AIChE Centennial Celebrates 100 'Modern Era' Engineers
In celebration of its centennial, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, a professional society of more than 40,000 chemical engineers in 92 countries, is recognizing 100 "Modern Era" chemical engineers--those who spent the bulk or all of their professional lives in the post-World War II world. According to AIChE, most of these engineers, who represent the broad array of chemical engineering interests and industries, are still practicing and guiding the profession into its second century.
"The chemical engineering profession--like the Institute--has been shaped and sustained by the achievements, leadership, and imagination of thousands of engineers," said AIChE President Dale Keairns. "We wish we could recognize them all, but we're thrilled to point out the achievements of just a few of these remarkable men and women."
AIChE's Modern Era engineers are categorized for their technical achievements, leadership of the profession, or pioneering work at the frontiers of technology. Their areas of expertise include petrochemicals, refining, specialty chemicals, biotechnology, nanotechnology, advanced materials, and information technology. Among those listed are:
Kristi S. Anseth, developer of materials to replace diseased or damaged body parts (University of Colorado)
Robert A. Brown, president of Boston University
Elisabeth Drake, leader of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Lab and a sustainability expert
David A. Edwards, founder of Medicine in Need, which uses aerosol drug delivery to combat tuberculosis and avian flu
Alice Gast, president of Lehigh University
Chaitan Khosla, recognized for work using soil bacteria fight infectious diseases (Stanford)
Robert Langer, inventor of controlled drug-release systems, including the transdermal patch, and the 2008 recipient of Finland's biennial Millennium Prize, considered the world's top technology award at one million euros (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
John J. Mooney, co-inventor of the automotive catalytic converter (Engelhard Industries)
Julio M. Ottino, modeler of complex chaotic systems (Northwestern University)
Nicholas A. Peppas, developer of improved methods of delivering insulin to diabetics (University of Texas)
John H. Seinfeld, developer of the first models describing urban air quality and one of the first to link urban ozone and global climate change (California Institute of Technology)
Arnold F. Stancell, leader in management of oil and gas resources, a retired executive with Mobil Oil and now on the faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology
James A. Trainham III, leader in chemical industry sustainability and vice president for science and technology of PPG
Stephen L. Matson, founder and executive director of ConTechs Associates; co-founder of Separacor, Inc.; expert in membranes and separations
George Stephanopoulos, MIT professor noted for work in computer science and artificial intelligence, former chief technology officer of Mitsubishi Chemical
Jackie Y. Ying, executive director of Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
A complete list of AIChE's 100 Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era is available on the Institute's Web site at www.aiche.org/100.