Matt Neurock is the recipient of the 2015 Robert Burwell Club News Lectureship in Catalysis 24th NAM June 14-19, 2015 Club Directory NACS Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Newsletter VOLUME XLIX, ISSUE 2 WWW.NACATSOC.ORG Back to Cover NACS Newsletter National Officers: President - one or more areas in the field of cataly- routes that prevail at the high surface Enrique Iglesia, University of Matt Neurock is the recipi- California-Berkeley; Vice- sis with emphasis on discovery and un- coverages relevant to catalytic practice, President - Bruce R. Cook,BP ent of the 2015 Robert Bur- Products NA, Inc.; Secretary - derstanding of catalytic phenomena, Hong-Xin Li, Zeolyst Internation- the direct participation of protic media al; Treasurer - C. Y. Chen, Chev- well Lectureship in Catalysis catalytic reaction mechanisms and as a co-catalyst, and the role of acid- ron Energy Technology Co.; Lead Trustee - Thomas F. identification and description of cata- base sites formed by hydroxyl interme- Degnan, University of Notre Dame; Communications Director lytic sites and species. diates on metals. His effective collabo- - Edrick Morales, Sasol Chemi- am pleased to an- cals (USA) LLC; Archivist - Uschi nounce that Professor Professor Matthew Neurock is be- rations with experimental groups have Graham, Topasol LLC. I ing recognized for his seminal contribu- led to fundamental and practical in- Club Representatives: Canada - Matthew Neurock of the Josephine Hill, University of tions to the development and applica- sights into the mechanisms of alkane Calgary; Chicago - Christopher L. University of Minnesota is Marshall, Argonne National La- the recipient of the2015 tion of theoretical and computational activation, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, boratory; Mexico - José Antonio de los Reyes, Universidad Au- Robert Burwell Lecture- methods to elucidate catalytic mecha- selective oxidation and hydrogenation tonoma Metropolitana, Campus Iztapalapa; Michigan - Eric ship in Catalysis of the nisms and the active sites involved. He of alkenes and oxygenates, hydrocar- Stangland, The Dow Chemical Company; New England - William North American Catalysis has pioneered first-principle kinetic bon and oxygenate hydrogenolysis re- C. (Curt) Conner, University of Massachusetts; New York - Israel Society, sponsored by Monte Carlo methods that explicitly actions, acid-catalyzed transformations, E. Wachs, Lehigh University; Organic Reactions Catalysis Johnson Matthey and ad- track molecular transformations on and electrocatalytic reduction- Society - Christopher W. Jones, Georgia Institute of Technology; ministered by The North realistic surfaces at relevant conditions, oxidation cycles. Pacific Coast - Alex Katz, Univer- sity of California-Berkeley; Phila- American Catalysis Socie- ab initio molecular dynamics methods delphia - Anne M. Gaffney, IN- VISTA; Pittsburgh–Cleveland - ty. It is awarded biennially in odd-numbered years. that describe complex metal-solution Enrique Iglesia, President Götz Veser, University of Pitts- burgh; Rocky Mountain -Ryan The award consists of a plaque and an honorarium of interfaces, and ab initio constant po- North American Catalysis Society Richards, Colorado School of Mines; Southeast - Steven H. $5,000. The plaque will be presented during the clos- tential methods for electrochemical Overbury, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Southwest - Mike ing banquet ceremonies at the 2015 North American systems to understand and aid the de- Bruce Cook, Vice President Reynolds, Shell; Tri-State (KY/ OH/WV) - Umit S. Ozkan, The Meeting of the Catalysis Society. An additional sign of catalytic and electrocatalytic North American Catalysis Society Ohio State University. $4,500 is available to cover travelling expenses in systems. Directors–at–Large: Jingguang G. Chen, Columbia University; North America. His group has used these methods, Robert J. Davis, University of Virginia; Maria Flytzani- Professor Neurock will present lectures at the local together with ab initio quantum chemi- Stephanopoulos, Tufts Universi- ty; Bruce Gates, University of catalysis clubs and societies during the two-year peri- cal treatments, to explore metals, al- California at Davis; Fabio H. Ribeiro, Purdue University; Stuart od covered by this award. loys, oxides, sulfides and zeolites and L. Soled, ExxonMobil. The Robert Burwell Lectureship in Catalysis is the mechanisms by which they medi- Copyright © 2015 The North American Catalysis Society given in recognition of substantial contributions to ate catalysis. These treatments have uncovered previously unrecognized Back to Cover NACS Newsletter forum for the exchange of the lat- and more than 600 poster presen- browsing world-class art and nat- est discoveries and state-of-the- tations. ural history museums, kayaking art technologies between indus- Named America’s “Most Liva- around downtown, or enjoying an trial and academic researchers ble City” for many years, Pitts- evening dinner cruise on the and practitioners of catalysis. burgh is a global model for eco- “three rivers” surrounding down- he 24th North American With a record number of abstract nomic and environmental trans- town Pittsburgh. T Meeting (NAM) of the North submissions and registrations, formation with a diversified econ- For more information, and to American Catalysis Society is com- we are confident that NAM24 will omy. It is a leader in higher edu- plan your conference visit, please ing up soon! If you are not already continue that storied tradition! cation with several world-class visit www.NAM24.org. planning on attending, make your The 24th NAM will feature universities and over 100,000 We look forward to welcoming plans now to attend the meeting plenary lectures by NACS award students in the greater Pittsburgh you to Pittsburgh in June! on June 14-19, 2015 at the David L. winners Hajo Freund (Fritz- area. The city is strategically lo- Lawrence Convention Center in Haber-Institute, Berlin), Chris- cated within about one hour flight Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! tophe Coperet (ETH Zu rich, Swit- of half of the U.S. and Canadian Since the first NAM in 1969, the zerland), and Anne Gaffney population. While attending the NAM meetings have grown into (USA), as well as 21 keynote lec- conference, you will find opportu- the premier biennial international tures by leaders in their fields of nities to socialize with colleagues meetings in catalysis, which offer a catalysis, 465 oral presentations, from around the globe while Back to Cover NACS Newsletter Program Chair Paul Dietrich gives the Pines Award plaque to Fabio Ribeiro while Discussion during the Poster Session. Herman Pines looks on. Catalysis Club of to fundamental, academic to industrial talysis research in the past five years. students evaluated as the best. Grego- Chicago — were discussed. The Award in his honor is co-sponsored ry Neumann of the Hicks group at The program included: by UOP, where Herman Pines began Notre Dame presented “Heteroatom Annual Spring Symposium • Herman Pines Awardee Address – his industrial career in 1930 and Substituted ZSM-5 for Low Tempera- Fabio Ribeiro (Purdue) amassed 145 US patents, and by the ture C-C Bond Coupling Reactions”, he Chicago Catalysis Club held its • Keynote Lecture – Matt Neurock Catalysis Club of Chicago of which Her- John Di Iorio of the Gounder group at Annual Spring Symposium at the T (Minnesota) man Pines was a founding member. Purdue presented “Ammonia Titration BP Research Center (150 West • 2 Invited Lectures – Rajamani Strong focuses at the symposium were Methods Probe the Dynamic Nature of Warrenville Road, Naperville, IL 60563) Gounder (Purdue) and David Flaherty hydrocarbon transformations, zeolites, Brønsted Acid Sites in Cu-SSZ-13 During on May 14, 2015. (University of Illinois – Urbana Cham- reaction mechanism studies, metal cat- NOx Selective Catalytic Reduction” and This annual, regional meeting had paign) alyzed reactions, materials chemistry Malek Ibrahim of the Flaherty group at over 130 attendees and provided a fo- • 6 additional oral presentations approaches to catalysts and anything UIUC presented “Selective Catalyst De- rum where catalysis in its various forms from local members of interest for energy research. With sign for C-C bonds Formation via Alco- — heterogeneous to homogeneous, • 43 poster presentations help from NACS for their support of hol Guerbet Chemistry”. computational to experimental, surface The Herman Pines Award is given student involvement, awards were also science to materials synthesis, applied annually for great achievements of ca- given to the 3 posters from graduate Back to Cover NACS Newsletter Design of Bimetallic Catalysts for Use in Catalysis Club of 2015 Catalysis Club of Philadelphia Award DuPont IsoTherming® Hydroprocessing Philadelphia Reactors he Catalysis Club of Cathy H-Y. Chin, University of To- Spring Symposium T Philadelphia is ronto pleased to announce that he Catalysis Club of Philadelphia 2015 spring Catalytic Conversion of Renewable Dr. Sourav K. Sengupta, T symposium was hosted by Torren Carlson Feedstocks to Value-Added Products (Chair Elect) and held at the Double Tree Hotel in Research Fellow – DuPont Phillip E. Savage, Penn Stat Wilmington, Delaware on May 7th. There were 87 Central Research and De- Advances and Applications of Hydro- in attendance and the program consisted of a full velopment, has been se- thermal Catalysis day with eight invited speakers: lected as the 2015 Cataly- Additionally, the winner of the an- sis Club of Philadelphia Wei Fan, University of Massachusetts,