COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 24, 2012 – Juergen Hahn, associate professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named policy committee chair of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). Hahn is the lone U.S. representative on the executive board of IFAC – considered the chief organization for all process controls professionals, regardless of which discipline in which they work. The chair of the policy committee is an ex-officio member of the board. As committee chair, Hahn will be largely responsible for participating in the strategic planning process that IFAC has recently initiated. At Texas A&M, Hahn conducts research that focuses on the development of new systems ... Read More »

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 19, 2012 – Regents Professor and Director of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center M. Sam Mannan has been honored with the 2012 Bush Excellence Award for Faculty in Public Service. Mannan, professor in Texas A&M University’s Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, was recognized for his work in increasing knowledge about process safety in an effort to reduce the injuries, deaths and damage caused by industrial accidents. In recognition of the award, Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin and Executive Director of the Bush Foundation Roman Popadiuk formally presented Mannan with a plaque and a check for $2,500 at a dinner focusing on international excellence. Mannan has ... Read More »

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 16, 2012 — Zhilei Chen, assistant professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named a recipient of the Young Investigator’s Research Program Award (YIP) by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). This award will support Chen’s basic research on developing proteinaceous material for efficient enzyme immobilization onto electrodes to create more efficient and longer lasting enzymatic biofuel cells. Chen is one of only 48 recipients of this intensely competitive award, which has success rates of 13-19 percent for all applicants throughout the past three years. The YIP award fosters the early career development of young scientists and provides ... Read More »

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 16, 2012 – James Havlock and Joshua Light, undergraduates in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, have been named recipients of the Buck Weirus Spirit Award by The Association of Former Students. The Buck Weirus Spirit Award, named for Richard "Buck" Weirus, a 1942 graduate of Texas A&M, recognizes students for their outstanding contributions to the university. The award annually honors students who demonstrate high involvement, create positive experiences throughout the Aggie community, impact student life at Texas A&M and enhance the Aggie Spirit. “It is truly an honor to receive the Buck Weirus Spirit Award,” Havlock said. “Buck Weirus made a huge impact on Texas A&M during his ... Read More »

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 4, 2012 ­– Laura Bradt, an undergraduate student in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M, has been awarded first-place honors at the university’s Student Research Week for her research presentation. Bradt, who presented “Analysis of Desalination Processes for Treatment of Produced Water for Irrigation Water Re-Use,” received top honors in the “Earth Sciences, Geosciences, Water Resources” oral presentation category. Her presentation detailed the re-use of the millions of barrels of produced water retrieved from oil wells each year for the purpose of irrigation. Her research will culminate in the publication of an undergraduate thesis on the subject and later a refereed journal publication. “Produced water has ... Read More »