Message From The Chair - December 2022

Dear alums and friends,

As the year ends, I want to thank you for your support and involvement with CHEE. Many of you have volunteered as design program mentors, submitted class notes, served on our advisory board, helped connect students to your companies, and contributed financially to the department and college. You are greatly appreciated!

Faculty and Students Network at AIChE Annual Meeting

An enthusiastic group of CHEE faculty and students attended the American Institute of Chemical Engineers meeting in Phoenix, Arizona in November, where they presented poster sessions, networked and recruited graduate students. This is one of the best educational forums available for chemical engineers interested in innovation and professional growth. It was great that so many of us could attend due to the close location.

Staff Job Sharing

Darla Chessmore recently joined CHEE’s administrative team, as Holly Altman is reducing her hours to have more time for family, friends and exploring other interests. 

Darla has been in private practice for the last twelve years, supporting clients with business administration, bookkeeping and financial planning.

“I love the vitality of the university environment, and I’m inspired to see so many women in leadership roles,” she said.

Darla has outstanding administrative skills, and we’re thrilled she joined the team. Please join us in offering her a warm welcome.

CHEE Launches Search for Two Faculty

The College of Engineering approved two faculty searches – one in the area of climate and atmospheric sciences and the other in energy. The search committees will begin reviewing applications after the first of the year. If you or anybody you know might be a good fit, please contact Armin Sorooshian at armin@arizona.edu or Erin Ratcliff at ratcliff@arizona.edu. 

Accreditation Review for BS Programs Completed

The BS in Chemical Engineering and BS in Environmental Engineering programs completed a rigorous review by ABET evaluators in October. The initial feedback was overwhelmingly positive, but we will not receive the final results until August 2023.

We are delighted that the processes we’ve put into place seem to be working very well. We are continually working to improve our programs by collecting input from constituents including students and alums, assessing students’ understanding of core engineering concepts, and making changes based on what we learn.

Research Highlights

CHEE faculty continue to land substantial grants to tackle pressing local, national and global issues.

Associate professor Erin Ratcliff is leading an $11 million Energy Frontier Research Center to create more durable, sustainable and affordable solar fuels and energy storage.

The Arizona Board of Regents has provided more than $2.5 million to a multi-university team to investigate the state of ozone in Arizona. Professor Armin Sorooshian is leading the University of Arizona portion of the grant.

Assistant professors Vicky Karanikola and Suchol Savagatrup are working to develop regenerable methods for removing harmful chemicals from water systems. The team effort is funded with $1.2 million from the Arizona Board of Regents.

Seeking Advisory Volunteers for Semiconductor Curriculum

The UA College of Engineering is exploring the creation of a certificate or other program focused on semiconductors. We’re looking for industry volunteers to serve in an advisory capacity in the formative stages of the project. If this is your area of expertise and you are interested, please contact me at ogden@arizona.edu.