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CEMS NEWS 

Chemical Engineering 

& Materials Science 

A Newsletter for Alumni, Students and Friends of the Department • Fall Semester 2011 

Message from the Department Head 

Frank S. Bates 

We have had an eventful and highly productive 

year, and I am pleased to report we made 

significant progress in advancing our goals for 

delivering world class graduate and undergraduate 

education. Campaign First is closing 

in on the goal to raise $20M to insure that our new graduate students 

are supported for the entire first academic year. We have now established 

40 separate graduate fellowships, a remarkable accomplishment. 

The payments on these living endowments are matched in perpetuity 

by the University Foundation, doubling the effects of these generous gifts. While new fellowships are 

not eligible for matching, I am pleased to report that additional gifts to existing funds will continue to be 

matched. We have raised nearly $17M towards our goal of $20M (including the matching component), and 

I urge all our supporters to participate in the final push to complete this campaign by next year. I personally 

promise a fantastic celebration once we reach this objective. 

Eric Kaler (1982 PhD with Skip Scriven and H. Ted Davis) was inaugurated on September 22 as the 

16 th President of the University of Minnesota. I had the great privilege of chairing the inauguration committee 

and participating in this stirring event. I recommend you watch President Kaler’s inauguration speech on 

the video at the address listed at the end of this paragraph. What a thrill to have an engineer, our engineer, 

as President. http://www1.umn.edu/president/multimedia/videos/inauguration-ceremony/index.html 

This fall we welcomed two new members to our faculty. Ben Hackel arrived fresh from a post doctoral 

stay at the radiology department at Stanford where he refined his interests in medical imaging. He’s 

plugged right into teaching, revising the biochemical engineering course taught to all chemical engineering 

undergraduates in collaboration with Efie Kokkoli. Bharat Jalan was hired last spring and also joined in 

late August after finishing his Ph.D. degree in materials science at the University of California at Santa 

Barbara. Bharat brings the department essential expertise in molecular beam epitaxy. He also has gotten 

off to a quick start, taking responsibility for teaching the ceramics course required by all materials science 

and engineering (MSE) majors and taken as an elective by students from various other disciplines in the 

college. MSE is growing by leaps and bounds, a topic that I will address in a future newsletter. 

Recently the Dean Steve Crouch announced the college faculty will grow by about 10% in the next few 

years and CEMS will participate in this expansion. This growth reflects unprecedented pressure on the college 

at the undergraduate level, where freshmen application rates and achievement continue to skyrocket. To 

serve greater numbers of students, we have planned an addition to Amundson Hall that will accommodate 

up to 6 more faculty and as many as 50 additional Ph.D. students. This building plan features new unit 

operations and materials testing labs that will expand our capacity and improve the quality of instruction 

for the chemical engineering and MSE undergraduate students. A drawing of the new addition is presented 

on the back of this newsletter. I am proud to report that Dow Chemical Company has committed $5M to 

this critical project as part of a new partnership that will bring roughly $12M in research support to CEMS 

and Chemistry over the next 

five years. 

INSIDE…NEWS AND NOTES, P. 2. AICHE, P. 5. UNDERGRAD SCHOLARSHIPS, P. 6. 

We’ve been busy! DEVELOPMENT CORNER, P. 9. FACULTY RESEARCH, P. 10. CLASS NOTES, P. 13. IN 

MEMORIAM, P. 18.

DEPARTMENT UPDATE 

2012 SHORT COURSES ARE SCHEDULED 

See page 20 for dates and contact information. 

Two Assistant Professors Join Faculty 

Bharat Jalan and Ben Hackel join 

the faculty in CEMS this fall. Bharat 

received his PhD in Materials Science 

from UCSB, where he worked 

with Susanne Stemmer. His research 

is focused on the growth of oxide thin 

films using the molecular beam epitaxy 

(MBE) approach with a goal to bring 

oxide materials quality to a new level 

of perfection needed for both fundamental 

science and for application in 

electronic devices. 

Dr. Ben Hackel also joined our department 

this fall as an Assistant Professor. He 

received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering 

with a minor in Biological Chemistry 

from MIT, followed by a postdoc in Radiology 

at Stanford University. Ben’s research 

program will quantitatively elucidate the 

processes that dictate molecular biophysics 

and recognition, biological transport, and 

imaging technology to create innovations in protein engineering 

and molecular imaging. 

Monson Named Piercy Professor 

Peter Monson is a Distinguished 

Professor of Chemical Engineering at 

the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Dr. Monson’s research interests 

are in the development and application 

of molecular modeling methods 

for problems in Chemical Engineering 

Technology. In current research 

he uses methods based on classical 

density functional theory to describe 

both the thermodynamics and dynamics of fluids confined in 

porous media. He is also developing new models and methods 

to study the self-assembly of ordered nanoporous materials. 

During his spring visit, he enjoyed interacting with CEMS 

faculty on the synthesis and characterization of new catalysts 

for energy efficient chemical transformations. Dr. Monson presented 

the Piercy Visiting Professor Lecture “Modeling the Assembly 

of Ordered Nanoporous Silica Materials” in September . 

http://che.umass.edu/faculty/peter-monson 

http://www.ecs.umass.edu/~monson 

News and Notes 

CEMS Research Featured in Advanced 

Materials & Nano Letters 

Maria Torija, Manish Sharma, and Josh Schmitt from Chris 

Leighton’s group, collaborating with Oak Ridge National Lab, 

and the NIST, have cast new light on a central problem in oxide 

electronics. Complex oxides are widely recognized as holding 

enormous potential for many types of electronic devices, such as 

ultra-fast computer chips, high performance memory, and cleanburning 

fuel cells. Interfaces between oxides are critical to the 

performance of these devices however, and the electronic and 

magnetic properties of the oxides tend to degrade dramatically at 

interfaces, posing a serious problem. Work published online on 

April 21st in Advanced Materials reported a breakthrough in the 

understanding of the origins of this effect. Using a specific cobalt 

oxide as an example, the group was able to demonstrate that the 

deteriorated 

magnetic and 

electronic 

properties 

arise due to 

High resolution 

microscopy 

2 nm 

La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3 

SrTiO 3 

(001) 

SrTiO 3 

(001) / La 0.5 

Sr 0.5 

CoO 3 

Low resolution 

microscopy 

La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3 

10nm 

SrTiO 3 

(001) 

Spectral 

Imaging 

Holes 

10nm 

a surprising 

tendency of 

the materials 

to break 

up into nanoscopic 

magnetic 

clusters. 

Atomic resolution 

microscopy 

shows 

this to be due to chemical effects near the interface, primarily related 

to an unusual interplay between strain and oxygen vacancy 

formation. Oxygen vacancies form a superstructure in these materials, 

which was also found to have a profound effect on the Co 

spin state, as reported in Nano Letters. The work demonstrates 

that careful engineering of the interface atomic structure could 

minimize, or even eliminate, this roadblock to development of 

oxide-based technologies. 

CEMS (Vol. 13, No. 2) is published 2x/yr by the Department of 

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Circulation: 6,600. Fall 

2011 editor: B. Harren. Thanks to Class Notes contributors, CEMS 

alumni (especially alumni from the 1990s), F. Bates, J. Pogatchnik, 

Energy Researchers, Efie Kokkoli, & Kaitlyn Pladsen. The UMN is an 

equal opportunity educator and employer. ©2010 by the Regents of the 

University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. This publication is available 

in alternative formats upon request. Printed by University of Minnesota 

Printing Services. Contains a minimum of 10% post-consumer waste. 

CEMS News • University of Minnesota 

2


Lee Wins “Best Dissertation” in Physical 

Sciences and Engineering 

Dr. Sangwoo Lee, working with Regents Professor and Department 

Head Frank Bates, has been awarded the 2011 “Best 

Dissertation” award for the best dissertation in physical sciences 

and engineering at UMN for his work entitled “Structure and 

Dynamics of Block Copolymer Based Soft Materials.” As part 

of his doctoral research, Dr. Lee discovered a Frank-Kasper 

sigma phase, a crystal approximant to a dodecagonal quasicrystal, 

in block copolymer melts. His discovery was reported in the 

October 15 issue of Science (S. Lee, M.J. Bluemle and F.S. Bates, 

“Discovery of a Frank-Kasper Sigma Phase in Sphere-Forming 

Block Copolymer Melts,” Science 330, 349-353, 2010) and featured 

on National Public Radio. 

Bhan Wins CAREER Award 

The National Science Foundation has given 

Assistant Professor Aditya Bhan a CAREER 

award, given in support of junior faculty who 

exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through 

outstanding research, excellent education, and 

the integration of education and research. Aditya’s 

proposal, entitled “Selectivity Control in 

Methanol-to-Hydrocarbons Catalysis by Manipulating 

the Hydrocarbon Pool” centers on the use of molecular 

sieve materials with sub-nanometer sized pores and channels 

as catalysts to make gasoline range hydrocarbons, or alternatively, 

polymer grade light olefins, from C1 precursors. 

Alternative carbon sources such as biomass and natural gas 

will be critical in supplying the planet with energy carriers and 

other petroleum substitutes in the future. The advantage of using 

C1 intermediates such as methanol for this conversion is that it 

does not depend on the source of carbon and it offers a high degree 

of flexibility in the choice of products. The underlying challenge 

in this chemistry is to grow carbon chains selectively from 

C1 precursors to make desired gasoline range hydrocarbons. The 

Bhan group proposes to develop detailed mechanistic understanding 

of methanol conversion on zeolitic acids and to exploit 

the co-catalytic organic “hydrocarbon pool” in MTH systems to 

tune selectivity for carbon-chain growth reactions. If successful, 

this research will provide new catalytic routes for converting any 

carbon source to specific fuel or chemical products. 

Kaznessis Receives Sotirchos Award 

Professor Yiannis Kaznessis returns to the Aristotle University 

in Thessaloniki, Greece, to deliver the S.V. Sotirchos Memorial 

Lecture during the 8th Panhellenic Scientific Chemical 

Engineering Congress. The “Stratis V. Sotirchos Lectureship” 

was created to honor the memory of distinguished Researcher, 

Professor Stratis V. Sotirchos, who lost his life in a tragic traffic 

accident in Brussels, on June 13, 2004. This Award is supported 

by the “Stratis V. Sotirchos Trust Fund” which has been created 

from donations by friends and colleagues. 

CEMS Outstanding TA’s 

CEMS is happy to announce the winners of the 2010-2011 

Outstanding TA Awards. These students were nominated by instructors 

for their excellent performance as a TA. Shown above 

with the Directors of Graduate Studies, Dan Frisbie and Yiannis 

Kaznessis are: ; Chris Thurber—CHEN 4502: Chemical Engineering 

Process Design II; Eric Vandre—CHEN 8101: Fluid 

Mechanics I: Change, Deformation, Equations of Flow; Katherine 

Volzing—CHEN 3401: Junior Chemical Engineering 

Lab; Aloysius Gunawan—MATS 5517: Electron Microscopy; 

Victor Lai—MATS 4400: Senior Design Project 

The prize is $200 cash award, a UMN T-shirt, and their 

names added to the Outstanding TA Awards Plaque displayed 

in 150 Amundson Hall. Congratulations to each of you! 

Stephanopoulos Receives Eni Award 

Dr Greg Stephanopoulos (PhD 

ChE, 1978), Dow Professor of Chemical 

Engineering & Biotechnology at 

MIT, received the 2011 Renewable 

and Non-Conventional Energy Prize 

for his pioneering research in the field 

of metabolic engineering. The prize 

consists of a gold medal and €200,000 

(about $284,726). The Eni Award is 

presented by Italian energy company 

Eni to honor researchers and scientists 

in the fields of energy and the environment. 

Yang Honored by the American Filtration 

and Separations Society 

Chuanfang (Ted) Yang, former visiting scholar and research 

fellow with Ed Cussler, has received the Senior Scientist Award 

for 2011 from the American Filtration and Separations Society. 

The award honors individuals at the middle of their career who 

make significant contributions to the technology of filtration and 

separation. Dr. Chang has made many impressive contributions 

in the field of filtration by his numerous refereed publications, 

his global recognition for significant contributions to advancing 

technology and for his breadth of expertise in the field of filtration 

and separation. 

CEMS News • Fall 2011 

3


CEMS Group Reports Breakthrough on Zeolite Films 

Inaugural Sebastian C. Reyes Fellowship Awarded 

Sebastian Reyes (PhD, 1985) was a prolific scientist, engineer, and inventor, with over 160 publications, presentations, 

and patents in the course of his 23 year career at Exxon and ExxonMobil. But these numbers don’t tell the story 

of Sebastian’s passion for attacking difficult problems of industrial relevance using an ever-evolving set of tools spanning 

creative modeling, mathematics, and experimental measurements. 

In a seminar this fall, attended by members of the Reyes family, John L. Robbins, ExxonMobil’s Corporate Strategic 

Research Labs, ExxonMobil Corporation, reviewed selected samples of Reyes’ published work to illustrate the breadth 

and depth of his technical achievements. What emerges from the body of his work are the fundamental themes of diffusion 

in porous media, adsorption kinetics and 

energetics, and chemical reaction rates. In the 

early and middle part of this career the theme 

manifested itself in his experimental and modeling 

studies of these processes as applied in 

catalytic and adsorption processes. In the early 

1990’s he began developing and using cutting 

edge frequency-response adsorption and NMR 

methods to fill in fundamental data gaps in 

gas diffusion kinetics and adsorption in porous 

solids. These tools allowed him to “design” improved 

materials for gas separations. His efforts 

here merely pried open the door on a number 

of unresolved issues in adsorption and diffusion. 

A CEMS team described the synthesis of suspensions containing zeolite nanosheets (precisely 

structured porous layers, few atoms thick and thousand atoms wide). Due to the molecular 

sized pores crossing the film thickness, the nanosheets can act as selective flakes at the molecular 

level. High performance membranes were synthesized by simply packing these selective 

flakes as shown in the Figure. The paper was published in the October 7 issue of Science (K. 

Varoon et al, Science, 2011, 334, 72 (DOI: 10.1126/science.1208891)). A commentary can be 

found at http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/October/06101105.asp 

Manas-Zloczower to receive Whitby Award 

Ica Manas-Zloczower has been chosen as the 2012 George S. Whitby Award recipient. The award, sponsored by 

Cabot, honors outstanding international teachers of chemistry and polymer science, and recognizes innovative 

research, as well as outstanding contributions to the integration of chemistry and polymer science into our education 

system, Manas-Zloczower received BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic 

Institute Jassy in Romania, and a Doctor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Technion-Israel Institute 

of Technology. She was a post-doc in Chris Macosko’s group at U of MN in the 1980s. Since 1985, Manas- 

Zloczower has been at Case Western Reserve University where she is currently a professor in the Department of 

Macromolecular Science and Engineering and Associate Dean of Faculty Development for the Case School of 

Engineering 

Keller Presents final Commune Vinculum Lecture 

The eleventh and final 2011 Commune Vinculum Omnibus Artibus Lecture on “Energy” on Thursday, January 26, 2012, will be 

presented by Dr. Kenneth H. Keller, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins, Bologna, Italy. 

He will give a seminar entitled “Energy and the International Agenda: The Confluence of Science, Technology and Politics”. The 

2011 CVOA Seminar for Fall Semester approached the subject of Energy from a number of different angles by acknowledged 

experts in their several fields. 

Left to right:: Nicholas Reyes-Moraga (his nephew), Maria Victoria 

and Gloria Reyes-Moraga (his sisters), John Robbins, (ExxonMobil 

colleague), Ivan Reyes-Moraga (his brother), Lanny Schmidt (Regents 

Professor, CEMS); back row: Jennifer Pogatchnik (CEMS development 

officer) David Riehm (2011-12 Sebastian C. Reyes Fellow) 

The resolution of those issues by the next generation of engineers and scientists will be his greatest legacy. The inaugural 

Sebastian C. Reyes Fellowship was awarded to graduate student David Riehm. Sebastian was fondly remembered by 

family and friends as a kind man and brilliant scientist. 


4


AIChE Comes to Minneapolis 

The 2011 AIChE Annual meeting, chaired by CEMS Professor Alon McCormick, was held at the Minneapolis 

Convention Center and Hilton from October 16 to 21. About 5000 participants attended technical sessions, including 

plenary sessions celebrating the International Year of Chemistry, Congresses on Energy and on Sustainability, and 

Topical Conferences. 

The National Student Conference was held the preceding weekend and was hosted by our AIChE Student Chapter 

(with the guidance of their advisor Professor Raul Caretta). About 1500 students attended. 

60 th Birthday Celebrations held for Tirrell and Hu 

Matt Tirrell turned 60 and his collaborators, alumni, current group members and friends gathered together at the annual 

AIChE meeting in Minneapolis to celebrate his birthday and his momentous contributions to science and education. 

Tirrell group alumni Arup Chakraborty (MIT) and Efie 

Kokkoli (CEMS) organized three sessions at the annual 

AIChE meeting which featured several of Matt’s students 

(Nitash Balsara; Berkeley, Hiroshi Watanabe; Kyoto Japan, 

Steve Granick; UIUC, Efie Kokkoli, John Torkelson; 

Northwestern, Arup Chakraborty; MIT) and collaborators 

(Frank Bates, Gary Leal; UCSB, Chris Macosko, Deborah 

Leckband; UIUC, Jacob Israelachvili; UCSB). Matt 

gave the closing presentation entitled “Protein Analogous 

Micelles”. Surprise gifts included an academic family tree, 

created by calligrapher artist Diane von Arx and made possible 

by many of his alumni and current group members, 

and a 60th birthday celebratory Kanreki outfit by Hiroshi 

Watanabe. The celebration concluded with a private dinner 

attended by many alumni and friends and funded by 

generous contributions by Frank Bates and CEMS, Mike 

Doherty and UCSB, Dave Tirrell and Arup Chakraborty. 

Arup Chakraborty, Matt Tirrell, and Efie Kokkoli 

We wish Matt a happy 60th birthday and continued success 

and leadership for our profession 

A surprise celebration on Oct.. 20, the weekend after 

the AIChE annual meeting, was held to honor Wei-Shou 

Hu for his 60th birthday. The event, planned and funded 

entirely by Wei-Shou’s current students immediately followed 

the AIChE annual meeting enabling many of Wei- 

Shou’s friends and colleagues who were in town for the 

conference to stay for the celebration. Many of his former 

students and current collaborators and colleagues gave presentations 

citing his contributions to the field of Chemical 

Engineering. The afternoon symposium was followed by 

dinner at the Campus Club, where video messages were 

shown from those who were unable to attend. A beautifully 

designed timeline featuring various milestones in his 

personal life and career was presented to him and a photo 

album containing pictures of his students over the years 

and the various activities in which they participated. 

Wei-Shou Hu and Ann Kantardjieff 


5


Scholarships Awarded for 2012 

Close to $80,000 was awarded in departmental scholarships 

for the 2011-2012 academic school year! Scholarship 

awards ranged from $400 to $6400. Featured below are 

departmental scholarships which are administered within 

the department by a scholarship committee comprised of 

faculty and staff. Departmental scholarships are awarded 

to juniors or seniors majoring in chemical engineering or 

materials science. Selection criteria for each scholarship 

are determined by alumni/donors of the department. The 

committee works diligently to select recipients based on 

predetermined criteria which might include financial need, 

merit and/or geographical location. Below is a listing of 

the juniors and seniors who are receiving tuition assistance 

from scholarship endowments created by CEMS alumni 

and friends. Thank you CEMS donors for making these 

scholarships possible. (The minimum to create an endowed 

scholarship is $25,000 and can be paid in pledge 

installments over 5 years – contact Jennifer Pogatchnik at 

pogat005@umn.edu or 612-626-9501 with questions.) 

AIChE Scholarship Fund 

Wenhao Liu is a chemical engineering junior 

from Nanjing, China. “This scholarship allows 

me to concentrate more on my study and voluntary 

research without worrying about my financial 

condition. I am inspired to study and 

work harder than ever before.” 

Archie B. Japs Scholarship and 

Jim & Lorinda Mishek Scholarship 

Stephen John Peschman is a senior in materials 

science from Apple Valley, MN. “The scholarships 

I have received this year have provided 

me the financial assistance to allow more of my 

time to be focused on participating in programs 

at school. I previously was unable to do this because 

of work obligations. I hope to enter industry 

this year and leverage my work experience and leadership 

to excel as an engineer.” 


Charles A Mann Award/Chem Eng (1934) 

Brian Brent Johnson is a chemical engineering 

senior from Clearwater, MN. “The scholarship 

I have received means a lot to me in terms of 

helping to alleviate the financial burden of financing 

my undergraduate career, since I am 

paying for it without assistance from my family. 

Once I graduate in the spring of 2012, I will 

accept a job in the petroleum industry that will allow me to utilize 

the process control and operation knowledge that I have acquired 

during my academic career.” 

Adam Matthew Baker is a senior in chemical 

engineering from Eagan, MN. “This scholarship 

has been very important in helping me to 

continue my education and I hope to lead a successful 

career in the alternative energy sector 

after I graduate.” 

Dustin L. Dekart is a junior in chemical engineering 

from Scandia, MN. “This scholarship 

will help to further my education and reduce 

my loans. My career goal is to get a full time job 

as a Chemical Engineer in the food industry 

after receiving my bachelor’s degree.” 

Patrick Brian Marshall is a senior in materials 

science from Mendota Heights, MN. “To me, 

the scholarship means that my hard work is beginning 

to pay off, and it gives me confidence 

that it will continue to benefit me in the future. 

I would like to be a product development engineer 

in the electronics industry.” 

Lucas Marcelo Caretta is a junior in materials 

science from St. Anthony, MN. “The great honor 

of receiving the Charles A. Mann Scholarship 

Award will provide me with opportunities, 

motivation, and resources in helping achieve my 

goal of attending graduate school to obtain a 

Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering. It 

is truly a privilege to receive it. ” 

Christie John Geankoplis Scholarship Fund 

Brett Jonathan Sitter is a senior in chemical 

engineering from Chanhassen, MN. “My goal 

is to work with renewable energy and this 

scholarship tells me that other people believe 

that I have potential to make positive contributions 

in the renewable energy field.” 

6


Fridley Scholarships 

The Fridley Scholarship Fund is our largest scholarship endowment. 

This year, five students received $6,000 each. The Fridley 

Scholarship was created in 1959 through the estate of Edith G. 

Fridley whose husband, John, was an early alumnus of CEMS. 

Hardisha L. White is a junior in chemical engineering 

from River Falls, WI. “This scholarship 

will help me focus my attention on my 

studies and achieve my goal of working full 

time in industry when I graduate.” 

Christopher Edward Bock is a senior in chemical 

engineering from Ramsey, MN. “The Fridley 

Scholarship will ease the burden of financing 

my education and let me focus on my 

classes. My career goals include continuously 

developing my professional knowledge and being 

a valuable asset to the company I work for.” 

Jacob P. Johnson is a chemical engineering senior 

from Wonder Lake, IL. “The scholarship 

provides me with the opportunity to receive a 

good education without worrying about financial 

stresses. After college, I plan on becoming 

a process engineer.” 

Eric Dhanens is a junior in chemical engineering 

from Bakersfield, CA “I am incredibly 

grateful and humbled to receive the Fridley 

Scholarship. This is a huge weight off my shoulders 

and I will stop nothing short of my expectations 

in the future.” 

Alex Leonard Leopold is a chemical engineering 

senior from Heron Lake, MN. “The Fridley 

Scholarship means a great deal to me as it will 

be used towards paying for tuition, fees, and 

textbooks throughout the school year. My future 

career goal is to work as a full-time Chemical 

Engineer for a medical device company or 

pharmaceutical company.” 

Kempf Scholarship 

Rob Charles Stemm is a chemical engineering 

senior from Brooklyn Park, MN. “Receiving 

this scholarship is a great privilege and I hope to 

honor the Kempfs by contributing my effort in 

industry. I am very grateful for this award and 

feel fortunate to have been selected.” 

The Paula Zoromski Memorial Scholarship 

Katerina Georgiou is a senior in chemical engineering 

with a biomolecular engineering emphasis 

and a minor in mathematics. She is from 

St. Paul, MN. “I am very grateful to the Zoromski 

family for their generous support. This 

scholarship has allowed me to focus on my academics 

and research, strengthening my desire to 

obtain a PhD and contribute to developments at the interface of 

Chemical Engineering and Medicine in the years to come.” 

Joan Mattern Scholarship in CSE 

Martina Susanna List is a senior in chemical 

engineering from Malmo, Sweden. “This scholarship 

helps me through my last year in school, 

so that I can focus on my studies and my career 

after graduation.” 

Proctor & Gamble Company Scholarship 

Tomohiro Kubo is a junior in chemical engineering 

from Tokushima, Japan. “The Proctor 

and Gamble Company Scholarship encourages 

me to immerse myself in coursework and research. 

Also, the financial support has reduced 

my burden of tuition.” 

Peter Wayne Stevens is a chemical engineering 

junior from New Ulm, MN. “My career goal is to 

be employed as a chemical engineer working in 

industry once I obtain my bachelor’s degree. The 

scholarship means a lot to me because of its assistance 

in paying towards my education and success 

in the future.” 

Rosalie Sperling Dinkey Scholarship Fund 

Yue Zhou is a senior in chemical engineering 

from Suzhou, China. “The scholarship inspired 

and encouraged me to work harder to achieve 

my career goal as an outstanding chemical engineer 

for the Chinese and world chemical industry.” 


7


Thomas W. Cummins Scholarship 

Takanori Sagawa is a junior in chemical engineering 

from Mito, Japan. “I highly appreciate 

that my work and efforts accumulated so far led 

me to this prestigious scholarship. I am going to 

keep making efforts as intensive as possible, and 

I would like to continue exploring both the 

chemistry and chemical engineering worlds 

throughout my lifetime.” 

Wendell & Dottie Manske Scholarship 

Nolan Reese Weber is a senior in chemical engineering 

from Waconia, MN. “I am very grateful 

for the scholarship. It means that I can adequately 

focus on my studies and not worry 

about interference from working too much. 

Once I graduate I plan to pursue a job in chemical 

engineering and then continue my studies 

in graduate school after a couple of years.” 

Barb & Dave Yarusso Scholarship 

Wendy Chan graduated from Eden Prairie 

High School in 2008. “I am currently a senior 

as a chemical engineer and chemistry double 

major. I plan to use the generous offer to finish 

the remaining school year and look into industrial 

positions in the food or health industry.” 

Donald Leask Fuller Scholarship Fund 

Ivan Primaatmaja is a chemical engineering 

senior from Jakarta, Indonesia. “This scholarship 

keeps me motivated to do well in school 

and eventually get my degree. Upon graduation, 

I am looking forward to work in industry 

and apply what I have learned.” 

Bobbie Huston Cronquist Scholarship 

Hui Li is a chemical engineering junior from Suzhou, 

China. “I feel honored to be awarded this 

scholarship, which means not only a recognition 

of my achievement but also a great financial help. 

I would like to work in the upstream research industry 

after getting a graduate degree.” 

Yimei Zhu is a junior in chemical engineering. 

She is from Nanjing, China. “The scholarship 

was a great encourage toward my further study 

and motivated me to work harder. Also, the donor’s 

generosity inspired me to help others after I 

graduate” 

CEMS Scholarship Fund (ChEn Students) 

Renxuan Xie is a senior in chemical engineering 

from Chongqing China. “This scholarship 

helps me greatly with the rising tuition for year 

2011-12 so that I can focus more on the academics 

rather than the financial problem.” 

Donald M. & R. Patricia Sullivan Scholarship Fund 

Sean Michael Luopa is a junior in materials 

science from Minneapolis, MN. “The generosity 

of the Sullivans has allowed me to continue 

with a full time school schedule, and enabled 

me to stay on track for graduation without having 

to resort to expensive private loans.” 

Lucas Caretta wins Leadership Award 

Lucas Caretta’s research in chemical engineering and materials science has led to recognition 

by the Minnesota Academy of Science with the award of a George A Roberts 

Scholarship. The Roberts Scholarships were established in 1995 through a generous contribution 

from Dr. George A Roberts, FASM, ASM past president and retired CEO of 

Teledyne. The scholarships are awarded to outstanding undergraduate members of ASM 

at the junior or senior level who demonstrate exemplary academic achievement; personal 

achievement; and interest and potential in metallurgy or materials science and engineering. 

Along with his coursework and research, Lucas has made time for a new organization 

on campus called the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. “As president 

of SHPE, my goals are to promote the participation of Hispanic youth in science and 

engineering, and I hope to help forge a pathway for them to achieve careers.” Five Scholars were selected this year 

and were presented with a certificate and check for $6,000 toward educational expenses for one academic year. 


8

DEVELOPMENT CORNER 

Jennifer Payne Pogatchnik 

This is likely my 18 th 

or 19 th development article 

in the CEMS newsletter. 

Wow! How time 

flies! After nearly a decade 

of serving the department as a development 

officer I want to simply say thank you! 

Every day over the last 9+ years, it has been an 

honor working with graduates of the esteemed 

Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials 

Science who give back to the department. 

As I look back at all of the alumni and families 

who have established endowed scholarships and 

fellowships over the years, I am deeply humbled 

by your goodness, passion and willingness to 

If you are thinking about making a 

gift... 

Please don’t hesitate to call me and talk through the 

gift options. Thank you to those of you who have already 

made the call or answered the call. You are changing lives 

one student at a time.. 

Class of 1962 50th Reunion, Thursday 

May 3, 2012 

The 50 th Reunion for the Class of 1962 has been 

scheduled for May 3-4 th on campus. This year the 50 th 

reunion will have a class celebration on Thursday evening 

May 3 rd in the McNamara Alumni Center and then 

spend Friday, May 4 th visiting various places on campus 

and processing in graduation. Attendees are invited to 

participate in all or parts of reunion activities. Reunion 

committee members for the Class of 1962 include: Gerhard 

Benz, Bill Dunbar, Jim Kvikstad and Les Young. If 

you are willing to volunteer on the reunion committee or 

have questions about the 50 th reunion please contact Jennifer 

Pogatchnik at 612-626-9501. Note, all members of 

the Class of 1962 and older are invited to attend Golden 

Medallion Society festivities on campus Friday May 4, 

2012. 


thank you! 

partner in making CEMS the best it can be. 

I recently had a conversation with a chemical 

engineering student beginning his senior year at 

the University of Minnesota. The student came 

to my office to hand in a thank you letter for a 

scholarship he was receiving. While chatting 

with him, he shared that his dad was a laborer 

who had been in and out of work in recent years 

due to the down housing economy and that his 

mother ran an in-home child care. As I sat talking 

with him and learning about his life before 

the University of Minnesota, I quickly realized 

that life after leaving the U would be dramatically 

different. The scholarship he received helped 

make that possible for him. 

Laskowski Fellowship Breakfast 

In 2002 Drs. Jan & Sofia Laskowski (both PhD ‘68) 

established the Jan J. & Sofia Milner Laskowski Fellowship. 

The purpose of the fellowship is to support outstanding 

incoming female graduate students. Since 2002 

the Laskowski Fellowship has supported seven outstanding 

female students in their pursuit of graduate degrees. 

Jan and Sofia recently visited campus and treated their 

current and previous Laskowski Fellows to breakfast. 

Left to right: Sonja Belgrade (2011-12), Jingwen Zhang 

(2007-08), Sofia Laskowski, Jan Laskowski, Karen Haman 

(2009-10), Tessie Panthani (2010-11). Several have graduated 

and were unable to attend including Erica Redline (2006-07), 

now working for Dupont; Christine Cardinal Roberts (2005- 

06), now working for Sandia National Labs; and Ann Hansgate 

(2004-05). 

9

FACULTY RESEARCH 

Energy at Minnesota 

Minnesota has developed strong energy programs centered in CEMS. 

Our programs encompass all research areas and courses offered in the 

department from biofuels to solar electricity. Students have an instinctive 

awareness that energy research holds the future for jobs and they 

find these topics just fascinating. While petroleum refining and metallurgy 

form key examples for the core of our disciplines, new and exciting 

concepts can be found by considering new and unexplored energy 

sources and applications pertinent to the topic of energy. Whale oil 

lamps evolved to incandescent lights which are evolving to light emitting 

diodes and to whatever develops next. Revolutionary and dynamic 

ideas in energy research will change the world and we will have a leading 

part in this change. 

Eray Aydil 


Chris Leighton 

The groups of professors Eray Aydil and Chris Leighton are 

striving to develop new materials for thin film solar cells that are 

cheap, non-toxic, and naturally abundant. Although some existing 

solar absorber materials (e.g., cadmium telluride and copper 

indium gallium selenide) are able to form thin film solar cells 

that are efficient and cheap, toxicity and low abundance of the 

constituent elements (e.g., cadmium, tellurium, indium) present 

major roadblocks to large scale energy production. The research 

effort, which is funded by the Institute for Renewable Energy 

and the Environment (IREE), is focused on sulfide materials 

formed from cheap, non-toxic, and abundant elements. Their 

initial work deals with highly efficient light absorbing compounds 

such as iron disulfide and copper zinc tin sulfide which 

have outstanding untapped potential in this area, but for which 

there remain significant materials challenges. Ultimately, success 

in this endeavor would open up the possibility of terawatt-scale 

electricity production from sunlight. 

Aditya Bhan’s lab focuses on 

inorganic materials useful as 

catalysts for energy conversion, 

environmental remediation, and 

petrochemical synthesis. Using 

the interactions between molecules 

and surfaces, they study 

structure-function relations for 

heterogeneous catalysts for the 

conversion of methanol to olefins 

and transportation fuels, the use 

of light alkanes in deoxygenation 

reactions of biomass compounds, 

Aditya Bhan acid catalysis for isomerization 

and alkylation of hydrocarbons 

and dehydration and esterification reactions of oxygen-containing 

compounds derived from biomass. 

Their current research in collaboration with the Tsapatsis, 

Schmidt, Daoutidis, and Cococcioni groups in CEMS focuses 

on reactions and processes essential for the conversion of highlyfunctionalized 

biomass-derived feedstocks and chemically inert 

natural gas to energy carriers and other substitutes for petroleum 

products. 

Yiannis Kaznessis and his group 

engineer controllable biological 

foundries. With sophisticated 

models of biological complexity 

as a guide, they expend efforts to 

engineer new synthetic biological 

organisms to produce biofuels. 

With a combination of theoretical 

and experimental work, the 

Kaznessis group has designed 

and built protein switches that 

turn on and off molecular unit 

operations in bacterial microfactories. 

The sequence of mi- 

Yiannis Kaznessis 

crobiological steps from raw 

materials to high-value products is regulated and optimized 

with these protein switches, rationalizing biological engineering. 

10

Faculty Research, continued... 

In Wei-Shou Hu’s laboratory 

a systems biology approach has 

been taken to examine the nature 

of solvent tolerance in an ethanol 

producing bacterium, Clostridium 

thermocellum. They applied 

quantitative proteomic analysis 

and designed a DNA microarray 

to examine the dynamic profiles 

of over 300 proteins and all messenger 

RNAs in the cell, compared 

the temporal differences 

between a ethanol tolerant strain 

Wei-Shou Hu and a native strain of bacteria. 

They found that a metabolic 

node was changed in the tolerant strain which channel more 

sugar to the product. 

Matteo Cococcioni’s group uses 

first-principles computer simulations 

to study materials related to 

energy. With Aditya Bhan’s 

group, they investigate valorizing 

natural gas and other feedstocks 

by conversion to hydrocarbon fuels 

using zeolite-based catalysts. 

Simulations compute the kinetic 

paths and barriers of critical steps 

in this conversion and define optimal 

systems able to catalyze 

these processes at moderate temperatures. 

Matteo Cococcioni 

Another class of materials they 

are investigating (with Aydil’s group) consists of Cu-Zn-Sn- 

S/Se compounds that are being considered for the fabrication 

of a new generation of low-cost, thin-film solar cells. Ab initio 

calculations characterize the structural and electronic properties 

of the different phases of these materials to select the ones with 

useful properties and define ways to control their growth. 

Fossil-based resources are the 

most important raw materials 

of modern society. While the 

prosperity of the world hinges on 

oil, petroleum consumption has 

caused oil depletion and climate 

change. To address such a challenge, 

Kechun Zhang’s lab is 

developing synthetic metabolic 

pathways in bugs to enable the 

biosynthesis of fuels and chemicals 

from renewable resources. 

Separating mixed substances can 

demand considerable amounts of 

heat. With abundant and inexpensive 

fuel, this was not a major 

consideration in industrial separations 

(such as distillation). As 

energy prices rise, the need for 

more energy-efficient alternatives 

grows. One promising option is 

high-resolution molecular separation 

with membranes. They use 

preferential adsorption or minute 

size and shape sieving. Among 

Michael Tsapatsis the candidates are zeolite materials 

(crystals with molecular-sized 

pores). But to enable this energy-savings technology, we need 

cost-effective, reliable, and scalable deposition methods for thin 

film zeolite formation. 

The Tsapatsis group has described the synthesis of suspensions 

containing zeolite nanosheets (precisely structured porous layers, 

few atoms thick and thousands of atoms wide). Due to the molecular-sized 

pores crossing the film thickness, the nanosheets 

can act as selective flakes at the molecular level. High performance 

membranes were synthesized by simply packing these 

selective flakes. 

Friedrich Srienc applies metabolic 

network analysis methods 

to rationally design most efficient 

microorganisms for the 

synthesis of metabolites including 

biopolymers and chemicals 

that could serve as biofuels. The 

goal is to create cells with minimal 

metabolic functionality that 

are dedicated to the synthesis 

of the desired metabolites. The 

rationally designed cells are then 

constructed using genetic engineering 

techniques that permit 

Friedrich Srienc 

the elimination or enhancement 

of specific reactions in the network. Once the structure of the 

network is created, the cells are then further optimized based on 

evolution in a specially designed continuous reactor system in 

which evolution occurs in the fastest possible way. His group 

currently focuses on cells that can convert carbon dioxide into 

biofuels and other chemicals. The metabolic engineering work 

recently resulted in the development of a new evolutionary theory 

that links the operation of the metabolic network to basic 

thermodynamic properties of the reaction pathways. Based on 

this theoretical framework mutations that happen during evolution 

can be predicted. 

Kechun Zhang 


11

Faculty Research, continued... 

Russell Holmes’s research group 

studies organic semiconductors 

for the efficient generation and 

consumption of energy. Organic 

semiconductors are an emerging 

class of “soft” electronic materials, 

unique for their optical and electronic 

properties and their compatibility 

with high-throughput, 

roll-to-roll processing. This allows 

non-conventional flexible 

and conformal substrates to be 

made from plastics and metal 

Russell Holmes foils for device construction. 

This unique combination of performance, 

throughput, and cost means these materials can be 

used in exciting and exotic systems including flexible, paper-thin 

displays; semi-transparent displays; window-based photovoltaic 

cells; and inexpensive, disposable lab-on-chip sensing systems. 

This work is complemented by investigation of fundamental 

mechanisms of photoconversion in this unique materials system. 

Efforts to develop efficient OLEDs for lighting are centered on 

the development and characterization of simplified device architectures 

that allow high efficiency with reduced processing complexity 

and cost. Interestingly, many of these strategies could 

also find application in energy efficient flat-panel displays for 

use in both portable devices as well as in high-end displays. 

The interest in microfabricated 

fuel cells has developed recently 

for coupling such power sources 

with small sensors and MEMs 

devices. Hydrogen storage and 

delivery by electrochemical 

routes may impact miniature fuel 

cell systems. William Smyrl’s 

interest in aerogels and highly 

porous intercalation hosts arose 

from the need to synthesize materials 

that support high rates 

of insertion and release of guest 

William Smyrl Lithium ions for lithium ion battery 

systems. Large scale energy 

storage for wind and solar energy sources is being pursued for 

one-megawatt Sodium Sulfur Battery systems, sponsored by the 

Minnesota Renewable Energy Development Fund. They study 

reaction distributions in liquids and gases on electrochemically 

active surfaces. Electrocatalysis, corrosion, and intercalation reactions 

are mapped in situ with a novel functional Near Field 

Optical Scanning Microscope (f-NSOM) technique. Coupling 

microscopy with finite element modeling of electrochemical systems 

is a continuing interest in this research group. 


Funded by IREE, graduate students 

in Dan Frisbie’s groups are 

designing, fabricating and testing 

new kinds of polymer solar cells. 

Polymer solar cells are a subset of 

organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices 

where the light-harvesting 

and charge-generating medium 

is a film of conjugated polymers 

(electron donors) mixed 

with electron acceptor pigments. 

These PV devices can be prepared 

by high throughput, liquid 

Dan Frisbie phase coating, which may lower 

production cost. Due to their 

high absorptivity, polymer PVs can be much thinner than silicon 

PVs, allowing lightweight, flexible solar designs. 

A challenge for these PVs is to increase their efficiency, currently 

7-8% for the best devices. One strategy enhances their spectral 

absorption, i.e., increases the wavelengths over which the polymers 

can capture light. The synthesis of such polymers is thus a 

major priority for the team. Another key problem is to structure 

the films to maximize the collection efficiency of photoexcited 

electrons. The Frisbie and Hillmyer groups are focusing on directed 

self-assembly methods. Finally, considerable effort goes 

into characterizing the electrical performance of completed devices 

to understand the physics of current and voltage generation 

in this relatively new class of solar energy conversion devices. 

Lanny Schmidt’s group has 

been finding new technologies 

for conversion of biomass into 

biofuels. Their focus has been 

on autothermal catalytic reactors 

operating at very short contact 

times and on syngas routes to 

biofuels. Syngas (a mixture of H 2 

and CO) is produced by catalytic 

partial oxidation over rhodium 

catalysts with residence times on 

the reactor of 1-10 ms in a nearly 

adiabatic reactor heated by the 

Lanny Schmidt chemistry to 800°-1000°C. A 

related reaction produces olefins 

from alkanes at comparable residence times over different catalysts. 

Recent experiments have focused on converting nonvolatile 

liquids (e.g., soy oil) and solids (e.g., cellulose) via reactive 

flash volatilization, which converts these liquids and solids to 

equilibrium syngas with no solid carbon formation. Approximately 

30 PhD student have generated ~50 publications in the 

past decade on these topics. 

Lanny has also taught a senior technical elective, entitled “Renewable 

Energy Technologies”. It covers biomass-to-biofuels 

and competing technologies (e.g., photovoltaics, solar thermal 

energy, and wind). It’s popular with students and has an average 

enrollment of 70. 

12

x CLASS NOTES Chemical Engineering & Materials Science Alumni 

NEXT ISSUE: FOCUS ON ALUMNI FROM THE 2000s. 

Thanks to the 1990’s alums for their 

Class Notes submissions. Alums from 

the 2000’s are next. It’s your turn to 

lead the way. Let us hear from you in 

BIG numbers. Regardless of when 

you graduated, let us know about 

your career and personal life since 

leaving CEMS. Responses received 

by 03/01/12 will be included in the 

Spring newsletter. All submissions are subject to editing. Add a 

face to the name to aid recognition, please send more photos.. 

Send your contribution to: 

Ms. Bev Harren, University of Minnesota 

Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science 

305 Amundson Hall, 421 Washington Ave SE 

Minneapolis MN 55455-0132 

E-mail: bjharren@umn.edu 

Phone: 612-625-4580; Fax: 612-626-7246 


1960 

Jaydee Miller (BChE, 1960) In 1996, I sold a business I had 

started ~1969, then started a business making silver tubing for 

the high temperature superconductor industry. I also had several 

contracts with US DOE fabricating high temp. superconducting 

wire. About half way through the contract, I had an anuerism 

(aorta). This put me out of business for an indefinite time. I 

have since lost my left leg and will soon start therapy for a new 

leg! With these impediments, I have been unable to keep up 

with changes in high temp. superconducting. 

1961 

Thomas W. Segar (BChE, 1961) I am retired after 37 years 

of chemical and environmental engineering at N-Ren Corp. 

and Flint Hills Resources (formerly Koch Refining), both 

in Rosemount, MN. My wife, Janice, and I are able to enjoy 

retirement with extensive traveling around the world. We have 

visited 49 states, 96 countries, and all 7 continents, hopefully 

with more on the way. I attended the 50th UMN class reunion 

on May 6, 2011. We IT (now CSE) alumni led the 2011 CSE 

graduates into evening commencement at Mariucci Arena. I felt 

very proud to have been remembered after 50 years and enjoyed 

the two days of events, tours, and introductions to current CSE 

programs. I reviewed our Segar family ties with the UMN. My 

father, Raymond W. Segar, graduated from UMN—TC (Metallurgical/Mining 

Engr, 1936). I am his oldest son. My oldest 

son, Steven W. Segar, graduated UMN—TC (CivE, 1988). My 

brother, Lawrence P. Segar, Raymond’s second (EE, UND), 

has been a physics instructor, Rochester Community Technical 

College (RCTC), 2003-2006. Lawrence’s three children, 

my nephews and niece, are also UMN graduates. Peter Segar, 

is UMD graduate Chemist 1984; PhD Colorado, 1987. Lori 

Segar, graduated UMN—TC, MechE, 1986. Richard Segar 

graduated UMN—TC, MechE, 1990. In addition Peter married 

Kimberly Brinson, who graduated UMN BS Chemistry 1985 

and is currently a chemistry instructor at Normandale Community 

College. Her father, Paul Raymond Brinson, Jr., graduated 

UMN BS MechE, 1960. Lori Segar married Daniel Richard 

Mans, who also graduated UMN BS MechE, 1989. Raymond 

Segar and Paul Brinson are both passed away. Lawrence and 

I are retired and living in MN. All the next generation Segars 

mentioned above are living and working in their fields here in 

MN. As you can see, the Segar family has had many generations 

of IT/CSE graduates. Does engineering run in our 

bloodstream? 

1975 

Grant Lillevold (BChE, 1975) I 

am married to Kathryn (Long) 

UMN, 1973. I am VP of 

Engineering for S-T Industries 

in St. James, MN. We manufacture 

high precision measuring 

instruments such as micrometers 

and optical- and video-based 

inspection systems. I am also 

owner of Blackhawk Industries. 

We manufacture fiberglass automotive products. I am active in 

the Masons and play golf in my free time. 

1976 

Gregg Sougstad (BChE, 1976) Most recently employed by 

Food Systems Design as a senior process engineer. 

1978 

Charles V. Whittmann (PhD ChE, 

1978) 

I was in France for an extended period 

earlier this year and was very saddened 

to learn about the death of Professor 

Amundson when I returned in the 

spring. I recall very well the time when I 

came to study towards an MS degree at the UMN in the early 

seventies as a foreign exchange student: I was very intimidated 

when I talked to “the Chief ” for the first time and, to put me 

at ease, he winked at me. Although I spent sometimes day and 

night solving differential equations, I later considered these 

times as the best of times! I remember the famous “seminars” 

on Tuesday afternoons; during one of them, as the economy 

and job market had soured, he said as a true mathematician: 

“when things go bad, they always go bad uniformly”. In the 

mid and late seventies, I was again working under his guidance 

on a PhD degree. After he had moved to Houston in 1977, I 

corresponded with him. Once I had graduated, I visited him 

at the University of Houston as well as at his big mansion; I 

could not help pulling his leg once about “the Chief ” living 

on Cherokee St. In the eighties, whenever I was in Houston, 

I would always pay him a visit. In more recent years I often 

sent him some news for Christmas. I was very glad to meet 

with him again at the alumni reunion: ”Celebration First” in 

June 2006. After the dinner and presentations in the big hall of 

Coffman Union were over, I told him that the pictures of him 

from many years ago were hard to recognize; he responded: 

“they were impossible to recognize!” Over the years, I learned 

13


from him more than just chemical engineering and mathematics. 

At times, when I was in trouble, he was also a father figure. 

In December 2010, when I was in France, my Mother celebrated 

her 100th birthday; I had hoped that “the Chief ” would also 

reach this age! I will miss him. 

1980 

George J. Iwaszek (BChE, 1980) I retired from Intel in 2006 

and indulged myself by returning to school full-time to earn 

a MS ChE degree. Currently, I am a consultant in air quality, 

helping my clients in the Southwest meet the requirements of 

increasingly complex Clean Air Act regulations. NOTE: In the 

class of 1980 photo from last issue, George and his wife, Jan, are 

third and second from the end in the second row. Dave Reif is 

second in row one (with the cap). 

Robert Weisman (BChE, 1980) First, I apologize for not staying 

in touch with all my teachers and friends at Minnesota. I 

have not forgotten you, but think of you often. I am grateful for 

all you did for me in Minnesota and your friendship. I dislike 

writing letters, so it’s not about you—if you’d like to get back in 

touch, let me know your e-mail address, and we can correspond 

that way. 

I do have some amusing stories about my time at Minnesota. 

I will share three of them with you. The first story involves 

Lanny Schmidt. In those days we were on quarters, and in the 

fall quarter of my junior year, one required course was an intro 

to materials science, which Professor Schmidt taught. At one 

point, one of the guys I studied with, Dwight Rueter, and I were 

having trouble with some material and decided to go ask him 

to explain it, even though we had heard that the professors were 

only interested in graduate students. We walked into his office 

and he said “Who are you?” We said “We’re in your MatS 5011 

class.” He looked thunderstruck and said “Undergraduates!?” 

There was a pause and then, “Sit down, sit down! Can I get you 

cup of coffee? A soda?” We said “Um, ah, no thanks Professor, 

we just want to ask you a question.” “Oh, of course, of course, 

what’s your question?” He explained what we didn’t understand 

with such clarity that even we immediately grasped it, and he 

then urged us to come back “any time” as we left. As seniors, we 

took his 2-hour reactor lab, in which we learned more than in 

any other 2 hour class we took and some of the 3 hour classes, 

too. More at http://www.cems.umn.edu/downloads/alumni/ 

Weisman_note.pdf 


1981 

Thomas W. Floyd (BChE, 1981) I 

live in Saint Paul, MN and have 

now worked for 3M for 30 years. I’m 

currently a Lab Manager for 3M 

Building & Commercial Services 

Division. I’ve also worked in 

consumer product and commercial/ 

construction related product areas 

over the years. It’s hard to believe 

how fast the time has gone by. 

Happy 30 th to all the 1981 grads out 

there. Hope you are all doing well! 

1986 

Jan Talbot (PhD ChE, 1986) Prof. 

Jan Talbot was named UCSD 

Distinguished Teacher for 2010. 

This award recognizes a career of 

excellence in teaching both undergraduates 

and graduate students, 

mentoring graduate students, and 

contributing to the development of 

educational curricula in her field. Jan 

Talbot “has been a truly outstanding 

teacher at UC—San Diego for more 

than 25 years,” and students describe 

her as a professor who has “changed their lives forever” as a 

“mentor and a lifelong friend.” 

1991 

Steve Baumgartner (BChE, 1991) I’m married with three kids, 

lots of soccer games. I’m working at Kimberly-Clark (20 years 

now), currently as a Senior Research Scientist developing nonwoven 

materials for personal care product prototypes. 

Cheryl Kussow (BChE, 1991) During graduate school I married 

Ted Kussow (we met in Physics class), a MechE graduate 

now working in the HVAC field. After graduating with my BS 

in ChemE and MS in Microbial Engineering, I worked at Eli 

Lilly first as a Project Engineer in the Cell Culture Research 

Facility and then later as a Sr. Process Automation engineer in 

the Engineering Tech Center where I provided senior management 

with detailed analysis of issues related to departmental 

quality, automation, and computer system validation. I appreciate 

all of the wisdom and opportunities that my graduate 

advisor, Dr. Wei Shou Hu, gave me (especially the opportunity 

to work in Japan with him for 6 mo). After my second child, 

I decided to stay at home with our children (Grace [15y], 

Seth [12y] and Nathan[9y]). A few years later, I became very 

involved in starting a preschool at our church and was interim 

director until a permanent director was hired. As my children 

grew older, I joined a friend in her event and association management 

firm. Currently, I am the Assistant Director at Indy 

Events. I help manage a nonprofit association and co-organize a 

yearly conference downtown Indianapolis, IN with 1000 people, 

117 courses, and 140 speakers. I manage all of the logistical 

coordination, scheduling, and operations (the project manage- 

14


ment skills learned in my engineering courses are invaluable!). 

I have been blessed with the opportunity to have a flexible 

part-time schedule, especially since recently my son Seth was 

diagnosed with kidney cancer. He is just finishing treatment, 

and his prognosis looks good. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, 

beading, walking, cooking, and taking cross country camping 

adventures with the family (yes, we still use a tent, have driven 

across the US multiple times, and experienced some amazing 

natural wonders!). 

Soekro Prijono (Andre), (BChE, 1991) Upon finishing my BS, 

I pursued my MS at Stanford, graduated in 1992, and headed 

back to my home country, Indonesia, where I started a career 

on palm oil industry. In 2001, I started my own logistic business 

specializing in handling palm oil product and fuel product 

(High Speed Diesel). Currently, our company has four tank 

storage facilities in four major ports of Indonesia, with total 

handling capacity of almost 3,000,000 MT annually. Currently 

we are working on Biomass Project both solid and liquid. We 

use waste from palm oil industry to generate green electricity 

and heat. Market for this product spans from the Far East 

( Japan & China) to Europe (Italy & Poland). Married my 

sweetheart, Susan Tjokrosetio, in 1995. We are blessed with 

sextuplets in 1998 (1 girl and 5 boys). They are in middle school 

now in Jakarta. 

1993 

Michelle Conklin (BChE, 1993) I’ve been at 3M for almost 

20 years now. Most of my years in manufacturing, but three 

years ago I started in the lab as a product developer. Love it! I’m 

married with two kids and a dog. We left the Twin Cities for a 

few years for “warmer pastures”, but we’re back, missed the snow 

(our son is a snowboarder). 

Jeffrey H. Rosedale (PhD ChE, 1993) 

Hello to all of my UMN friends! All is well 

in Philadelphia, the British have finally 

retreated…um, that’s old news. All joking 

aside, my patent law practice is going well 

at Woodcock Washburn, a national IP firm, 

where I am now a partner and co-chair of 

our nanotechnology and cleantechnology 

groups. I am actively involved in a number 

of early-stage companies developing materials, devices, and 

pharmaceuticals relying on nanotechnology. I recently spoke on 

“Nanomedicine IP” in New York and London (nanotech is 

certainly enabling many new and improved medicines). “Cleantech” 

is very hot; I’m working there as well. Before becoming a 

lawyer, I was a research scientist in advanced materials at Bell 

Labs (where I worked with Frank Bates before Minnesota) and 

at Rohm and Haas. I attended the Wharton Management 

Program and am a team mentor for the Wharton Business Plan 


Competition. I am a frequent speaker on IP, innovation and 

entrepreneurship. I live in the Philly suburbs with my wife, Pam 

Lechleider (CSci PhD ‘97), and our two children, Julia and 

Isaac. Anybody traveling to or through feel free to give a call. 

1994 

Manish Chander (PhD 

ChE, 1994) I graduated with 

a Bachelor’s in ChEn from 

Indian Institute of Technology 

(IIT) Delhi, India, in 

1989 and joined the most 

prestigious Department of 

Chemical Engineering and 

Materials Science at UMN. I 

did my PhD with John H. 

Weaver. I am in Delhi, India. 

I am CEO of four small, 

privately-held companies 

owned and chaired by my 

brother, Pankaj Chander, a 

Chartered Accountant. Our 

combined employee strength is ~100. We specialize in Financial, 

Management and Six Sigma Consulting, Website development 

besides handling Auditing and Accounting. The latest addition 

to our group is a coaching center for the entrance exam of IIT, 

named Marksman Coaching Circle. It is based in Kota, Rajasthan, 

India. Kota is about 6.5 hrs by train from Delhi and is 

called the ‘coaching’ city of India, with over 200,000 students 

coming from various parts of the country to study for engineering 

and medical entrance examinations. Our web address is 

www.marksman.co.in. Our marketing budget over the next two 

years is $50,000. We are looking for investors to support this 

budget. I am married to Charu Gupta who is an MBA and hails 

from Jaipur, also known as the “Pink” city of India. I have two 

kids, a 6 yr old daughter, Kashvi, that means “shining” in 

Sanskrit/Hindi and a one and a half year old son, Idhaant, 

meaning “luminous” in Sanskrit/Hindi. Charu and my marriage 

was an arranged marriage. 

1997 

Mark Hamersky (PhD ChE, 1997) Time is flying by. My wife 

( Jessi) and I have 3 children (11- Isabel, 9-Henry, 6-Elsie) who 

are seriously into soccer and gymnastics – which occupies most 

of our free time travelling to tournaments and meets. We did 

get a chance to visit the U of M campus this summer and it 

looks the same yet different. I was confused when we went to 

Williamson for the bookstore but later discovered it had been 

moved to Coffman. Life at work is roughly the same. I am still 

at P&G in Cincinnati working on a variety of projects in corporate 

research, but mostly related to the consumer benefit aspects 

of our liquid based products. (Tide, Pantene) I was promoted to 

Principal Scientist in 2008 which provides more influence on 

project selection and resource allocation, but still working on 

the technical aspects of the projects. My sporting activities have 

been trimmed somewhat after my open heart surgery in 2009. 

This was to replace my aortic valve (which was becoming too 

constricted) and a portion of my aorta (which was becoming too 

15


thin). My overall ability to exercise is not diminished; the main 

issue is that due to the blood thinner, I need to ensure I don’t 

have any serious head injuries or severe cuts. So, in my limited 

free time, I have been mountain biking quite a lot – which is 

actually pretty good here in southwest Ohio. There are about 5- 

6 good spots that are less than 1 hr drive from my house. I have 

also been following Formula One racing, having gone to the 

races in Indianapolis and Montreal recently. There will be a race 

in Austin, TX next year in November which I hope to attend. 

Dale Hentges (BChE, 1997) I’ve been employed at Boston 

Scientific for over 13 years. 

Blayne Green (BChE, 1997) I am currently a patent attorney at 

Omikron IP Can Group. Prior to receiving my law degree I was 

a process and project engineer at Intel. I was married in 2007 

and now have two children, a three year old girl and a boy born 

in February of this year. 

1998 

Doug Caldwell (MS MatSE, 1998) I am working as a Software 

Developer for Target. 

Ellen 

(Wu)Vidal 

(BChE, 1998) 

I am still living 

in the Denver 

area, and 

working as a 

situation 

manager at 

Oracle, for 

their global software support organization. In 2010, my husband 

and I welcomed our second child, a daughter named Emberlyse, 

born on the 4 th of July! We celebrated the first birthday of our 

little Miss American Pie this July, and also in July, we took her 

big brother Daniel on a special trip to go see the Final Space 

Shuttle Launch in Florida! Attached is a picture of us standing 

on the NASA Causeway on the morning of July 8 th , 2011, just 5 

miles from the launch pad, where we watched Space Shuttle 

Endeavor leave the earth for space in a spectacular lift-off. We 

hope that our little boy was inspired and moved by witnessing 

this historical event to dream big and study hard, and maybe 

someday he’ll get to go explore Mars! ;-) 

1999 

Jeffrey Knutsen (BChE, 1999) I moved to Boulder, CO, to attend 

graduate school at the University of Colorado. I completed 

my PhD in 2005 and have lived here since, working as a scientific 

consultant for a private firm, and as a research associate and 

instructor at the Colorado School of Mines and the University 

of Colorado. 

2003 

Wade Strelow (B MatSE, 2003) Since graduation, I have 

worked in the data storage industry and the medical device 

NEXT ISSUE: 

FOCUS ON ALUMNI FROM THE 2000s 

industry. My current role with Boston Scientific has me working 

on developing processes for electropolishing new cardiovascular 

stent designs and materials. I spend my free time coaching 14V 

traveling baseball and volunteering with the Upper Midwest 

great dane rescue. 

Dwayne Unglesbee (B MatSE, 2003) I have been working at 

Lockheed Martin since October 2004 as a hardware engineer. 

Really, this task has been more materials engineering and material 

quality related with some hardware thrown in. Based on 

our commodities, I’ve had to learn some mechanical engineering 

skills on the fly, but the problem solving skills learned at 

the University has taught me to adapt and be successful in my 

career. 

2004 

Matt Chambers (B MatSE, 2004) After completing my 

doctorate at Santa Barbara I took a position at Raytheon Vision 

Systems as a lead engineer in their IR/visible focal plane division. 

I still live in Santa Barbara and am continuing my hobby 

of ballroom dancing. My partner and I placed thirteenth in the 

Open Smooth category at nationals last year and are looking 

forward to nationals this year. 

2005 

Kevin Graebel (B MatSE, 2005) I worked at Fargo Electronics 

(acquired by HID Global) for about 5 years after graduation. 

I started my MBA about 1 year in, thinking I wanted to get 

into engineering or product management. After three years at 

HID, I was given the chance to move into Product Marketing, 

which I love. The engineering background gave me great skills 

for effectively managing a product line and giving guidance to 

engineers. I joined Honeywell looking for a new challenge and 

it is going great. I manage the Indoor Air Quality products for 

residential homes. 

2006 

Mark Strong (B MatSE, 2006) Shortly after graduation I accepted 

a position with Wyman Gordon Forgings in Houston, 

TX as a process metallurgist. I was laid-off at the end of 2009 

due to the economic downturn and since then have moved ro 

Austin, TX to pursue a career in art as a tattoo artist. Got married 

in 2008 to another artist and we’ve been having fun and 

pursuing our dreams. 

2007 

Shaina (Brown) Botka (B MatSE, 2007) My husband (Carl 

Botka, BSCE , U MN) purchased a duplex and renovated it last 

fall and we now share it with two wonderful tenants. We have a 

german shepard (scamp), and two cats (Tickle Tails and Mickey) 

and a horse (Photon). I worked in water treatment facilities 

and hazardous waste emergency response at Bay West while 

my husband did his tour of duty in Iraq the last 14 months. He 

arrived home safely! I am currently being mentored by a retired 

Air Force captain in EOD work at Bay West and will continue 


16


to work in environmental clean up under the MMRP (military 

munitions response program) 

Chris Bouchee (B MatSE, 2007) I was laid off from 3M and 

went to Boston Scientific. Only laid off for 2 months, which I 

think is testament to an MatSE, degree as well as being a U of 

MN grad, and knowing many people in the industry. 

Patrick O’Connor (B MatSE, 2007) Fortunately, I’m still 

working in the same company continuously since graduation 

(survived several rounds of lay-offs). Fortunately as well, to be 

blessed with opportunities to learn diverse product lines and 

process controls. I have worked on high-strength steel development 

for automotive, well drilling, and pipeline products. Also 

development of HIC-resistant steel sheet (a product typically 

produced as seamless). Outside of work, I am active in church 

choir and am now an avid cyclist. I rode in the MS150 in April, 

Houston-Austin, TX. Cheers and best wishes to all at the U. 

Jennife Rask (B MatSE, 2007) I married Michale Lueder in 

February 2011. 

2008 

Devon Beau Hammel (BChE, 2008) I am in my 4 th year of 

work at Ecolab RD&E center in Eagan, MN, working as a 

senior chemical engineer in our corporate technologies research 

group. 

Ben Salzman (B MatSE, 2008) Glad to have a job. Love Minneapolis. 

Jason Wong (B MatSE, 2008) I returned to Minnesota with a 

3M position in October 2010. 

2009 

Jared Galligan (B MatSE, 2009) I married Emma Huber in 

July 2010. 

Sheila Lexvold (B MatSE, 2009) I am working for Accenture. 

My current project entails helping a company with its Supply 

Chain Planning and assisting with the implementation of 

a software to make it more efficient. I really enjoy seeing how 

product moves from manufacturing plant to distribution center 

to a customer and all the planning that is required. 

Jessica Riesterer (PhD MatSE, 2009) After spending 1.5 years 

in Switzerland, I started a new position at Idaho National Lab 

in January 2011. I am working on understanding nuclear fuel 

materials using various microscopy methods in order to gain 

efficiency and reduce waste. I finished my PhD in 2009 from 

the University. 

Please keep your demographic information up to date. Let 

us know when you change your address, phone, employer and 

especially your e-mail address. We will correspond by e-mail 

whenever possible. Help us save the trees and reduce costs by 

keeping your e-mail address up to date. Send your changes to 

alumni_relations@cems.umn.edu 

20 CEMS Graduates and Postdocs Become Faculty Around the World 

One of CEMS’s missions is to educate the next generation of 

chemical engineering and materials science faculty. Towards this 

goal, 20 recent graduate students and postdocs of CEMS faculty 

started their careers as professors at universities around the 

world. Eight of the 20 will be teaching in Brazil, China, Japan, 

Korea, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. We wish all of 

them good luck in their new positions. 

CEMS alumni starting faculty jobs between 2009-2011, 

along with their former CEMS advisor and their new affiliation: 

United States 

• William Tisdale (Aydil, Norris & Zhu, Chemical Engineering, 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 

• Michael Baldea (Daoutidis, Chemical Engineering, 

UT—Austin) 

• Randy Ewoldt (Macosko, Mechanical Science and Engineering, 

University of Illinois) 

• Brian Boudouris (Frisbie & Hillmyer, Chemical Engineering, 

Purdue) 

• Wei Fan (Tsapatsis, Chemical Engineering, University of 

Massachusetts Amherst) 

• Paul Dauenhauer (Schmidt, Chemical Engineering, University 

of Massachusetts Amherst) 

• Bill Phillip (Cussler & Hillmyer, Chemical Engineering, Notre 

Dame) 

• Mark Snyder (Tsapatsis, Chemical Engineering, Lehigh University) 


• Sunho Choi (Tsapatsis, Chemical Engineering, Northeastern 

University) 

• Dongxia Liu, (Bhan and Tsapatsis, Chemical and Biomolecular 

Engineering, University of Maryland) 

• Kara Maki (Kumar, School of Mathematical Sciences, Rochester 

Institute of Technology) 

• Prajna Dhar (Zasadzinski, Chemical Engineering, University 

of Kansas) 

International 

• Yanwei Wang (Dorfman, Department of Polymer Science and 

Engineering, Soochow Univ., China) 

• Joao Justo (Wentzcovitch, Electrical Engineering, University 

of Sao Paulo, Brazil) 

• Zhongqing Wu (Wentzcovitch, Geosciences, University of 

Science and Technology of China) 

• Han Hsu (Wentzcovitch, Physics, National Central University, 

Taiwan) 

• Shingo Kobayashi (Macosko & Hillmyer, Yamagata University, 

Japan) 

• Jungkyu Choi (Tsapatsis, Chemical and Biological Engineering, 

Korea University) 

• Shengxiang Ji (Macosko & Hoye, Key Laboratory of Polymer 

Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences) 

• Sami El-Khatib, (Leighton, Physics, American University of 

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates) 

17

x In Memoriam 

ALEXANDER G.BEZAT, BChE, 1944, Age 88, Shorewood, 

MN 5/8/1923 - 7/29/2011 Born in Minneapolis, Alex graduated 

from the U of MN as a Chemical Engineer in 1944 and 

served in the U. S. Navy for 2 years. He worked at Honeywell 

from 1946-1986 as an aeronautical reliability engineer working 

on laser guidance systems for Gemini & Apollo missions as well 

as countless other projects. He played championship bridge & 

loved to golf & play tennis; after retirement he enjoyed gardening, 

working on his house & taking long walks. 

EDWARD J COOK, BChE, 1940, Associate Dean Emeritus 

Edward J. Cook, a seventy-year resident of Annapolis, died 

at his home in Ginger Cove on October 13, 2010 after a swift 

battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 93. Dean Cook was born 

and raised in St. Paul, MN where he earned his bachelor’s and 

master’s degrees in chemical engineering from the University of 

Minnesota Institute of Technology. In 1940, Ensign Cook was 

called to active duty at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he taught 

chemistry, physics, electrical engineering and electronics primarily 

to the Class of 1945. When he was released from active duty 

in 1946, he was asked to join the civilian faculty, starting out as 

an instructor in chemistry. While teaching full-time, he also furthered 

his graduate studies, earning his doctorate in Engineering 

from Johns Hopkins University. He served as Senior Professor 

of the Science Department, was the Academy’s first civilian Associate 

Dean and Director of Research. In 1977, he retired as a 

Captain from the USNR after 35 years of service. Upon retirement 

in 1981 from the USNA, he was awarded a Distinguished 

Civilian Service Award and was named Associate Dean Emeritus 

An avid gardener, he grew hybrid roses and irises and enjoyed 

capturing their beauty with color photography. After retirement, 

golf became his sport of choice. 


JOHN E. DONALDS II, BChE, 1948, 85, 

passed away peacefully in Loveland, OH, on 

March 4 2010. John was born February 17, 1925 

in St Croix Falls, Wisconsin. John served in 

WWII as a pilot in the Army Air Corps. Upon 

his honorable discharge as 2nd Lieutenant, John 

received his Bachelor of Science Chemical Engineering 

degree from the University of Minnesota and his Masters 

Degree from the Harvard Business School. John enjoyed a 

long and illustrious career with Dow Chemical Company in 

Midland, Michigan. He retired in 1985 as the Manager of the 

Genetics Research Division to become the CEO of Collaborative 

Research in Lexington, Massachusetts. An avid sailor all his 

life, John officially retired to his homes in Stuart, Florida and 

Charlevoix, Michigan in 1987. 

MYLO GENE FOX, BChE, 1955, was born on April 11, 1932 

and passed away on Wednesday, September 8, 2010. Mylo was a 

resident of League City, Texas. 

WILLIAM A. GALLUP, BChE, 1944; MS 

ChE, 1947, 87, passed away peacefully April 19 at 

The Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky, OH. A 

long time resident of Painesville, OH, Bill was 

born Nov. 30, 1923, in Rochester, NY. He was preceded 

in death by his wife, Clarice. Bill was a Professional Engineer 

who worked at the Diamond-Shamrock Research Center. 

After early retirement, he and his wife opened Gallup’s Fine Art, 

an art gallery and picture framing shop 

GERALD R. GOODLUND, BChE, 

1941 Age 93, of Mpls, passed away March 

8, 2011. Jerry received a Bachelor’s Degree 

in Chemical Engineering from the U of M 

in 1941. He retired as President of Shenehon, 

Goodlund, Taylor Real Estate Appraisers. 

Jerry was a charter member of the 

Chapter 35 American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers, Chapter 

President in 1966, and National Governing Council 1976- 

1978. He was a Senior Real Estate Analyst of the Society of Real 

Estate Appraisers and Chapter President in 1960 

CHARLES W. GULLICKSON, BChE, 1942, age 91; of Trenton; 

MI died on June 12, 2011. Preceded in death by his wife, 

Janette. Longtime member of First United Methodist Church, 

Trenton, MI. 

RAYMOND ROBERT HOLL BChE, 

1945, MS ChE, 1948 “Bob” age 86. died at 

his home in London, England on July 4, 

2011. Bob was born July 27, 1924 in St. Paul 

and was raised in Forest Lake, MN. Bob 

served in the U.S. Navy in the V12 unit and 

graduated from the University of Minnesota. 

He received his commission as Ensign at Notre Dame University 

and was then sent to Japan for one year. Bob earned a 

Masters in Chemical Engineering and was employed by Exxon 

for 37 years, working in the U.S., Holland, Switzerland, England, 

Italy and Scotland. He retired in 1986 and worked as a consultant 

in London for the next years. Before moving to London, 

Bob and his family lived in Highlands, New Jersey where they 

now have a summer home. 

CLIFFORD C. JAPS, BChE, 1949, age 86 survived 

by Mary, his wife of 61 years. Upon graduation 

from Hopkins High School was drafted into 

the U.S. Army and served from 1943 to 1945 in 

Patton’s 3rd Division seeing action from the Battle 

of the Bulge to liberation of Mauthausen Concentration 

Camp. Cliff was a University of Minnesota, Chemical Engineering 

graduate and 37 year 3M employee. Cliff enjoyed many 

hobbies: genealogy, beekeeping, gardening, home improvement 

and travel. He was an avid fisherman and golfer. A great joy was 

fishing trips with friends and family to Lake of the Woods in 

Canada. 

WILLIAM FRANCIS JOHNSON, BChE, 1940, 93, died 

Tuesday, June 14, 2011, at his home at the Cypress in Hilton 

Head Plantation. He was born November 23, 1917 in Niagara, 

Wisc. He was valedictorian at Rhinelander High School and 

attended the University of Minnesota graduating with degrees in 

Engineering and Business. After graduation, he served in World 

War II with the United States Navy. Mr. Johnson married Janet 

Bordewich on Dec. 22, 1940. He had a distinguished business 

18

x In Memoriam 

career serving as president of Dearborn Chemical Company and 

vice-chairman of Chemed. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson lived a very full 

life together until Janet’s death on January 21, 2004. 

KENNETH KAUFMANN (non-degree) died suddenly March 

23 at age 55. Attended the University of Minnesota where he 

studied chemical engineering. He developed six patents for the 

Pako Company, and from 1974 to 1984 he enjoyed being the 

statistician for the Minnesota Gopher Hockey Team. In 1984 

Ken founded Nova Technology and remained President and 

CEO. He was recognized and appreciated for his intellect, steadfast 

reliability, and quiet, generous spirit, by all who were fortunate 

enough to know him. 

KING LEE LOO SR., BMetE, 1949, died 

At age 86, on Monday, August 15, 2011 in 

McAllen, TX. He was born in Birmingham, 

AL on October 4, 1924. He was a devoted 

family man, known for his distinctive laughter 

and love of life. He was a proud World 

War II veteran and member of the American Legion, Houston 

Grocers Association and the Chinese American Citizens Alliance 

of Houston all from which grew many lifelong friendships. 

He loved the company of friends and a good joke as well as traveling, 

fishing, and playing the stock market. At age 18, King 

joined the U.S. Army Air Corps specializing in communications 

and meteorology. Part of his training was at Vanderbilt University 

in Memphis, TN, where he met Mee Lum Hum a student at 

nearby Peabody College. Being fluent in Cantonese, army airman 

King taught radio communications to Chinese soldiers, some of 

whom later became part of the Flying Tigers. He also taught 

other airmen weather forecasting. Some of those airmen were 

crucial to the invasion of Normandy. King graduated from University 

of Minnesota as a metallurgical engineer. King and family 

lived in Houston from 1950 to 2004 (54 years). King, like 

many Chinese of that day operated a neighborhood grocery store 

to support the family. Around 1970 King returned to the engineering 

field. He worked as a metallurgist for Cameron Iron 

Works, Trunkline Gas & Panhandle Eastern/ Duke Energy. He 

helped to set metal manufacturing standards for gas pipeline 

transmissions. King was ever the engineer.. 

JOHN LAUREN LUNDBERG BChE, 

1948, of Alpharetta, GA, died September 2, 

2011 at age 86. He was born on October 8, 

1924 in St. Paul, MN,. After graduating from 

Central High School in St. Paul, he served for 

two years in the U.S. Army Air Force as a navigator, 

completing two tours of duty comprising 35 missions over 

Germany and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. Upon returning 

to the states, John completed his bachelor’s degree in 

chemical engineering at the University of Minnesota and went 

on to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California. 

He became a member of the technical staff of Bell Telephone 

Labs where he did research on polymers and published numerous 

articles on polymer chemistry, physics and engineering. During 

this time he also was an adjunct professor at the Polytechnic Institute 

of Brooklyn. His teaching career continued at Clemson 


University where he served as chairman of the Textile Department. 

He moved on to Georgia Tech as the Callaway Professor 

of Textile Engineering and retired as professor emeritus in 1991. 

Polymer chemistry and light scattering were his major fields of 

interest and he was internationally known as an innovative leader 

in these disciplines. Atlanta Magazine recognized John as “One 

of Atlanta’s Best and Brightest,” describing his research on gaseous 

solutions of polymers such as nylon, and light scattering by 

fibers and solutions such as silicon and butane gas. Membership 

in nine scientific societies kept him busy in various leadership 

capacities as well as the lecture circuit. The American Chemical 

Society recently honored him as a 60-year member. He was president 

of the Fiber Society, a Life Fellow of the American Institute 

of Chemists and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. 

History was his avocation and he spent many hours reading and 

studying science and current events. At one time he was a member 

of the Civil War Roundtable and he followed with great interest 

the background of his Swedish heritage. In his retirement 

years John took up golf and loved the challenges of the course in 

Bent Tree, Jasper GA,. He and his wife, Barbara traveled the 

world and set foot upon all seven continents. One memorable 

trip was with Stephen Ambrose, noted historian, aboard the 

Black Prince from England to France on the 50th anniversary of 

D-Day. 

AUSTIN C. OLSON MS ChE, 1941 Austin was born on February 

4, 1918 and passed away on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. 

Austin was a resident of Menlo Park, California. 

WILLIAM J WHITSITT, BChE, 1948 of Appleton WI 

passed away on 5/25/11 at the age of 84. 

JOHN JOSEPH ZINGSHEIM, BChE, 

1943. Died at died age 89, on March 5, 2011 

after a long and courageous battle with Leukemia. 

John was a proud Eagle Scout, a member 

of the ROTC and a 1943 graduate of the U of 

M as a Chemical Engineer. Captain John J. 

Zingsheim proudly served his country in WW II leading a team 

of anti-aircraft troops protecting the Panama Canal from possible 

bombing raids. After the war he used his talents as a chemical 

engineer and proudly worked at 3M for 37 years 

JAMES R. ZUEHLKE BChE, 1954, 84, of 

Oregon, Ohio, died Sunday, August 28, 2011. 

James was born on April 1, 1927, in Faribault, 

Minnesota. He was a Chemical Engineer 

with Brush Wellman Inc., retiring in 1989 

with 30 years of service. James proudly served 

his Country in the U.S. Navy during WWII 

as a Corpsman and was a graduate of the University of Minnesota 

where he earned his degree in Chemical Engineering. He 

was quite active with the Lucas County Association of Retarded 

Citizens, served on PACC the Council for Lott Industries and 

Mental Retardation Development and Disabilities Board, a 

member of Friends and Fathers Association, and an avid golfer. 

19

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science 

University of Minnesota 

151 Amundson Hall 

421 Washington Avenue S.E. 

Minneapolis, MN 55455 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

Coating Process Fundamentals Short Course 

May 22-24, 2012 

Contact: Lorraine Francis 612-625-0559 LFrancis@umn.edu 

http://www.cce.umn.edu/Coating-Process-Fundamentals-Course/ 

index.html/ 

Rheological Measurements Short Course 

June 10-15, 2012 

Contact: David Giles 612-625-0880 giles@umn.edu 

www.cems.umn.edu/rheology 

Cellular Bioprocess Technology Short Course 

and Microarray Workshop 

Summer, 2012 

Contact: Kaitlyn Pladson 612-626-7630 acre@umn.edu 

hugroup.cems.umn.edu/CBTCcourse/ 

This issue of CEMS News is available on the CEMS Department Website: www.cems.umn.edu. 

Amundson Hall is Growing! 

Preliminary drawing of the building addition planned for Amundson Hall. This expansion will accommodate 

about six additional faculty, up to 50 more graduate students, and will be home to new 

and updated unit operations and materials testing laboratories for the growing undergraduate class.

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