coupling of thermodynamics, transport Thorpe Lecture a Cornell chemical engineer’s influence on Lecture Series phenomena and chemical kinetics in the fields of medicine and pharmaceutical man-made and biological systems. He he 2014 Raymond G. Thorpe development, both of which were is widely regarded as an innovator and Lecture was delivered on Monday, superficially unrelated to his areas of core thought leader of the field. His scholarly T October 20, 2014 in Olin Hall. expertise, but tapped into fundamental contributions have been documented in Dr. Todd C. Zion (B.S. ChemE ’97) principles Zion is able to trace with a research papers and invited publications presented a lecture titled: Chemical bright line to his formative years in Olin in leading journals of the field, including and Biomolecular Engineering: A Hall. Journal of the American Chemical Society, Fundamental Education for Changing the Although Zion did not have Frances H. Arnold Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy World. Professor Thorpe as a teacher during his undergraduate days at Cornell, he rances H. Arnold of Caltech, of Science and Science. Stroock’s work has In a stimulating lecture, Zion pointed out that even before Professor started his journey as a product of the rich delivered the 2015 Julian C. Smith also been featured in popular press pieces Thorpe’s days in the School of Chemical legacy Professor Thorpe’s commitment to Lecture Series on April 13 and 14, in Nature News, C&E News, Los Angeles Roseanna Zia F Paul Steen Engineering through today’s embodiment undergraduate education created in the 2015. A pioneer of directed evolution Times and Science Business Exchange. Assistant Professor Roseanna Zia Paul Steen, Maxwell M. Upson of the school, Cornell chemical engineers department. He credits T. Michael Duncan, of biological molecules as a strategy for was selected to take part in the National Professor, was named Associate Editor have spawned and profoundly influenced the Raymond G. Thorpe Professor in CBE engineering better enzymes, regulatory Fengqi You Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) 21st of the new Nature journal, Microgravity. a seemingly disconnected but world- for many of his formative experiences circuitry and organisms, Arnold is one of Professor Fengqi You will join the Annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Steen’s selection as Associate Editor changing array of technical fields. He both inside the classroom and in research. only 20 persons in history to be inducted CBE faculty in July 2016 as the inaugural symposium in Irvine, Calif., as one of the recognizes his diverse scholarly contended that throughout that time, After leaving Cornell, Zion spent a brief into all three U.S. National Academies holder of the Roxanne E. and Michael ‘nation’s brightest young engineers.’ contributions to the field, including his the fundamental principles of chemical stint at Eastman Kodak and then went on (National Academy of Engineering (NAE), J. Zak Professorship in Energy Systems Eighty-nine engineers under the age pioneering work on capillary instabilities, engineering have remained the same to complete his Ph.D. dissertation at M.I.T. National Academy of Science, Institute for Engineering. You’s research interests focus of 45 who are performing exceptional osmotic pumping and nonlinear dynamics. and have served as the basis from which focusing on biomaterials engineering. Medicine). In 2011 she was also recognized on development of novel computational engineering research and technical work in It also recognizes his prior outstanding the fields of materials science, polymer In the process, he founded SmartCells, with the National Medal of Technology models, optimization methods, and a variety of disciplines will come together service as Associate Editor of the Journal engineering, petroleum engineering, Inc., to develop the world’s first glucose- Innovation from President Obama and systems analysis tools for energy systems, for the event. The participants—from of Fluid Mechanics during a critical 12-year semiconductor manufacturing, alternative regulated insulin (GRI) formulation for with the Draper Prize from the NAE. process engineering and sustainability. You industry, academia, and government— period (2000-2012). energy initiatives and biomedical treating diabetes. GRI addresses the most During her two-day lecture, Arnold received his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon were nominated by fellow engineers or engineering have emerged among others. important challenge for diabetes therapy: presented two talks titled, Design organizations.

20 | OLIN Hall News 21 | OLIN Hall News CBE NEWS

by Evolution (or “Sex and the Better specific examples from her work, she Even though upwards of 75 percent of concentrated on the electrolyte Spring 2015: Biocatalyst”) and Evolution of Novelty: showed how directed evolution could be heterologous proteins over the past ten formulation, aiming at reversible Melissa Takahashi and Expanding Nature’s Catalytic Repertoire, used to create new enzymes that catalyze years have been made in E. coli, protein striping-plating lithium ions. Ionic Ashley Macner in which she discussed the intrinsic value important reactions not known in nature. misfolding, and thus low production, liquid have, for instance, triggered great Melissa Takahashi of the Lucks Group of using the one proven algorithm for continue to plague this popular production interest due to their low vapor pressure, presented, Uncovering structure-function biological design—evolution—to engineer The Austin Hooey organism. To solve this problem, we non-flammability, good thermal and design principles of RNA transcriptional biological molecules and systems to solve Graduate Research propose the use of natural protein quality electrochemical stabilities. To remove repressors: Synthetic biology promises human problems. Excellence control, the innate ability of a cell to the shortcomings of conventional ionic to transform the fields of biotechnology Arnold described her innovation Recognition Award recognize the folding-state of a protein, liquid such as low lithium ion transference and medicine by developing new as “a powerful approach to engineering to identify protein variants that are well number and low mechanical strength, technologies for the production of drugs, the biological world, directed evolution he Austin Hooey Graduate folded, focus protein libraries towards we developed a family of ionic liquid- fuels and even cell-based therapeutics. both circumvents and underscores our Research Excellence Recognition isolating active members and establish Yingying Lu nanoparticle hybrid electrolytes (SiO2-IL- At the heart of these applications is the profound ignorance of how sequence Award is the highest award given design principles that govern protein TFSI). These hybrid electrolytes are also ability to manipulate cellular behavior T work are shedding light on the poorly encodes function.” The first lecture also to a graduate student by the School of folding in E. coli. deliberately constructed to incorporate through engineering synthetic gene understood Tat quality-control mechanism explored ways to emulate evolution in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. In this work, we have created a a supporting electrolytes (extra anions networks. Historically these networks and guiding future protein engineering order to create enzymes with desirable The award recognizes outstanding two-tiered directed evolution strategy and immobile cations), which theory were built using proteins that regulate attempts that exploit this pathway. properties. The notion that an enzyme can contributions to scholarship and research that enables optimization of enzyme suggests should play a decisive role in transcription, but recently RNAs have Yingying Lu of the Archer Group take on new capabilities by accumulating towards a Ph.D. degree. Each student is production while maintaining high dendrite nucleation. The presence of emerged as versatile molecules that can be presented a talk titled, Ionic liquid- beneficial mutations over a small fraction given $500 and the opportunity to present biological activity. The first tier involves a hard nanoparticles in the electrolytes engineered to regulate nearly all aspects tethered hybrid materials: Science of its sequence emerged as simultaneously their research to the department. This genetic selection for intracellular protein is also expected to enhance the bulk of gene expression. It has been shown and Applications in Lithium Metal intuitive and brilliant. Arnold further year’s four winners are profiled below: stability that is based on the folding quality mechanical strength and to potentially that RNA transcriptional repressors demonstrated how structure-guided control mechanism inherent to the twin- batteries. Significant improvements improve the dielectric properties of the derived from natural mechanisms called recombination can be used to advantage Fall 2014: arginine translocation pathway (Tat), while in safe and stable rechargeable battery electrode/electrolyte interface. The former attenuators can be used as building blocks performance are needed for lithium metal for generating sequences that are much Jason Boock and Yingying Lu the second is a semi-high-throughput (supporting electrolyte) feature can be for both signal integration logic circuits batteries (LMBs) due to non-uniform more diverse, but still retain the parental Jason Boock of the DeLisa Group screen for protein function. To demonstrate shown to reduce the potential gradient and transcriptional cascades. In order to fold and function. the utility of this strategy, we isolated electrodeposition of lithium that occurs caused by any inhomogeneities in ion build more sophisticated circuitry, larger presented, Expanding the capabilities of naturally on the negative electrode. In her second talk, Evolution of a bacterial quality control mechanism for variants of the endoglucanase Cel5A from distribution during cell polarization, libraries of orthogonal attenuators that Novelty: Expanding Nature’s Catalytic These uneven structures, loosely termed the engineering of enzymes: The gram- a fungal plant pathogen whose production which reduces the electric field near the function independently are required, Repertoire, Arnold explained how was increased by as much as 30-fold over dendrites, increase the potential risk of negative electrode facilitating uniform however their mechanistic complexity negative bacterium E. coli remains the the cell short-circuiting during operation, synthetic biology for biofuels production preferred host for biotechnological protein the parental enzyme. Importantly, by lithium deposition. The latter effect has made them difficult to engineer. To and for manufacturing chemicals has combining the folding filter afforded by fading in the amount of energy stored (enhanced interfacial strength) reduces address this, we uncover a new structure- production due to its well studied and in a single charge or even fire hazards. depended on reassembling existing easily manipulated genetics, fast doubling the cellular quality control with a function- the magnitude of lithium deformation function design principle for attenuators enzymes into new biosynthetic based screen, we show that it is possible to Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are designed during the intercalation/deintercalation that will enable the forward engineering times, low culture cost, and ability to to eliminate the dendrite problem by pathways. She showed that many desired grow to high density in fermentations. enrich for variants with increased protein process because of the electrolyte’s high of new RNA transcriptional repressors, transformations fall outside the reach of abundance in a manner that does not hosting lithium in a graphite material, but storage modulus and may also broaden and shed light onto the functioning of known enzyme-catalyzed transformations compromise catalytic activity, providing in practice a LIB can be transformed to the interfacial region near the electrode/ natural RNA gene expression regulators. or can be made more efficiently using a highly soluble parent for engineering a LMB by charging too fast or too much electrolyte interface over which the Using in-cell SHAPE-Seq to characterize synthetic chemistry. Thus, a future where of improved or new function. Further, because the potential difference between electrode potential falls to zero. the structures of attenuators within E. coli, metabolic engineering might produce we have characterized several of the lithium ion insertion and deposition is The tethered ionic liquids are and molecular dynamics simulations to nearly all of the organic molecules upon improved variants to begin determining relatively small. Thus, solving the dendrite also known as the solid electrolyte model attenuator structure fluctuations, which society depends is still somewhat which biophysical properties are enriched problem is critical for both LMBs and LIBs. interface (SEI) stabilizer probably by we show that interior loop structures distant. through the directed evolution process. Recent discoveries and advances have generating lithium fluoride. In the effort within attenuator hairpins lead to Not satisfied with nature’s vast During this process, we discovered focused on electrolyte reconfigurations to understand the importance of SEI, flexibility critical to function. We further catalytic repertoire, Arnold demonstrated the chaperone-like activity of a component for the sake of suppressing or even we investigated the stability of lithium show that hairpin flexibility is found in how one would go about creating new of the Tat pathway, for the first time eliminating dendrite formation, but these electrodeposition in common liquid the stem loop structures of natural RNA enzymes to expand the range of genetically showing its direct involvement in efforts have met with only limited success. electrolytes reinforced by halogenated translational repressors. Finally, we design encoded chemistry. With the help of Jason Boock cellular quality control. The results of this Many recent studies have lithium salts. new transcriptional attenuators in silico,

22 | OLIN Hall News 23 | OLIN Hall News CBE WOMEN’S NEWS EVENT

a cooled surface affects drop growth and times is of interest from a technology coalescence which, in turn, influences standpoint, accurate simulation of the CBE Graduate Women’s Group how a population of drops evolves. transient state is important because Steam is condensed onto a horizontally steady-state dropwise condensation can hosts the 6th annual Women’s oriented surface that has been treated by be thought of as a collection of transient silanization to deliver either a spatially dropwise condensation cycles occurring uniform contact-angle (hydrophilic, in parallel. Traditional simulation of Outreach in Materials, Energy hydrophobic) or a continuous radial dropwise condensation has focused on gradient of contact-angles (hydrophobic making comparisons with experimental and Nanobiotechnology event to hydrophilic). The time evolution of drop-size distributions at single instants n March 21, 2015, the CBE high school girls came to campus and college admissions and hear from current number-density and associated drop- in time, typically at later times, after size distributions are measured. For the process has reached a statistical Graduate Women’s Group participated in hands-on science activities, students and faculty about the process a uniform surface, the shape of the steady-state. Additionally, a constant Ohosted the 6th annual Women’s including DNA extraction from bananas of becoming a chemical engineer. Over drop-size distribution is unique and temperature difference between the steam Outreach in Materials, Energy and and perfume distillation. Parents and 40 volunteers helped to make the event a can be used to identify the progress of and the substrate is assumed. While this Nanobiotechnology event. Tenth grade students had a chance to learn about huge success. condensation. In contrast, the drop-size assumption is valid for metal surfaces Ashley Macner and Melissa Takahashi distribution for a gradient surface, relative possessing a high thermal conductivity, to a uniform surface, shifts towards a this assumption is not necessarily true for and observe that this ‘hairpin flexibility population of small drops. The frequent low thermal conductivity surfaces such rule’ must be upheld for proper attenuator sweeping of drops truncates maturation as glass. We report a way to simulate function in the cell. This work establishes of the first generation of large drops the entire transient portion of dropwise a new design principle of RNA-RNA and locks the distribution shape at the condensation using a population-averaged interactions relevant to both natural and initial distribution. The absence of a isolated drop growth rate measured synthetic RNA gene regulators. Moving shape change indicates that dropwise directly from experiments using single forward, we anticipate that this design condensation has reached a steady drop tracking to grow the drops. The principle will lead to the rapid design of state. Previous reports of heat transfer simulation reasonably predicts the time new synthetic RNA regulators. enhancement on chemical gradient evolution of the number density of drops, Ashley Macner of the Steen Group surfaces can be explained by this shift the fractional coverage, the normalized presented, Simulating Transient towards smaller drops, from which the condensate volume and the median drop Dropwise Condensation on a Low high heat transfer coefficients in dropwise radius for condensation experiments Thermal Conductivity Substrate: During condensation are attributed to. Terrestrial performed on the underside of a dropwise condensation from vapor applications using gravity as the primary horizontal hydrophobic surface exposed to onto a cooled surface, distributions of removal mechanism also stand to benefit a coolant temperature of 1 degree Celsius. drops evolve by nucleation, growth from inclusion of gradient surfaces because In the case of a glass surface chemically and coalescence. Drop surface coverage the critical threshold size required for drop coated with dodecyltrichlorosilane, it was dictates the heat transfer characteristics movement is reduced. found that use of a constant temperature and depends on both drop size and Simulation of the entire transient difference grossly under predicts the heat number of drops present on the surface portion of dropwise condensation for transfer. Re-examination of the single drop at any given time. Thus, manipulating a low thermal conductivity surface heat transfer model that incorporates the drop distributions is crucial to maximizing was also completed. During dropwise thermophysical properties of the solid, heat transfer. On earth, manipulation condensation, distributions of drop-sizes shows that in the limit of low thermal is achieved with gravity. However, in evolve primarily through coarsening conductivity, the drop growth rate is applications with small length scales by coalescence. The instantaneous heat constant for large drops (R>78 μm). In the or in low gravity environments, other transfer performance of a surface is opposite limit of infinitely high thermal methods of removal, such as a surface dictated by the number and size of drops conductivity, the traditional constant energy gradient, are required. This study on the surface at any instant in time. temperature dependence is recovered. Members of the CBE Graduate Women’s Group with local high school students examines how chemical modification of While performance averaged over longer

24 | OLIN Hall News 25 | OLIN Hall News STAFF ChEGSA NEWS

2014 William C. Hooey in both of these positions successfully on in Professor Christopher Alabi’s lab Outstanding Staff Award prepared her for her current position and in the main office, moved on to 5th Annual Graduate Carol Casler as Undergraduate Coordinator in the a position at Weill Cornell under the Carol Casler School of Chemical and Biomolecular direction of a pediatric physician. received the 2014 Engineering. For the past 16 years, Student Research William C. Hooey Casler has worked independently, but Hunter Salem Outstanding Staff under the general supervision of the We thank our student colleague, Hunter Award. The award Director of Undergraduate Studies, T. Salem, for his contributions to CBE Symposium was established in Michael Duncan, and provides a full and congratulate him on his May 2015 2011 by the School range of administrative support to the graduation. he Chemical Engineering Graduate of Chemical and department’s undergraduate program. Student Association hosted the 5th Winning Carol Casler Biomolecular Szczepura-McLean Welcome T Annual Graduate Student Research photos Engineering (CBE) to recognize a member began her Cornell Stephanie Smallman Symposium, offering graduate students of the staff who goes above and beyond career at the S.C. Stephanie Smallman the opportunity to present their research her job responsibilities in helping the Johnson School was hired into to their colleagues and see the breadth of from the School and its faculty execute all aspects of Management the departmental research happening in the department. of CBE’s mission. Casler has worked at overseeing the Administrative The day-long event featured posters and Picture Cornell since 1990 and in CBE for the operational aspects Assistant position on talks by senior graduate students, as well last 15 years. She supports the traditional of MBA recruiting April 13, 2015, after as a keynote lecture delivered by Professor Competition as well as evolving objectives of the Celia Szczepura-McLean for four years before moving to Ithaca Submitted by Bryan Rolfe (Joo Group) Roseanna Zia. undergraduate program, the teaching transitioning to research and departmental from Rochester, N.Y., faculty and all prospective, current administration in Crop and Soil Sciences, Stephanie Smallman where she worked and past ChemE undergraduates. Her and then at the KAUST-Cornell Center for for five years for the Monroe County Auto efforts and strategic advice have helped Energy and Sustainability before joining License Bureau. She received her B.S. in the School move forward overcoming CBE as the Director of Administration. English Literature from SUNY Brockport. challenges and pursuing opportunities. She effectively and professionally supports Congratulations Tara R. Walworth a significant and diverse set of needs Tammy Wildenstein Tara R. Walworth and we congratulate her on this honor We want to joined the Energy recognizing her diligent and dedicated acknowledge our Institute on June efforts. appreciation for 17, 2015, as an Tammy Wildenstein’s Administrative Years of Service efforts in grant Assistant. Walworth Carol Casler and proposal support has worked at Celia Szczepura-McLean and congratulate Cornell since 2007, We celebrate Carol Casler and Celia her as she moves Tara R. Walworth most recently Szczepura-McLean’s 25 and 15 years of Tammy Wildenstein into the College providing administrative support to the service to Cornell, respectively. Casler of Engineering centralized Research Video Production Group in Marketing. began her career with Cornell in 1992 in Administrative Support Center. We look She earned her Associate’s Degree the Bursar’s Office as a Loan Account forward to continuing to work with her as from Onondaga Community College in Representative. After four years with the well as her new colleagues. Communications. Bursar’s Office, she took a new position with Student Services in the College of Andrew Cosachov Engineering’s Registrar’s Office. Casler’s Andrew Cosachov, who worked with us good rapport with students and faculty initially as a student and then continued Submitted by Kaifu Bian (Hanrath Group)

26 | OLIN Hall News 27 | OLIN Hall News CORNELL’S STAFF PROGRAMS CHEME CAR

The Elves Holiday Program ChemE Car Comes in First

ver the past year, the School surrounding area. The program has The Summer Backpack Program of Chemical and Biomolecular provided clothing, school supplies and assists local students with their back-to- OEngineering (CBE) staff in Olin toys to thousands of students from dozens school needs. CBE staff coordinated a and Snee Halls volunteered their time of area schools. collection of school supplies and monetary to participate in both the Cornell Elves CBE staff coordinated a collection of donations to purchase 11 backpacks and Holiday Program and the Cornell Summer items and monetary donations from nOlin filled them with school supplies for local ornell’s ChemE Car student project competition, teams are given a specific allowed from each university. This means Backpack Program. Hall residents for two deserving children. elementary school children. The backpacks team traveled to Boston on March distance their car needs to travel as well as that early in the fall we will have an The Elves Holiday Program was Gifts were then purchased, wrapped and were delivered shortly before the school 7 and 8, 2015 to compete in the a specific weight that needs to be carried. internal car-off between our power teams founded in 1989 to benefit underprivileged delivered to the ‘Elf Leader’ for holiday year started. C Northeast Regionals of the American Teams then break out their computers to determine which is the most consistent children in Tompkins County and the delivery. Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and crunch the numbers to figure out the and best candidate to compete.” ChemE Car Competition. The competition, technical settings for their two allowed The team has more than 50 members, hosted jointly by Northeastern University runs. representing six different majors. The and MIT, included 15 teams from Cornell’s fuel cell-powered car team’s Faculty Advisor is Professor universities throughout the northeastern finished 104 centimeters from the target Roseanna Zia. While not predicting a United States. distance, which was close enough for third first place finish in the national finals, Cornell’s ChemE Car did remarkably place. Cornell’s battery-powered car came Fu is excited by Cornell’s chances in well, finishing in first and third place in to a stop a remarkable 46 centimeters from November. “I feel extremely proud of all the car competition and also coming in the target distance, which gave it a first the members for working together so well first in the technical poster competition. place finish. With their strong showing and for their amazing dedication to the The Cornell ChemE Car team has been in Boston, the team has qualified for the team. I feel that we are in a good position National Champion three times since 2008. national finals to be held in Salt Lake City, going into Nationals with multiple power This is the first time the Cornell ChemE Utah in November. teams ready to take on the challenge of Car team has taken top honors in the Team Lead Yechun Fu ’15 says competing against the best teams in the Poster Competition. that it is not yet clear which of the two country,” she said. The ChemE Car competition is Cornell cars will travel to Salt Lake City. not a race. Rather, one hour before the “Competition rules say only one car is

28 | OLIN Hall News 29 | OLIN Hall News STUDENT PROFILES

Why did you decide to attend Cornell? in my Peer Advising class are affiliated I’m from California and I really now, and that makes me happy! UNDERGRADUATE wanted to experience the seasons, so What advice do you have for current I applied to schools on the East Coast. student leaders or those looking to Cornell in particular stood out because of commit to leadership positions? the engineering co-op program. I think Peer Advising is a great STUDENT PROFILES What leadership positions did you way to start, because they train you of work and assigning tasks to others. You hold while at Cornell? in communication skills and give you simply cannot take on every responsibility. I was co-captain of the women’s club some freedom in choosing activities for water polo team. I have also served as a your class. Also, it’s really important to What are your goals post-graduation? teaching assistant for ENGRD 2190, an remember how you felt when you were in After graduation, I will be pursuing a orientation supervisor and a peer adviser the shoes of the people you are leading. Ph.D. at Stanford in bioengineering. for ENGRG 1050. Transitioning to college can be tough What’s your favorite Olin Hall/ChemE What were your major and chemical engineering classes are no memory? accomplishments as a leader? walk in the park, so being a good listener and providing support is critical. Finally, My favorite memory is winning the I try to inspire enthusiasm in others, working with a professor whose teaching Cornell Engineering Alumni Association whether it is motivating my teammates style I respect and who places emphasis Undergraduate Research Award (pictured to come to practice, trying to make new Katherine Fein ’15 on teaching the TAs to teach well had an left). I won’t remember it, however, material easy to understand or welcoming irreplaceable impact on my leadership for the accomplishment, but rather the new students to Cornell. Why did you decide to attend Cornell? aggregate of all the wonderful experiences, I loved the campus from the first time experience. What advice do you have for current From left to right: Assistant Dean Betsy East, Kyle Watters, Timothy Abbott, Professor Julius Lucks, and memories, companionships and I visited, and everyone I met while visiting What are your goals post-graduation? Jennifer Warner ‘04 student leaders, or those looking to knowledge I have gained as a researcher. seemed so happy here. Also, the fact that I am going to graduate school to Tim Abbott ’15 commit to leadership positions? What were your major Cornell is academically strong in so many pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering accomplishments as a leader? It is definitely possible to balance Why did you decide to attend Cornell? departments reassured me that no matter at Carnegie Mellon. I would like to I don’t have any tangible schoolwork and leadership. Make sure to what classes I took and which major I I decided to attend Cornell because study drug delivery or some other accomplishments as a leader, but I watch out for deadlines so you don’t create chose, I would get a good education. I honestly didn’t know exactly what I biomolecular or health application of have helped our team brainstorm and more work for yourself than is necessary. wanted to do. I discovered in high school What leadership positions did you chemical engineering. I think I want to test multiple projects and form a solid that I loved chemistry, but also the medical What are your goals post-graduation? hold while at Cornell? work in research and development in foundation for thorough and sound future and engineering aspects of biology. In I co-op’ed with Air Products during I was a Peer Advisor for three years the pharmaceutical industry, but I’ve work. I have also helped secure future my mind, Cornell had the best mix of my junior year and I will be returning to and I have been a teaching assistant for learned the value of not making blanket generations of our team through recruiting strong chemical, biological and biomedical work there full-time this summer. two chemical engineering classes: Mass statements about the future. As a freshman multiple members. engineering. If chemical engineering, my What’s your favorite Olin Hall/ChemE and Energy Balances, and Chemical and sophomore I swore I would head first choice, didn’t suit me, I could easily What advice do you have for current memory? Kinetics and Reactor Design. straight to industry and not get a graduate student leaders or those looking to degree, but my plans shifted as I realized switch to another discipline. Additionally, Overall, I love the camaraderie in What were your major commit to leadership positions? how much more I wanted to learn about Cornell felt like home to me. Ithaca is a our major. Although the work is hard, it’s accomplishments as a leader? very spacious and rural small town, much For those looking for future chemical engineering and how much comforting to know that there’s usually I think helping the freshman adjust like my own hometown. leadership positions: Never give up. You I liked research. So maybe I will be a someone else working in the basement. I to Cornell and watching them bond in the will never get the position if you don’t professor or teacher of some sort someday. What leadership positions did you also loved performing in the senior skit at Peer Advising class through team building try, so learn from your failures and move hold while at Cornell? the ChemE Holiday Party. activities and group discussions was my What’s your favorite Olin Hall/ChemE on. Whenever you are denied a position, I was the Biological Systems sub team best accomplishment. Also, I don’t know memory? find out why. This is a perfect opportunity leader on the ChemE Car team. if I can take credit, but a lot of the ChemE- I think it is the accumulation of little to learn and improve. For those who Katrina Curtiss ’15 intended freshmen students I met memories that makes me appreciate currently hold a position, find a balance this place so much. Our class spent a lot

30 | OLIN Hall News 31 | OLIN Hall News STUDENT STUDENT PROFILES AWARDS

of hours in the Scheele Undergraduate would challenge me beyond what I was to offer their own perspectives during Lounge working, and while it got really used to in high school. I wanted to meet general body meetings the following stressful sometimes, we were pretty good people from all walks of life to broaden fall. Hearing their speeches gave at making each other laugh. Also, a lot my perspective. Finally, I wanted to apply both sophomores and juniors further STUDENT Awards & Honors of my big “Aha!” moments happened my passion for science and mathematics understanding of engineering careers in this building, whether they were on to real problems. I knew that Cornell had and helped them to better navigate the American Institute of Chemical Cornell Engineering Merck Engineering and homework, projects or research. A bunch a rigorous engineering program, and I internship process. Engineers Othmer Sophomore Alumni Association (CEAA) Technology Fellowship of great memories also come from when felt that Cornell’s size would allow me to Academic Excellence Award Undergraduate Research What advice do you have for current Award I got to transition from being the student meet a wide variety of people. As a result, student leaders or those looking to to being the teacher; I loved holding I applied, was thankfully accepted and commit to leadership positions? office hours and helping other students decided to come. I have never looked back. Be proactive. Always be aware of your understand the same concepts I worked Oddly enough, what really sealed the responsibilities. Make sure you check in hard to learn. Finally, all the American deal for me was Ithaca’s gorgeous weather with those to whom you have delegated Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) the day I visited Cornell in the fall of my work. events were great, especially the picnics at senior year of high school. In hindsight, I Have energy. Nothing slows an the beginning and end of the year when can’t help but think that Ithaca tricked me organization like leaders who aren’t we got to enjoy the weather and get to a bit about the weather, especially in the motivated. Professor Archer (left) and Huma Haider (right) know each other and our professors better. winter. Professor Engstrom (left) and Saagar Shah (right) Finally, in the words of Henry James, Huma Haider ’15 What leadership positions did you Saagar Shah ’15 Professor Lucks (left) and Tim Abbott (right) “Three things in human life are important. Josh Porterfield ’15 hold while at Cornell? The first is to be kind. The second is to be This award was established by the AIChE Tim Abbott ’15 Ian MQueary ’15 I was the president of the Cornell kind. And the third is to be kind.” Respect to recognize undergraduate academic This award recognizes outstanding This fellowship was established by the chapter of the American Institute of is earned, not given. A little kindness to all excellence. undergraduate research. company to recognize undergraduate Chemical Engineers (AIChE). members of your organization goes a long Award for Outstanding Service scholastic and technical excellence. What were your major way. Genentech and George Scheele to the School accomplishments as a leader? What are your post-graduate goals? Outstanding Junior Award National Science Foundation The chemical engineering curriculum I will be attending the University Graduate Fellowships includes a required course known as of Texas at Austin to obtain a Ph.D. Career Perspectives, in which juniors in chemical engineering. I’m open to attend lectures about industry from exploring any number of opportunities Cornell alumni. It’s an excellent course, afterwards, including working in industry however, I shared the conviction with the or in academia. rest of my class that it was positioned too What’s your favorite Olin Hall/ChemE late in our junior year, as it was held in memory? the spring semester. At this point, many of One of my favorite ChemE memories my classmates already secured internship was a potluck that a couple of ChemEs Professor Archer (left) and Josh Porterfield (right) Sarah Miller (left) and Ray Zhuang (right) positions with companies for the Bill Wheatle ’15 threw together during my junior year. Josh Porterfield ’15 Bill Wheatle (left) and Professor Abruña (right) upcoming summer. We felt that it would Ray Zhuang ’15 Despite our hectic schedules and heavy Bill Wheatle ’15 Why did you decide to attend Cornell? have been better to gain perspectives This award recognizes outstanding service This award is sponsored by Genentech in workloads, it was refreshing to get Tim Abbott ’15 on industry and careers in chemical to the professional and social culture of the memory of Professor George F. Scheele, I come from a fairly disadvantaged together for dinner like we did. I certainly engineering earlier. School. former associate director of the school, This award recognizes outstanding background and was raised to believe that grew closer to classmates with whom I had Taking this to heart, the vice president to recognize academic excellence, and graduate students pursuing research- an education was the best way to elevate never spoken, and it was great to further and I decided to revamp the AIChE achievement in campus and professional based degrees in stem education. me from those conditions. With that in bond with friends outside of Olin Hall. general body meetings. We coordinated activities. mind, I wanted to get the best education Profiles written by Alison Gabay ‘16. I could and attend an institution that with alumni who had worked in industry

32 | OLIN Hall News 33 | OLIN Hall News STUDENT AWARDS CLASS OF 2015

congratulations to the class of 2015! Outstanding Chemical Procter and Gamble Technical Tau Beta Pi Scholarship The School awarded 81 Bachelor of entered positions in pharmaceuticals and a Ph.D. program, two are getting a Ph.D. in Engineering Undergraduate Excellence Award. Science degrees in chemical engineering in few are in electronics and semiconductors, bioengineering underway, one has started Research Award 2015. As of the middle of May, 50 percent food products and petroleum products. a Master of Science degree in chemical were employed in their professional Half of the class accepted employment engineering practice, while another has careers and 30 percent planned to continue among 30 companies. The largest begun an industrial engineering and their studies in graduate school. A dozen employers were Automation and Control operations research M.Eng., nine have graduates were seeking employment, Specialists, Air Products and Chemicals, entered a Cornell University M.Eng. and one planned to look for work in their and Deloitte, followed by 3M, Accenture program; two in biomedical engineering, home country. Two were undecided about and Irwin Engineers. The median starting one in financial engineering, one in their future plans. salary was $73,000. systems engineering and five in chemical Our recent graduates are employed Almost one-third of the class are engineering. Professor Zia (left) and Ruhani Arya (right) largely in the area of consulting, then continuing their academic pursuits: Professor Zia (left) and Christine Codignotto (right) Ruhani Arya ’15 chemicals and consumer products. Several Twelve have begun a chemical engineering Professor Paszek (left) and Michael Hollander (right) Christine Codignotto ’15 This scholarship was established by the Michael Hollander ’15 Established by the company to recognize engineering honor society to recognize This award recognizes a demonstrated undergraduate technical presentation exceptional senior engineering students. record of ability, indication of leadership, skills. and professional promise. Sphinx Head Society Ferdinand Rodriguez Outstanding Undergraduate Outstanding Student Award Teaching Assistant of the Year in Polymers and Electronic Award Materials

Professor Duncan (left) and Daniel Petralia (right) Daniel Petralia ’15 This award recognizes Cornell seniors who have demonstrated respectable strength Class of 2015 17 Bill Wheatle 34 Olivia Tiburzi 51 Emily Hsu 68 Ian McQueary Professor Center (left) and Danielle LaBarbiera (right) Professor Lucks (left) and Tim Abbott (right) of character on top of a dedication to 1 Heather Barton 18 Zach Wu 35 Jen Castor 52 Ruhani Arya 69 Tom Evanowski leadership and service. 2 Cara Becher 19 Ann Lu 36 Hyesoo Ko 53 Lindsay Dougherty 70 Charles Sharkey Emily Hsu ’15 Tim Abbott ’15 3 Kaitlyn Bacon 20 Bryan Malecky 37 Jessica Liu 54 Dan Petralia 71 Ian Slauch Danielle LaBarbiera ’15 Honoring Professor Rodriguez and 4 Carmen Lee 21 Danielle LaBarbiera 38 Jaehee Shin 55 Sam Masri 72 Adrienne Scott This award recognizes outstanding Chemical Engineering 5 Alicia Urrutia 22 Bari Grossman 39 Ji Min Yang 56 Mike Hoyt 73 Tom Hittinger recognizing outstanding achievements 6 Misha Baheti 23 Kaylyn Bacha 40 Jessica Grzyb 57 Michael Kemp 74 Bryan Warrington teaching by an undergraduate assistant Outstanding Scholar Award in academics and in the professional Saagar Shah ’15 7 Mishka Gidwani 24 Alexandra Koza 41 Nicole Klei 58 Jeff Horner 75 Travis Wasson and is chosen by the faculty. community. 8 Ranjita Gurijala 25 Sarah Kamal 42 Friyana Shah 59 Tim Abbott 76 Aziz Almajid This award recognizes outstanding 9 Christine Codignotto 26 Saddmun Ahsan 43 Muhammad Khan 60 Dan Kezerashvili 77 Airic Suarez scholarship and leadership in campus, 10 Athina Angel 27 Jonathan Mares 44 Ryan Douma 61 Oliver Zixian Lu 78 Josh Porterfield 11 Eri Tomita 28 Rebecca Chew 45 Dan Peng 62 Justin Schindler Not pictured: community and professional activities. 12 S. Huma Haider 29 Jeffrey Yee 46 Michael Hollander 63 Chris Canova Christian Choi 13 TeAnn Nguyen 30 Kevin Hung 47 Katrina Curtiss 64 J. Carl Schultz Chris Rogers 14 Anne Dickey 31 Ruize (Ray) Zhuang 48 Jing Zhang 65 David Perry Ogbogu Ukuku 15 Priya Tembhekar 32 Saagar Shah 49 Mohammad Radiyat 66 Siyang Qin Hannah Vining 16 Kathy Fein 33 Noor Alam 50 Zhiwen Huang 67 Mark Filipkowski

34 | OLIN Hall News 35 | OLIN Hall News Enhance the Graduate Experience Energy Economics and Engineering (EEE) Masters Fellowships Graduate Fellowships GIVING OPPORTUNITIES Our Energy Economics and Engineering Masters of Attracting talented graduate students to the School is a key Engineering concentration continues to provide a unique goal in our pursuit of excellence in research. Your gift will mechanism for preparing students with physical sciences We are grateful to the many alumni and friends of the department for their generous support allow the School to meet its goal of providing competitive and engineering backgrounds for careers in public policy, of the School and its programs. Your continued generosity allows us to sustain and enhance the graduate fellowships to every first-year graduate student engineering management and consulting. The high cost of quality of the School’s programs and its reputation for educating engineers at the top of the field. enrolled in the chemical engineering program. matriculating in the program presents a barrier to many Please review the list of giving opportunities below and consider a gift that will help the school talented applicants. Gifts will be used to provide named, Teaching Immersion Fellowships for Doctoral competitive fellowships for select students pursuing the accomplish one of the following objectives. Students EEE Masters of Engineering concentration.

The goal of CBE’s teaching immersion fellowships is to educating students. Gifts in support of the UO lab project Product Design for Manufacturing (PDM) Modernizing Olin Hall Infrastructure facilitate the development of doctoral students committed can be earmarked to either of the following two funds: Masters Fellowships for Research & Education to careers in academia. Gifts in support of these fellowships a current-use fund, which will support addition of new will be used to fund graduate students who serve as Beginning in Fall 2015 the School will offer a new Masters experiments and upgrades to existing experiments in Creation of a Cornell Institute for Biological teaching assistants in multiple courses. of Engineering concentration in Chemical Product Design Design and Manufacturing the laboratory; or an endowment, which will support for Manufacturing. The program combines coursework continuous improvement of the laboratory infrastructure. Graduate Student Research Symposium in chemical engineering, principles and practice of Chemical engineers at Cornell are using the principles of biological and engineering design to harness living product design and new business development with Restoring the Olin Hall Mural In 2010 CBE launched an annual graduate student research industrial internships to prepare chemical engineers able organisms for manufacturing chemical products. The symposium in which advanced graduate students present Institute for Biological Design and Manufacturing will to innovate and lead the emerging field of product design The Olin Hall mural, located in the Fred H. Rhodes talks and junior students present research posters to an capitalize on this trend to catalyze progress towards a for manufacturing. As with the EEE concentration, the Lounge, has been a centerpiece in the lounge for over audience of their peers, faculty and guests from industry. new ‘biomanufacturing economy,’ in which engineers high cost of matriculating in the Masters of Engineering a half-century. The mural depicts the rigorous journey This naming opportunity will provide endowed funds develop biological systems to manufacture new products— program presents an insurmountable barrier to many Cornell chemical engineers took in the Dusty Rhodes Era to to be used to continuously support the graduate student materials, therapeutic drugs and fuels—that address some talented applicants. With the specific aim of increasing the earn their undergraduate degree. It’s unvarnished and now research symposium. of the world’s most pressing problems. quality of the student pool enrolled in the PDM Masters of a clearly dated account of the undergraduate experience in Engineering program, gifts will be used to provide named, Olin Hall has been termed iconic by alumni and friends of Gifts in support of the institute will allow the School to competitive fellowships for select students pursuing the the School; the wall on which it is painted is easily the most renovate and upgrade space in Olin Hall that will house PDM concentration. photographed surface in Olin Hall by returning alumni. the institute. Your gift will also provide annual support for research and education programs in support of the The mural was originally painted in 1949 by Elizabeth institute’s mission. Adelaide Briggs, daughter of Professor Thomas R. Briggs, Upgrade the Unit Operations Laboratory a highly respected chemistry professor. It was first restored in 1980 by David Finn, son of our late colleague Emeritus For more information on The Unit Operations (UO) Laboratory is a capstone course Professor Bob Finn, through the generous support of Mike taken by all Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) Sfat B. ChE. ’43, and has since been restored two additional these or any other giving students in their senior year. CBE alumni credit the UO times (in 2000 and with minor renovations in 2010). lab for honing technical writing, teamwork and leadership opportunities, contact skills important to their career successes in diverse fields. The mural is again badly in need of restoration. With your Key to the success of the UO lab experience is a good help, we are committed to restoring the Olin Hall mural June Losurdo, Director of Development selection of experiments that produce reliable data. this year. A total donation of $25,000 is needed to complete [email protected] • 607-254-1643 this project. Any funds raised above this amount will be Our effort to upgrade the laboratory is a high priority held for future expected preservation and restoration of the for sustaining the School’s reputation for excellence in mural.

36 | OLIN Hall News 37 | OLIN Hall News 38 | OLIN Hall News