70931, page 1-35 @ Normalize - WVU College of Engineering and ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Industry Feature Dow Chemical Company opportunity for polyurethane suppliers and customers to reduce their dependence on natural gas and crude oil, which have volatile and increasing costs that continue to make it difficult for them to compete. Dow has been conducting product sampling with selected customers, and is planning to begin market-scale production of natural oil polyols in late 2007. The chemical industry has long been important to the history and economy of West Virginia, especially in and around the Kanawha Valley. The world’s first petrochemical plant was constructed by Union Carbide Corporation in 1920 at Clendenin, West Virginia. By 1925, the manufacture of chemicals had grown to the point that another plant was leased (and later purchased), and the Clendenin operation and personnel were moved to the new location at South Charleston. The research, development, and production experience at Clendenin paved the way for the growth of the South Charleston site that occupies Blaine Island and extends across the Kanawha River into Charleston. Many of the plant’s current product lines were developed and first produced at the South Charleston site. Union Carbide Corporation was acquired by The Dow Chemical Company in 2001. Dow is a global leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic, and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales exceeding $40 billion and 43,000 employees, Dow serves customers in 175 countries. which opened in 1949, includes research and development laboratories, several chemical pilot plants, a polyethylene pilot plant operations center, and an engineering center. Dow is a committed community partner and industrial neighbor in West Virginia, supporting educational and community efforts through corporate contributions and volunteer efforts. Dow’s ongoing support for education springs from its commitment to the philosophy that an educated workforce is the most important element in the economic prosperity of West Virginia and the future of our society as a whole. It is thanks to high-quality educational programs in science, technology, engineering, and math that creative and innovative initiatives such as the seeds-to-foam project are born. It is because of Dow’s commitment to education that Dow proudly made a major contribution to the Galli Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Laboratory in West Virginia University’s College of Engineering and Mineral Resources during WVU’s last capital campaign, and that we continue to support educational efforts around the state and nation on an ongoing basis. Research and development efforts like the seeds-to-foam project, born in West Virginia, are vital in helping The Dow Chemical Company fulfill its mission to constantly improve what is essential to human progress through the mastery of science and technology. The company’s primary facilities in West Virginia include two manufacturing locations at South Charleston and Institute, and the South Charleston Technology Park. The Technology Park, Vince Strickler, WVU chemical engineering graduate, and lead recruiter and liaison for Dow to WVU, in front of the Hydroformylation Mini-Plant, located at the South Charleston Technology Park First industrial scale trial using Dow soy-based polyol to produce slab foam. 10 Spring 2007
In Focus Building West Virginia’s Future WVU ENGINEERING AND MINERAL RESOURCES Volume 3 Issue 1 Engineering Sciences Building to Expand I n a major project scheduled to break ground in May 2007, the College will build a $10 million addition to the Engineering Sciences Building. “Our student enrollment is approaching 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students,” said Dean Gene Cilento, “and our research programs have grown significantly. Increased enrollment and research means more people in the classrooms, the hallways, and the labs. If we are to continue to provide a highquality educational experience for our students, it is vital that our facilities keep pace with the growth in our academic and research programs.” The four-story, 28,000-square-foot addition will contain a high-tech theaterstyle lecture hall that will seat 128, a student learning center, state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories, and office space for professors and graduate assistants. Common space and conference rooms will encourage intellectual collisions between research groups. A two-story atrium will provide an attractive, new entryway to the building, a much-needed gathering place for students and faculty, and additional space for special events, such as the College’s annual Career Fair. The project is the culmination of several years of major investment in College facilities and technology, said Cilento, including the renovation of the tenth floor of the Engineering Sciences Building, the construction of the Galli and Judy Laboratories and the Shared Nanosystems Clean Room, and the renovation of many classrooms and laboratories, including enhanced technology for teaching and research within our facilities. “Over the past six years, with help from the University and support from private donors, we have invested more than $23 million in new and upgraded classrooms, laboratories, and technology, but we have come to the point where we simply need more space,” he said. “I am personally very grateful to the provost and to our many private donors, whose continuing support helps us to achieve the highest standards of excellence and growth in our programs,” he added. “We could not have achieved the success we have without the collective support of WVU’s leadership and of our College alumni and friends.” Alpha Associates of Morgantown is doing the architectural design for the project. The facility, expected to be completed by the summer of 2008, will be on the southeast corner of the Engineering Sciences Building, adjacent to the Engineering Research Building and the Area 40 parking lot. A new entrance — Artist's view of what the new entrance to the Engineering Sciences Building will look like when complete. 11
Page 1 and 2: Spring 2007 College of Engineering
Page 3 and 4: Engineering West Virginia Spring 20
Page 5 and 6: WVU ENGINEERING AND MINERAL RESOURC
Page 11: WVU ENGINEERING AND MINERAL RESOURC
Page 17 and 18: College News WVU ENGINEERING AND MI
Page 21 and 22: Accolades WVU ENGINEERING AND MINER
Page 25 and 26: Student News WVU ENGINEERING AND MI
Page 29 and 30: Alumni News Lectures WVU ENGINEERIN
Page 31 and 32: Alumni News Local Company Depends o
Page 33 and 34: Scholarships WVU ENGINEERING AND MI
Page 35 and 36: Alumni Notes WVU ENGINEERING AND MI

70931, page 1-35 @ Normalize - WVU College of Engineering and ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?