Message from the Department Chair: October 2017 Newsletter
Dear CHEE alumni and friends,
It is starting to cool down in Tucson, and we’re enjoying beautiful fall weather. I hope that wherever you may be, your fall is pleasant and all is well. I’m happy to bring you an update on our department’s activities, and hope to see many of you at the College of Engineering Homecoming festivities.
Record Numbers in BS Chemical Engineering Program
In May, we graduated our largest class on record, bestowing 76 Bachelor of Science degrees and 19 graduate degrees. Two students, Abdullah Aleidan and Ashley Lynn, graduated with concurrent bachelor’s degrees in chemical and environmental engineering.
Trends appear to be on the rise for the next two years; this year we expect approximately 90 students to graduate with Bachelor of Science degrees, including several dual degrees.
CHEE Welcomes New Faculty
Andrea Achilli, PhD, will work collaboratively with the Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center. His research focuses on membrane processes for water separation, desalination and water reuse.
Kerri Hickenbottom, PhD, conducts research centered on the development of novel engineered systems for resource recovery and reclamation of concentrate streams. Kerri plans to disseminate her research by working with K-12 outreach programs, including the New Start Summer Program and STEM Learning Center at the UA.
Read more about the research, interests and aspirations of our new faculty in this article by CHEE student employee Kennedy Munter.
Visit from Scott Mansfield (BS CHE 1962)
I was delighted to spend a few hours with Scott Mansfield, one of five from the very first CHEE graduating class. We took a walk down memory lane in the John W. Harshbarger Building, and the highlight for Scott was going down into the basement, donning a hardhat, and taking a look at both the old and new distillation columns.
Scott worked for Dupont, Syntex, Jacobs Engineering, Foote Minerals and other companies; using knowledge gained during his career in the chemical processing industry, he wrote a book published by McGraw-Hill in 1993 titled “Engineering Design for Process Facilities.”
CHEE welcomes alumni visitors, so please let us know if you are in the area and would like to stop by.
Join Us for Homecoming!
Join us for the 54th Annual Engineers Breakfast on Friday, Oct. 27, from 8–10 a.m., and stop by the UA Engineering tent at the Homecoming Tailgate on Saturday. For more information and to RSVP, click here. I hope to see a great CHEE turnout!
Class Notes
Your wonderful travel photos in the July newsletter inspired me to reflect on the amazing and varied paths taken by our alumni. We want to facilitate your ability to stay connected with classmates and to share with one another the direction your lives are taking. So please continue to send your notes and photos to Holly Altman at haltman@email.arizona.edu.
Bear Down!
Anthony Muscat
Professor and Department Chair
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
The University of Arizona
muscat@email.arizona.edu