CBE 2007 Annual Report - College of Engineering - The University ...

A DISTINGUISHED ROLE MODEL
D
r. Michael Harris knew nothing about engineering when a recruiter from Mississippi State University
(MSU) visited his high school in Mound Bayou, Miss. Interested in majoring in chemistry
with a minor in mathematics, Harris talked to the recruiter, who convinced him to major in
chemical engineering since he was not too fond of taking numerous English classes.
“To my knowledge, there were no engineers in my hometown,” said Harris. “I learned later that my high
school principal had a degree in electrical engineering.”
Once Harris settled into his classes at MSU, he became totally excited about chemical engineering and
graduated with highest honors before choosing UT for his graduate studies.
“After graduating from MSU, I was hired by Dr. Charles Scott at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to work in
the area of environmental control technology,” said Harris. “The evening graduate program at UT through
Oak Ridge Associated Universities was ideal for someone like me who could work by day at one of the premier
national laboratories and receive a Ph.D. from a Tier I research institution at night.”
While at UT, Harris focused on colloids and interfacial phenomena with special emphasis on silica nanoparticles,
hydrous metal oxides by metal alkoxide hydrolysis sol-gel processes, electrodispersion processes and
hybrid boundary element/finite element numerical methods for solving electrohydrostatics of pendant
and sessile drops. He received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from UT in 1992.
“My most memorable event at UT was the day I received my Ph.D. and my grandfather
told me how proud he was,” said Harris.
Harris has since received numerous national and local awards. In 2005, he received
the AIChE Grimes Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering, an
award presented by AIChE’s Minority Affairs Committee, which recognized his
outstanding achievements as a distinguished role model for minorities. Harris
was also honored at the Engineering Faculty Recognition Banquet at Purdue
University, receiving the 2006 Mentoring Award. Other awards include the Martin
Marietta Energy Systems Significant Achievement Award, 1994; an AIChE Teaching
Award from the University of Maryland, College Park, 1997; and a prestigious
NSF CAREER award in 1997 for a research program titled: “Electrohydrostatics,
Electrohydrodynamics and Microstructural Evolution During Electrodispersion
Precipitation.”
Outstanding Alumnus Dr. Michael Harris
“For over a decade, Harris has excelled as an effective teacher,
researcher and administrator,” said Dr. Brian Edwards, associate
professor and associate head of the Department of
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UT. “His national
recognition as a progressive, distinguished role model for
minorities through the American Institute of Chemical
Engineers 2005 Grimes Award for Excellence in Chemical
Engineering is one reason our department is proud to call
him an alumni.”
Harris’s current research interests include biotemplated
synthesis of nanowires and nanometric metal particles for
sensor applications; use of electrodispersion processes for
the synthesis of calcium alginate microspheres for the controlled-release
of drugs; theory and experiment of external
field effects on particle deposition from an evaporating
drop; electrohydrodynamics of free, pendant and sessile
drops; and theory and experiment of electrokinetics in porous
media.
Because of his desire to recruit and graduate students, Harris
chose to teach and is currently a professor of chemical
engineering and associate dean for undergraduate education
at Purdue University.
“Teaching gives me the opportunity to accomplish my
goals to attract more female and minority students to engineering,”
said Harris. “I like to encourage students who have
great potential, but who lack confidence to excel in engineering.
My greatest joy is to receive letters from students
thanking me for encouraging them and challenging them
to perform well in their engineering studies, and for encouraging
them to go to graduate school.”
Renowned Lecturers Discuss
Intriguing Engineering Issues
The CBE department hosted two distinguished lecture series
this year.
Professor Robert C. Armstrong, Chevron
Professor and Chemical Engineering Department
Head at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) presented “The Global
Energy Challenge and MIT’s Response” February
6, 2007, in the Science and Engineering
Research Facility on the UT campus.
Armstrong addressed concerns about sustainable energy
sources that will meet demands for quality of life and economic
growth in both the developed and developing worlds.
He illustrated MIT’s response to these challenges.
Dr. James C. Liao was the special guest for
the department’s annual Troy C. Trotter Distinguished
Lecture Series in Chemical Engineering.
A pioneer in the fields of metabolic
engineering, synthetic biology and systems
biology, Liao is currently serving as the Vice
Chair of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department
at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Liao’s topic was “Synthetic Biological Circuits,” and his presentation
involved a discussion of design approaches to engineer
cellular networks at both genetic and metabolic levels.
The Troy C. Trotter Distinguished Lecture Series was established
by the Trotter family to provide the CBE department
with opportunities to invite nationally recognized experts in
areas of interest to the field of chemical engineering to the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville for the benefit of students,
faculty and the local professional community. The series
recognizes and honors Troy C. Trotter, who received a B.S. in
chemical engineering from UT in 1947. Trotter retired as Director
of Project Site Engineering for Y-12, K-25 and Oak Ridge
National Laboratory (ORNL) in 1986.
14 DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING 2007 ANNUAL REPORT 15