CHEMS Students Sweep National Design Competition

M I C H I G A N S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L E G E O F E N G I N E E R I N G • W I N T E R 2 0 1 0 / 2 0 1 1

D E P A R T M E N T O F C H E M I C A L E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T E R I A L S S C I E N C E

T hree MSU chemical engineering undergraduate students took top

honors in the 2010 national student design competition sponsored

by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Philip

Lehman, a senior in chemical engineering, took fi rst prize in the individual

competition. Christopher Gelinas and David Hasselbeck, both of whom

graduated with BS degrees in chemical engineering in May 2010, won fi rst

prize in the team competition.

The MSU Department of Chemical Engineering has the best record

in the nation for placing in this national contest since it started in 1967.

However, it is a fi rst for MSU to take top honors in the same year in both

the team and individual competitions.

The problem statement from AIChE dealt with designing a large-scale

manufacturing facility that had the fl exibility to produce a variety of

monoclonal antibody products, which are being used to treat illnesses such

as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, transplant rejection, and cancers.

The fi nal design included an economic analysis showing the profi tability of

the venture.

The fi nal projects that the students entered in the AIChE competition

were originally assigned as projects in an MSU spring semester course in

process design and optimization and were fi rst presented at MSU’s Design

Day in April 2010.

“We have used the AIChE student contest problems for many years

because they are well-rounded problems, and they tell students and faculty

something about the kind of abilities that industrial companies would like

graduating chemical engineers to have and, of course, there are advantages

to seeing how well we compare with graduates of other universities in a

national competition,” says Martin Hawley, chair of the CHEMS department.

“Winning these top awards this year is a great accomplishment and reward

for the three students’ hard work and creativity. “

David Hasselbeck is currently working for Shell Exploration and Produc-

tion in New Orleans, La., as a facilities engineer providing support to Shell’s

off shore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. “A lot of what I do is focused

around chemical treating and corrosion mitigation in the production facili-

continued on page 3

It all began in 1986 when plant scientists set

out to get deeper purple petunias but got the

complete opposite—white petunias. In the late

1990s, researchers working with fruit fl ies and C.

elegans (a nematode worm commonly used in

genetics studies) set out to understand this strange

phenomenon.

Their work revealed a new biological pathway,

RNA interference (RNAi), which is mediated by

short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs).

Fast forward to 2010. An interdisciplinary team

of MSU researchers is studying RNA and siRNAs

with the goal of developing better therapeutics for

diseases such as cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s, or any

other disease where a protein is causing or worsen-

ing the disease.

“Researchers are excited because this gives us

another tool for developing therapeutics that are

very specifi c for one protein that is being expressed

that shouldn’t be expressed,” says S. Patrick Walton,

associate professor of chemical engineering and

materials science. “So if we want to knock out or

knock down the expression of a protein, we now

have a new way to do this very specifi cally. RNAi has

the potential to treat or cure a vast array of diseases.

“The unique characteristic of siRNA-based drugs

is that they use a natural pathway in our cells to

generate the therapeutic eff ect,” says Walton. “This

Research Team Seeks to Develop New Treatments for Cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s

From left, Philip Lehman, Christopher Gelinas and David Hasselbeck traveled to the 2010 annual AIChE meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, in November to receive their awards and present their projects.

continued on page 3

S. Patrick Walton, CHEMS associate professor, and Amanda Portis, PhD student in CHEMS, work on a project for the research.

2

It is with great joy that I congratulate our CHEMS

students who won both the individual and team

competitions in the American Institute of Chemi-

cal Engineers (AIChE) 2010 national student design

competition. Philip Lehman, a CHEMS senior, won the

individual competition, and Christopher Gelinas and

David Hasselbeck, both of whom graduated in May

2010 and now have exciting jobs in the workforce,

received top honors in the team competition.

While MSU students from our department have

always done well in this competition, this is the fi rst

time that we have taken the top honors in both the

individual and team competitions—and remember,

there are 158 schools with chemical engineering

program in the U.S. (See article on page 1.)

Congratulations are also in order for our under-

graduates who have received prestigious scholarships

to pursue a bachelor’s degree in CHEMS.

All of this speaks to the quality of work that our

undergraduate and graduate students are doing. With

a CHEMS degree in hand, they are in great demand

in the workforce. Some students have job off ers even

before they graduate. Some of our youngest alumni,

like Chisa Brookes, are being honored as emerging

leaders in various industries. (See age 6.)p

These accomplishments are a refl ection of the

caliber of our faculty and staff . Many faculty members

have received awards and special recognition as you

will see in this newsletter. We continue to add faculty

to the staff and currently are interviewing for positions

in our strategic areas. One key to the department’s

success is our focus on three research themes:

• Energy and sustainability,

• Nanotechnology and materials,

• Biotechnology and medicine.

Our research expenditures for the fi scal year

2009-2010 were $10.8 million. With these expenditures

put into our research, the department is playing

a signifi cant role in solving many of today’s most

pressing issues.

We look forward to the coming year with enthusi-

asm and wish each of you much success. e

from the ChairMARTIN HAWLEY Two high school juniors who par-

ticipated in MSU’s Future Scientist

Program in the summer of 2010

worked in CHEMS research labs. They

were among ten students from Lansing

Public Schools who were involved in the

eight-week program. The pilot program was

coordinated by MSU’s Offi ce of the Vice

President for Research and Graduate Studies

and the Clinical and Translational Sciences

Institute in partnership with the American

Cancer Society and Lansing Public Schools.

The goal of the program was to encourage

high school students to pursue careers as

research scientists.

Timothy D. (TD) Armstrong, a Sexton

High School student (at right), was

mentored by R. Mark Worden, professor of chemical engineering and materials

science. Armstrong says he found out about the Future Scientist Program through his

physics teacher. When he fi rst learned that he had been accepted, Armstrong says, “I

was very grateful and excited but also somewhat nervous because I knew how much

of a challenge this would be. But I know that more opportunities will open up for me

because of this.”

And what would make a high school student want to give up eight weeks of

summer vacation to work in a lab? “My summers can get kind of boring at times,”

Armstrong says. “I was more than happy to be able to do something constructive.”

Armstrong worked with Worden and his research biotechnology and nanotechnol-

ogy projects. “Nanomaterials, which are about 10,000 times smaller than the diameter

of a hair, have unique and desirable properties because of their extremely small size.

Our lab is studying how engineered nanomaterials interact with biological structures,

such as enzymes and cell membranes,” says Worden. “TD’s research could advance

our ability to develop functional nanomaterials that are both safe and eff ective, includ-

ing nanotherapeutics that kill cancer cells but don’t harm normal cells.”

Audrey Meredith, a junior at Eastern High School, worked in the research lab of

Melissa Baumann, associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science

and associate dean of MSU’s Honors College.

“Our research team of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students had the op-

portunity to mentor highly motivated and talented high school students and introduce

them to the rapidly growing area of biomaterials,” Baumann says. Meredith worked

with Baumann’s research team to develop scaff olds for bone tissue engineering and

examine the eff ects of surface properties of the ceramic scaff old on the resulting cell

behavior.

“The Lansing School District is thrilled to be a part of this exciting partnership,” says

Jim Davis, deputy superintendent of the Lansing School District. “It is an endeavor that

helps to fulfi ll the mission of all of the partners by promoting student learning, reaching

out to the larger community, and aff ecting the future common good for all people.” e

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Future Scientists Gain Expertise with Work in CHEMS Research Labs

m i c h i g a n s ta t e u n i v e r s i t y c o l l e g e o f e n g i n e e r i n g 3

National Design Competition (continued from page 1)

ties,” says Hasselbeck. Most of his time is spent

working in downtown New Orleans, but he does

occasionally take flights offshore to spend time

on the platforms.

He started his freshman year in chemical

engineering at Michigan Technological University,

and then worked several jobs before transferring

to MSU in 2007. While working on his bachelor’s

degree at MSU, he took time off to work for

Genentech, a pioneering biotechnology company

in San Francisco. Hasslebeck believes his experi-

ence with this company may have helped with

the AIChE design problem, which was related to

biotechnology.

Hasselbeck and the other two students give

Martin Hawley, chair of the CHEMS department,

high marks for helping them to believe in them-

selves. “The design rules are pretty particular

about not allowing design teams to get specific

assistance from professors or instructors, but Dr.

Hawley always believed in us,” says Hasselbeck.

“Not only did he know that we were capable

of doing this level of work, but he always held

extremely high expectations for us and pushed

us to achieve and perform at that level. It was a

growing experience for the entire class, unlike

anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

The amount of work expected from the

individuals and teams involved in the competi-

tion is considerable and required spending

endless nights in the Engineering Building. “But

nobody quit and everybody put their heart into

their projects,” says Hasselbeck.

He says that Chris Gelinas made a great

partner. “When he did a lot of work one evening

or came in the next day with a really ingenious

way around a problem we had been stuck on,

it just drove me to want to play at his level. I’d

spend more time trying out different ideas so

that the end result was that we made progress

much faster than we expected on such a

complex project.”

Chris Gelinas is currently a development

engineer for Smith & Nephew, a medical device

company that specializes in the production of

implants and instrumentation used in minimally

invasive arthroscopic surgeries. “My job is to

design and develop new ideas and technologies

into innovative products,” says Gelinas. He is

originally from Attleboro, Mass., and is working

near Boston.

Interestingly, Gelinas credits Hasselbeck for

much of their success. “Without Dave on my

team I would not have had the same success.

His unparalleled work ethic and unbridled

enthusiasm kept us focused on the end goal,”

says Gelinas. He believes another key to success

was having the project completed a week prior to

the deadline. “This gave us ample opportunity to

explore various aspects of the project we would

have otherwise overlooked as well as giving us

time to fine-tune our report to emphasize the

strong parts of the design.”

Philip Lehman is a senior in chemical engi-

neering and hopes to follow in the footsteps of

Hasselbeck and Gelinas in finding a satisfying job

after graduation. Being a winner of the national

design contest will certainly help his resume.

Lehman, originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., believes

that classes, such as biochemical engineering

and process design, were useful preparation

for the competition and completing an award-

winning entry.

All three students praise the faculty and staff

of the MSU CHEMS department. “Being out in

industry for several years, and working a lot with

other engineers from a number of top schools

around the country, I’ve had the opportunity to

notice a lot of the differences between gradu-

ates,” says Hasselbeck. “I cannot stress enough

the importance of this final year of design work

that the MSU chemical engineering department

expects of its graduating students. Working in

interdisciplinary teams and on complex projects

in industry, I have a distinct advantage over

many other chemical engineering graduates in

that I have had extensive and specific experi-

ence in doing equipment, process, and facility

design work. And more importantly, we basically

take a crash-course in economics during our

design work so that we can really compete and

contribute in industry because all projects have

an economic component to them. I couldn’t be

more satisfied with my choice of universities or

programs for my undergraduate degree.” e

— Jane L. DePriest

system can be more specific and have fewer

side effects as opposed to an approach that uses

drugs to change a cell’s natural function.”

The research team, which includes Christina

Chan, the George W. Bissell professor of chemical

engineering and materials science, and Greg

Baker, professor of chemistry, is attempting to

design the active molecules (the siRNAs) for

maximal activity by understanding the mechanism

of how they work, specifically at the level of how

they interact with the proteins that are involved

in this pathway and how they can be delivered

with the highest efficiency. The goal is to design

siRNAs that can achieve the strongest therapeutic

effect at the minimum dose.

Chan and Walton will be working primarily

on the design and testing of the siRNAs; Baker’s

major contribution will be in helping to design

polymeric nanoparticles—polymers that form

nanoscale structures that can encapsulate the

siRNAs and deliver them specifically to a particular

cellular target. The combination of improved

siRNA design with improved delivery efficiency

will address the two major limitations of current

siRNA-based therapeutics.

The work is being funded by a four-year

$940,000 grant from the National Institutes of

Health. e

— Laura Luptowski Seeley

New Treatments (continued from page 1)

From left, Greg Baker, professor of chemistry, and CHEMS faculty S. Patrick Walton and Christina Chan.

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An agreement between Korean-based conglomerate Hanwha

Group and a Michigan State University spinoff will lead to $1

million in funding to XG Sciences, Inc. and further research on a

nanomaterial discovered and developed at MSU—xGnP® brand

Graphene (Graphite) Nanoplatelets.

“This collaboration represents a major milestone in our

development and an important recognition of the significance

of our technology by a worldwide leader in advanced materials,”

says Lawrence T. Drzal, University Distinguished Professor of

chemical engineering and materials science, and one of the

original founders of XG Sciences, Inc., a spinoff company formed

in 2006.

Faculty BondU. S. Department of Energy Grant

R. Mark

Worden, profes-

sor of chemical

engineering, is

part of a group

receiving $1.7

million from the

U.S. Depart-

ment of Energy

Advanced

Research Proj-

ects Agency-Energy to build a reactor system for

Ralstonia eutropha, a bacterium that scientists

aim to engineer to metabolize hydrogen and

carbon dioxide to produce isobutanol, a fuel that

can be used as a replacement for gasoline.

Anthony Sinskey, professor of biology at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, leads the

genetic engineering team.

“The MIT group is focused on the biology

of the bacterium and engineering it to produce

isobutanol,” Worden explained. “Recently, they

realized they needed a bioreactor expert, and

I was asked to be a collaborator. My role is to

build a reactor system at MSU for this unique

fermentation system.”

Worden has to overcome two major chal-

lenges in developing the bioreactor system. Once

Ralstonia eutropha is engineered to produce

isobutanol, the isobutanol eventually will build up

to a toxic level and kill the bacterium. So he must

create a way to “harvest” the isobutanol without

interrupting the fermentation process.

Secondly, because the bacterium’s energy

source—hydrogen gas—is not very water-soluble,

Worden must figure out how to feed it to the

bacterium in a water-based system.

“We also have to make sure the bioreactor

system is safe,” Worden said. “The Ralstonia cells

need a little bit of oxygen to grow, but hydrogen

and oxygen together are flammable. So I’ll figure

out how the two gases can co-exist in the system

and minimize any risk of explosion.”

Lifetime Achievement Award from BEPSRamani

Narayan,

University

Distinguished

Professor in the

Department

of Chemical

Engineering and

Materials Sci-

ence, received

the Lifetime

Achievement Award from the BioEnvironmental

Polymer Society (BEPS). The award was

presented at the society’s annual conference,

held in October 2010 in Toronto.

This prestigious award is given to BEPS mem-

bers who have made outstanding contributions

to scientific advancement, have demonstrated

outstanding ability, and have made scholarly

accomplishments and specific impact in the

field of biopolymers, biobased materials, and/or

bioplastic/materials–related bioenergy systems.

BEPS promotes research, education, and training

in the design, synthesis, characterization, testing,

and processing of biodegradable and other

environmentally degradable polymers. The

society also facilitates information exchange

among researchers.

Narayan has a history of research with

polymers, including polymeric materials from

renewable resources, biodegradable polymer

systems, polymer blends, and studies in

reactive extrusion processing. He is a successful

entrepreneur responsible for creating three

Michigan bioplastic manufacturing businesses

and commercializing bioplastic technologies with

large multi-national corporations like Cargill-

NatureWorks, Corn Products International, and

Northern Technologies.

Named University Distinguished Professor

in 2007, Narayan is a fellow of the American

New Funding for Nanomaterial Research

From left, Michael R. Knox, CEO of XG Sciences, Inc. and Woong-Jin Choi with Hanwha Group sign the funding agreement.

Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). He has

received numerous awards and honors, including

the Governor’s (State of Michigan) Award for

commercialization excellence; MSU’s University

Distinguished Faculty Award; the MSU College

of Engineering Withrow Distinguished Scholar

Award; the Fulbright Distinguished Lectureship

Chair at University of Lisbon, Portugal; the ASTM

International Award of Merit; and the Research

and Commercialization Award sponsored by ICI

Americas, Inc. and the National Corn Growers

Association.

Top 100 in BiofuelsBruce Dale,

professor

of chemical

engineering and

materials sci-

ence, claims the

number 22 spot

on the list of the

Top 100 People

in Bioenergy.

The list, which

was compiled by Biofuels Digest, “the world’s

most widely read biofuels daily,” was based on a

readership poll; readers submitted 15,000 entries.

Dale, who is also editor in chief of the

highly ranked journal Biofuels, Bioproducts and

Biorefining, is one of only two academics who

ranked this high on the list. His profile cites:

“Second among all academics in this year’s poll is

Dr. Bruce Dale at Michigan State, who in addition

to being a noted pioneer in cellulosic ethanol has

been out in front in terms of opposing some of

the excesses of indirect land use change theory,

measurement of which has bedeviled efforts

to stabilize the demand for various biofuels

feedstocks and fuels.”

“Having worked my entire career to develop

sustainable biofuels, I am honored to be placed

among a group of very fine people,” says Dale.

“I am particularly grateful to be here at Michigan

State University, where we have such a strong

commitment to the bioeconomy.”

Biofuels Digest comprises BiofuelsDigest.com

news website, Biofuels Digest Asia, the daily

Biofuels Digest e-newsletter, and the Biofuels

Digest Newswire. Decision makers at more than

7,000 organizations read these publications to

find products, services, and partners. Digest

publications have a combined readership of

more than 75,000.

In addition, adding to numerous honors

received over the past 30-plus years of his career,

Dale was recently asked to lend his expertise

to two high-level efforts aimed at advancing

renewable energy technologies.

He was invited to serve as an expert reviewer

for the draft International Panel on Climate

Change Special Report on Renewable Energy

Sources, an 11-chapter document that addresses

various renewable energy technologies and their

contributions to lessening the effects of climate

change. Dale, who was one of eight reviewers

to submit comments on the bioenergy chapter,

says the report’s findings in this area were quite

favorable.

Dale was also confirmed as a member of the

Biomass Research and Development Technical

Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department

of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA). The committee, which was

established by congressional action, will give

advice to the DOE and the USDA about how to

structure their bioenergy research and develop-

ment portfolios. Dale’s appointment extends

through 2012 and is renewable for another term.

Dale says that participating at this level gives

him the opportunity to help guide national policy

on and funding for bioenergy, and to inform the

committee about research that MSU does in this

area. e

5m i c h i g a n s ta t e u n i v e r s i t y c o l l e g e o f e n g i n e e r i n g

New Funding for Nanomaterial Research

Hanwha is the ninth largest conglomerate in Korea, with sales of over

$25 billion. They produce chemicals, munitions, plastics, and similar materi-

als for aerospace, automotive, and consumer goods industries.

Initial funding and support for graphene nanoplatelet research was

provided by MSU and a grant from the Michigan Economic Development

Corporation’s 21st Century Jobs Fund. The key to the material’s capabili-

ties is a fast and inexpensive process for separating layers of graphite

(graphene) into stacks less than 10 nanometers in thickness but with lateral

dimensions anywhere from 100 nanometers to several microns, coupled

with the ability to tailor the particle surface chemistry to make it compatible

with water, resin, or plastic systems. Adding xGnP® graphene nanoplatelets

to polymers at low concentrations results in nanocomposites that are

multifunctional in that they possess an array of enhanced properties—in-

cluding improved strength and significantly increased electrical and thermal

conductivity—leading to new and expanded applications.

“It is exciting to see how fast the commercial interest in this material is

progressing,” says Michael R. Knox, CEO of XG Sciences, Inc. “One of the

main reasons for Hanwha’s interest is the potential synergy of our materials

with a variety of their products, as well as the knowledge and research

capabilities of MSU scientists to help tailor these materials for applications

ranging from advanced composites to electronics and energy storage.” e

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Alumni BondEmerging Leader

Chisa Brookes

(PhD ’07, MS ’04) was

recently named as one

of the next 40 emerg-

ing business leaders

who will play a role

in shaping the future,

by Black Enterprise

magazine. Brookes is a senior research engineer

with ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company

in Houston, Texas. “The specific research areas

that I’m involved with are oil spill response and

marine sound research (the study of the poten-

tial impact of man-made sound on marine life),”

says Brookes. As the ExxonMobil representative

on the international consortium of oil companies

and exploration contractors, she analyzes their

findings to develop operational plans enabling

ExxonMobil to conduct its offshore oil and gas

business in an environmentally responsible way.

Originally from St. Croix, Virgin Islands, her

PhD research involved the advancement of

biobased products through design, synthesis,

and engineering of biopolyesters. University

Distinguished Professor Ramani Narayan was her

PhD adviser. Percy Pierre, professor of electrical

and computing engineering, knew Brookes

from her involvement with the Sloan Engineer-

ing Program, which supports recruitment and

retention of minority doctoral students. “At MSU,

Chisa showed both outstanding technical ability

and leadership. I’m not surprised at her success,”

says Pierre.

Brookes tells undergraduates to work hard.

“If you are already working hard, remember to

have fun, too.” She says an advanced degree

is what you make of it. “If you have no interest

in leveraging it, consider something else that is

worth your valuable time. If you do have plans

to leverage an advanced degree, strike while the

iron is hot and for go for it!”

Spartan SpiritFor Bernard A. Paulson (BS ’49) the awards and

accolades keep piling up, but he would rather talk

about the need for more engineers. The former

president of Koch Refining has spent almost two

decades helping to bring an engineering program

to Texas A& M University – Corpus Christi. He is

retired and lives in Corpus Christi, but his belief

in the continuing need for engineers has not

gone away.

Paulson’s interest in engineering actually

began with his father who studied mining

engineering. Paulson’s love of chemistry finally

steered him to chemical engineering. That, and

his facination with an oil well dug on his family’s

land in 1936. However, a chance conversation

with Carl Cooper, an MSU chemical engineering

professor, changed Paulson’s mind about joining

the Air Force and encouraged him to search for

work in a refinery. After getting his degree in

June 1949, he hitchhiked north from East Lansing

toward home (Lakeview, Mich.) and stopped in

Alma at Mid-West Refineries. He was later hired

as a process engineer there and held positions

with various refining and petroleum companies.

In 1971 Paulson joined Koch Refining Company

and later was appointed president. He was

instrumental in hiring many Spartan graduates

at Koch industries and told graduating seniors

to look for a safe company to work for, one that

values hard work.

Paulson has always had a soft spot in his

heart for MSU and has made major contributions

to the department and the university. Paulson

and his wife established the Bernard and Joan

Paulson Endowed Scholarship Fund for chemical

engineering. He was awarded the MSU College

of Engineering Claud R. Erickson Distinguished

Alumni award in 1994.

Paulson pushed for an engineering school at

Corpus Christi because the area has the second

largest concentration of process industries, such

as refineries and chemical plants, in Texas, right

behind Houston. In 2009 the university began

offering a bachelor’s degree in mechanical

engineering, one of the most needed disciplines

in the area. The program will be eligible for

accreditation after graduating its first class in

2013. Because of his efforts, Paulson was named

the 2008 Newsmaker of the Year by the Corpus

Christi Caller-Times. e

Student BondLarian Endowed ScholarshipsEleven undergraduate CHEMS students received scholarships from the

Larian Endowed Scholarship Fund this year. They are Amy Abramczyk,

Michael Brunelle, Benjamin Elm, John Franklin, Derek Gremban,

Elizabeth Hinds, Gabrielle Kleber, Nathaniel Mcintee-Chmielewski,

Austin Melcher, Dena Palasik, and Sidney Sule.

The scholarship was established in 1976 in memory of Dr. Maurice

G. Larian, professor emeritus of chemical engineering, for the benefit of

outstanding CHEMS students at MSU. Dr. Kevin Washington, a physician in

the Los Angeles area, attended a luncheon for the recipients on behalf of

Sara Larian Gifford, Larian’s wife.

Upon Professor Larian’s death in 1974, a substantial amount of money

was received from many friends and former students in his memory. The

endowment has grown over the years, through gifts from Sara Larian

Gifford, friends, and some successful chemical engineering graduates,

particularly Michael Dennos (BS ’43).

Larian was born in Armenia and came to the USA without financial

resources. He worked long hours in his student days, as he depended on

his earnings and scholarships for support while studying for his BS and MS

at Iowa State University and his PhD at the University of Minnesota. He

was the epitome of a scholar, a good but demanding teacher. His most

memorable quality, however, was his sincere interest and concern for his

students. The students, in turn, treated him with great respect. e

Donald Keith Ander-

son of Williamston, Mich.,

professor emeritus and

past chair of the chemical

engineering department,

died September 26, 2010,

of brain cancer. He was

born July 15, 1931, in Iron

Mountain, Mich., to Milton

and Edna Anderson.

After earning his graduate degrees at the

University of Washington, he began his career at

MSU. He joined the faculty of the Department

of Chemical Engineering in 1960 and served as

chairperson of the department from 1977-1995.

He retired in 1996.

Anderson was a quiet man of integrity,

honor, and intelligence, with keen interest in all

the sciences. He wrote and published numer-

ous technical articles and was a member of

several professional societies. He served on the

Governor’s Board for Waste Site Development

and was internationally renowned for his work

with universities on four continents on standards

for chemical engineering education.

“He had a stellar career here at MSU,

providing strong leadership during the time that

MSU was embarking on increased attention to

research and graduate education while maintain-

ing balance with undergraduate education,” says

Martin C. Hawley, professor and chairperson of

the Department of Chemical Engineering and

Materials Science. “Don was active in both AICHE

(the American Institute of Chemical Engineers)

and ABET (the recognized accreditor for college

and university programs in applied science, com-

puting, engineering, and technology) and he was

proud of the accomplishments of the faculty and

his students. His emphasis was on hiring stellar

faculty and attracting high-quality students. We

are currently impacted by the impression that

Don has left on our department and college.”

After retirement, Anderson was most often

found in his recliner chair, reading or perhaps

watching Spartan sports on television, with his

beloved cats vying for a place on his lap. He

genuinely enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s

sporting and dance events.

“This is a great loss for the Anderson family

and for MSU,” says Hawley. “Don will be greatly

missed, but he will be remembered for his

professional accomplishments and his humanity.

He was a very kind person.”

Survivors include his wife and companion

of 53 years, Gina Garrett; daughters Shannon

Coykendall (Kevin) and Amanda Wessel (Scott);

grandchildren Samantha and Victoria Coykendall,

and Cody Wessel; brother Gilmore Anderson

(Jeanne); and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his

brother Eugene Anderson (Viola).

Anderson’s special interest and love was for

his cats, who grieve his loss also. Those desiring

may honor his memory with donations to

Purrfect Pals (located in Arlington, Washington;

360-652-9611; www.purrfectpals.org), Cat Tail

Farms (located in Perry, Michigan), or the Depart-

ment of Chemical Engineering and Materials

Science at Michigan State University. e

m i c h i g a n s ta t e u n i v e r s i t y c o l l e g e o f e n g i n e e r i n g 7

Three of the four freshmen who have been named 2010-2011 Von

Ehr Scholars are majoring in chemical engineering. They are Justin Fila

of Norway, Mich., Stephen Lindeman from Greenville, Mich., and John

Luzenski from Milford, Mich. The other scholar is Mairin Chesney from

Brighton, Mich., who is majoring in mechanical engineering.

The James Von Ehr Scholars Program was established in 2006 by James

R. Von Ehr II, a 1972 computer science graduate and entrepreneur. The $1

million endowed scholarship fund benefits undergraduates of the College

of Engineering.

Fila was initially going into computer science, but since he arrived on

campus in August 2010, he has decided to switch his career path and

major in chemical engineering with hopes of attending medical school

after getting his undergraduate degree. He chose MSU for several reasons.

“First, my very cool, amazingly helpful oldest sister, Brittany, came here a

few years ago and absolutely loved it. Second, I have been a Michigan State

sports fan for a long time and have been looking forward to living in the Big

Ten atmosphere,” says Fila. He is involved in Campus Crusade for Christ,

the Premedical Association, and the Language Partner program and plays

intramural volleyball and football. He is the son of Rick and Cherie Fila.

While majoring in chemical engineering, Lindeman hopes to work

toward an emphasis on biomedical engineering. “I want to combine my

ability to problem solve with my interests in biology and math in order to

make advancements in the medical engineering field,” says Lindeman. He

is the son of Steve and Trish Lindeman.

Luzenski has always been interested in both math and science,

particularly chemistry, so that’s why he chose chemical engineering as

a major. In addition, both of his parents are engineers. “They both are

successful and enjoy their jobs,” says Luzenski. He chose MSU because it

was close to home and a lot of his family has attended MSU. He plays on a

coed intramural soccer team. “My favorite class so far is my chemistry lab.”

He is the son of Dave and Sue Luzenski. e

2010-2011 Von Ehr Scholars Named

In Memoriam

The 2010-2011 Von Ehr Scholars are, from left to right: Justin Fila, Mairin Chesney, Stephen Lindeman, and John Luzenski.

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage PAIDEast Lansing, MIPermit #21

Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science Michigan State University 2527 Engineering Building East Lansing, MI 48824

chairperson Martin Hawley

tel (517) 355-5135e-mail chems@egr.msu.eduweb www.chems.msu.edu

editor Jane L. DePriest

publications directorLaura Luptowski Seeley

photographersErin GroomG.L. KohuthHarley J. Seeley

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Printed on recycled 10% post-consumer fiber paper using environmentally friendly inks.

A team of researchers is working on new treat-ments for diseases. They are, from left, Greg Baker, professor of chemistry; Georgina Carballo, PhD student in chemistry; S. Patrick Walton, CHEMS as-sociate professor; Amanda Portis, PhD student in CHEMS; and Christina Chan, the George W. Bis-sell professor of chemical engineering and materials science. See story page 1.

Timothy D. (TD) Armstrong (at right), a Sexton High School

student, was mentored by CHEMS professor R.

Mark Worden as part of a Future Scientist Program.

See story page 2.