Messenger - Vol. 4, No. 2, Page 10 1995 Modernization project propels UD's chemical engineering department into the 21st century Chemical engineering student Jim Rekoske works with Mark A. Barteau, Robert L. Pigford Professor of Chemical Engineering, to fine- tune a process that might make it possible to synthesize thousands of useful compounds-from pharmaceuticals to the vitamin beta carotene-without generating undesirable byproducts. The process, based on the coupling of compounds known as carbonyls, uses gas-phase catalytic reactions, rather than "organic synthesis" techniques, the third-year graduate student from Wisconsin explains. Non-chemists could think of it this way: Organic synthesis is like baking a cake "from scratch," whereas catalytic processes are more akin to microwave cooking. Catalysis, like microwave cooking, is usually more efficient and requires less cleanup. "We think we should be able to achieve many traditional organic synthesis reactions more efficiently and in a more environmentally benign manner," Rekoske says. Unfortunately, Rekoske's research is often complicated by the physical limitations of existing chemical engineering facilities. Whenever he weighs samples using a highly sensitive new instrument called a microbalance, for example, Rekoske has to statistically "filter out" the effects of unwanted vibrations. "I'm currently working on the third floor of the old Colburn Laboratory, and vibrations are amplified at that level," he says. "My measurements are affected by things like people's footsteps and the opening and closing of doors." Future generations of students will encounter no such obstacles-thanks to the $22 million modernization project now under way. When the University finishes renovating and modernizing Colburn Laboratory in 1996, researchers will have access to a special low- vibration room. The new building will also include improved ventilation for working with potentially hazardous substances, highly controlled electrical power flow and a "clean" room where inadvertent contamination of samples can be prevented. While the modernized facilities will enhance research, they also will alleviate crowding and provide safer working conditions, says Michael T. Klein, Elizabeth Inez Kelly Professor of Chemical Engineering and chairperson of the Department of Chemical Engineering. The University's current chemical engineering facilities were designed in the 1960s, Klein notes. At that time, he says, the department included only 12 faculty members and 50 graduate students. During the 1980s, however, the department grew and now includes 21 full-time faculty members, 114 graduate students and 240 undergraduates. The faculty ranks include eight National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigators-more than any other chemical engineering department in the nation. "We simply outgrew our building," Klein says. Arthur B. Metzner, H. Fletcher Brown Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering and former department chairperson, says improved facilities are needed to support today's molecular-scale experiments. "Thirty years ago, studies were macroscopic, or very large-scale, involving big equipment intended to simulate real industrial processes," Metzner says. "That work was productive, but now we need microscopic data to insert into models that describe macroscopic processes. Molecular-scale experiments require highly sensitive instruments in a very controlled environment." A tradition of excellence The University graduated its first chemical engineering majors in 1915. But the department's real "birthday" is usually recorded as 1938, when the University hired "a brilliant young DuPont Co. engineer named Allan P. Colburn," according to John A. Munroe, H. Rodney Sharp Professor Emeritus of History, who wrote The University of Delaware: A History (1986). Colburn (1904-1955) "had very quickly begun to gain an international reputation" at DuPont, but he suffered from lung disease, Munroe wrote. Academic life was thought to be beneficial to Colburn's health, and DuPont wanted to strengthen its ties with the University. Thus, Colburn's arrival set the stage for strong industry/academic interactions, a tradition that continued to evolve under the leadership of the late Robert L. Pigford and the late Jack Gerster. Today, the department is building on the legacy of Colburn, Pigford, Gerster and their distinguished successors-Arthur B. Metzner, Kenneth B. Bischoff, Stanley I. Sandler and T.W. Fraser Russell. Working in areas such as catalysis, polymer processing and molecular and engineering thermodynamics, University engineers have gained widespread prominence. In the Center for Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics (CMET), for instance, researchers have played a key role in developing cleaner-burning gasolines and environmentally friendly refrigerants to replace ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), CMET Director Sandler reports. Within the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, says Director Henry C. Foley, collaborative research has resulted in improvements to industrial synthesis techniques. "Our chemical engineering department is a peak of excellence that defines great universities," says Stuart L. Cooper, H. Rodney Sharp Professor of Chemical Engineering and dean of the College of Engineering. By all accounts, the department has earned such bragging rights. It consistently ranks among the top 10 when compared with other institutions. In a Science Watch ranking based on the impact of scholarly articles by faculty, for example, the department was judged the seventh most influential in the world. It also ranked sixth in the prestigious Gourman survey of graduate programs. With five National Academy of Engineering members, eight Presidential Young Investigators and eight named professors, the Department of Chemical Engineering is poised to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. "The University of Delaware has one of the premiere chemical engineering programs in the nation," says alumnus Richard E. (Dick) Emmert, Delaware '52M, '54 PhD, executive director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. "There is no question whatsoever that I value very highly the education that the University provided for me." -Ginger Pinholster