COLLEGE STATION, Texas, June 4, 2009 – Lina Saenz, a graduate student in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, has been awarded the Eastman Summer Chemical Engineering Graduate Fellowship from the Eastman Chemical Group.
Saenz was selected for the honor based on her excellence in personal achievements, leadership and interest in the chemical process industries. The fellowship will provide Saenz with $6,600 for her research.
Saenz, who is a second-year graduate student, is studying the N-oxidation of alkylpyridines, and the safety concerns related to this reaction. Saenz’s goal is to develop alternatives for an inherently safer reaction by use of thermodynamic and calorimetric studies.
Saenz is conducting her research under the auspices of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, which is directed by Regents Professor M. Sam Mannan. Her process safety group is dedicated to studying different processes, materials and phenomena that represent a hazard in the industry.
“Lina is an overachiever, and she has made excellent contributions to her research field,” Mannan said. “Her research focuses on the area of reactive chemicals, specifically on the study of N-oxidation of alkylpyridines. This catalytic reaction is used in the pharmaceutical industry and employs hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizing agent.
“During the short period of time Lina has been at Texas A&M her work has contributed to a fundamental understanding of the hazards and risks of N-oxidation of alypyridines. Lina’s research will not only solve a need present in this pharmaceutical process, but will also show how adequate assessments of hazardous situations as well as proper identification of the properties of compounds are required to prevent incidents in industrial processes.”
While working in the process safety group Saenz has learned how to provide support to the industry in the development of risk assessments and hazards identifications. The Process Safety Center’s research areas include reactive chemicals, flammability, aerosols, liquefied natural gas safety, quantitative risk assessment, dust explosion, facility siting and chemical incident data systems.
Eastman fellowships are awarded to promote enrichment, growth and development in students involved in engineering.
Eastman is a Fortune 500 company that manufactures and markets more than 1,200 products that enhance the lives of people around the world. The company provides key differentiated coatings, adhesives, specialty plastics products and is a major supplier of cellulose acetate fibers.
