Notes from the chair

James B. Rawlings (21K JPG)

We have some exciting news in this issue: After 98 years as the Department of Chemical Engineering, we've changed our name to Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Chemical engineering is a discipline with a unique focus on chemical transformations and the systems in which these transformations occur. With recent advances in the biological sciences, ever more of these transformations are being engineered to take place in biological systems, with the result that the life sciences, along with chemistry, have become enabling sciences for the discipline. This trend is expected to continue, representing a permanent and important increase in the scope of our field.

The new department name and the curriculum changes that preceded it will help our undergraduate and graduate students take advantage of new opportunities in the life sciences in addition to the chemical sciences. The strong core of the chemical engineering education is the only reason chemical engineering departments are well positioned to take advantage of these new opportunities. The chemical engineering core of thermodynamics, transport, and chemical kinetics and reaction engineering, coupled with an understanding and appreciation of molecular behavior, provides our students with a unique and valuable education. This core will remain as we broaden the science base to include fundamental concepts of molecular biochemistry and cellular biology in addition to the fundamental concepts of chemistry.

From left to right: Graduate students Rob Riggleman and Tushar Jain with postdoc Amadeu Sum in the new computing facility. (34K JPG)

We also have exciting news about our facilities. We have recently completed the first stage of a basement remodeling project that, when completed, will generate about 3,000 square feet of additional space for the department's teaching and research programs. The first stage of the remodeling included a new room to house nearly 400 CPUs for the high-performance, parallel computing required in the most computationally intensive aspects of chemical and biological engineering research programs. The next stage will enable us to upgrade and expand the space for our instructional polymer laboratory and create several new research laboratories.

This newsletter issue is the last of my term as department chair. Reflecting on the last several years, I always think first about people. People are any organization's greatest asset. We have hired outstanding faculty who are all off to tremendous starts to their teaching and research careers. Our department staff is outstanding. The operation of our department is consistently held up as an example of best practice by the College of Engineering administration. This distinction in the quality of the department's operation is largely a reflection of the dedication and capability our staff.

Thanks to the continuing generosity of our alumni and friends, even though we face a difficult period for state government funding, the department has its own substantial financial strength that allows us to support startup packages for new faculty and new initiatives in our teaching and research programs. Just during my three years as department chair, we received more than $1.4 million in contributions. And we have put this money to good use. The department continues to attract some of the very best undergraduate and graduate students. These students are a pleasure to interact with in the classroom and lab. Considering the thousands of people who contribute to the intellectual vitality of the department: the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends, it has been a privilege and an honor to serve this wonderful group of people.

Thomas Kuech (36K JPG)

In closing, I would like to welcome Tom Kuech as the next chair of the department. The department is in very capable hands with Tom as the chair. He will communicate the opportunities and challenges facing the department during the next three years in future issues of the newsletter.

James B. Rawlings
2020 Engineering Hall
1415 Engineering Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1691
Phone: 608/262-1092
Fax: 608/5434
che@che.wisc.edu