08/03/2010 version
2010 Notes from Alumni
James M. Douglas, PhD 1960, UD Chemical Engineering assistant professor 1965, has enjoyed a very productive teaching and research career leading to his election to the National Academy of Engineers in 1996. His teaching style is to hold a conversation with the class, asking good questions in an engaging manner. In conversation he often takes a contrarian view, sometimes even extreme, and has fun with it. He always is a wonderful addition to a party. After earning his PhD with Jack Gerster, Jim had a five-year career at ARCO, an industrial sabbatical with D.W.T. Rippin at Imperial College, a year at UD working closely with Mort Denn, and a three-year stint at Rochester as an associate professor. During this period he wrote the two-volume book, Process Dynamics and Control, a work which brought physical understanding to the mathematics of control. When he moved to U Mass Jim’s focus changed to process design. At the time process design was an artisan’s trade, a black art without guiding principles. Jim corrected this with his book Conceptual Design of Chemical Processes which showed how the chemistry of the process leads to rational approach to design. He showed how short cut design heuristics are critical to developing plant-wide design. Today the reduction of pollution, energy conservation, better raw material utilization and plant-wide control are issues that students can master using Douglas’ design insights.
Jim and his wife, Betsy, live in Amherst, MA where Jim is semi-retired as professor emeritus.
Tom Gutshall, B 1960, has been a generous contributor to the university with time and gifts, and has enjoyed a most productive career. This year he was a leader in organizing the 1960 class reunion. He has served on the advisory council for the department with great impact. His long career spans specialty chemicals (Mallinckrodt), pharmaceuticals (Syntex), and diagnostics (Cepheid). Cepheid makes diagnostic systems that are fast, reliable and relatively rugged. Tom was founder and CEO of Cepheid in from 1996 to 2002, and he continues as chairman of the board. He currently is serving on three boards. He remains an inspirational leader.
*********The Fiftieth Reunion has an impressive list of attendees and included three chemical engineers from a living class of ten attended, all from California. Those who made the “short” trip are Tom Gutshall, Merritt Kirk, and William Payne. Unfortunately I missed the reunion for an important grandfather engagement.**********
Patrick Moore,B1975 writes
I am employed in the Process Instruments Division (PID) of Thermo Fisher Scientific as a Senior Applications Engineer in Houston, TX. My division manufactures analytical instrumentation that is designed to operate 24/7/365 in process units such as, but not limited to, refineries and petrochemical facilities.
Designing the installation of an analyzer system involves paying attention to the characteristics of the sample from the sampling point, through the sample conditioning system, into the analyzer, and its interaction with the detector. Dew points, bubble points, heat transfer considerations, questions of interferences, fluid flow, spectroscopy and chemical interactions are typical of the design considerations. In general, I provide support to our production, service, sales, marketing, engineering, and technical support functions on a worldwide basis.
I am presently working on a Masters Degree in Chemistry from the University of Houston with an expected graduation date of December 2010. The focus of my Masters Degree program has been Analytical Chemistry.
Mark J. McCready, B 1979, is of Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. He was selected as the Outstanding Teacher of the College of Engineering for 2010 -- evidently for teaching the sophomores mass and energy balances. While the emphasis and examples now transcend the chemical process industries, the basic approach is taught with the same level of rigor that was found in the course (CHE 212, now CHEG 112) he took from Professor Fraser Russell in the fall of 1976.
In addition to classroom teaching and occasional blogging his educational activities are devoted to an electronic portfolio project that is intended to help students advance their professional development. Professor McCready's research interests include molecular dynamics simulation of vapor-liquid phase change, computation of multiphase flows, and experimental development of processes to capture carbon dioxide from flue gas using ionic liquids. In addition to these intellectually satisfying activities, he often contributes to university - wide committees such as the current search for a new librarian!
Karen A. Fletcher, B1981, M1982, currently is the Vice President for DuPont Investor Relations, a position she has held since 2008. Her group provides information and data to institutional investors in a factual and timely way. These distributions include earnings releases and annual DuPont investor events and other special communications, news items and activities that may have a financial impact.
In 1980 she was the first UD graduate to win a Truman Scholarship, an award given to college juniors who demonstrate leadership qualities and have a record of public service. In response to the oil crisis of the 70’s Karen was active as an undergraduate in Delaware middle schools encouraging interest in public energy policies and alternative energy sources.
She earned her Master’s in the Industrial Intern Program in the Heat, Mass and Momentum group of the DuPont Engineering Division, where she was mentored by Allan Jones, the adjunct professor of the UD graduate heat transfer course. She joined DuPont Engineering upon graduation and spent the next eight years in various functions of increasing responsibility in research and development, technical service and operations. In 1990 she became a research manager in the Central Research division, and in 1994 began a five year stint in the Lycra business in technical marketing, product management and global sales. In 1999 she moved to the nonwovens business as technology director from which she became the global business manager for Tyvek in 2001. In 2004 she transferred to the Titanium Technologies business as global marketing director and Six Sigma Champion. With all of this experience in 2007 she became the director of Investor Relations and a year later was named Vice President.
Her career traces a path beginning with successes in engineering followed by growth in managerial responsibilities in multiple businesses. The goal of the Truman Scholarship was to recognize individuals who have the potential to become leaders, and in this case, the goal was achieved.
(taken from DuPont web publications)
Joye Bramble, B1984, is now a VP at Morphotek. The May 18, 2010 announcement of herappointment reads in part:
(In her role as VP), Dr. Bramble will have full responsibility for the management and operation of Morphotek's new pilot manufacturing plant, which will produce biologics to support the company's early-stage clinical trials. The company broke ground for the new $80 million facility in March 2010 and expects operations to begin by fall 2012. Morphotek(R) is a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., the U.S. pharmaceutical operation of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd.
Dr. Bramble most recently served as Executive Director of Business and Research Integration in Research Planning and Integration at Merck Research Labs (MRL) where she led a staff of 150 people at six sites in three countries that provided business operations support to the President of MRL and his management team. This included the development of therapeutic area and capability strategies, long-range operational and capital plans, and portfolio and pipeline management methodologies.
Over the course of her tenure with Merck, which began in 1990, Dr. Bramble assumed positions of increasing responsibility in Vaccine Technology and Engineering, Project Planning and Management, Bioprocess Research and Development, and Bioprocess Clinical Manufacturing and Technology, before assuming her most recent position in Research Planning and Integration. She also was part of the Merck/Schering Plough Research Integration Team that was charged with developing organizational structures, value capture targets and execution time lines to support the merger as well as the governance structures for the new company's product development activities moving forward.
Greg Alexander, PhD 1985, responded
Greg married a chemical engineer, the former Lisa Breier, the year he entered graduate school. They had one son born whilst he was a student, in 1984. A second son was born shortly after his graduation in December 1985. Greg worked at Monsanto Company for 12 years after he left Delaware. He then joined McWhorter Technologies in 1997, where he has survived three subsequent company name changes (Eastman, Resolution, and most recently Hexion Specialty Chemicals). Most of his career at both Monsanto and Hexion has been in product and process development. His wife Lisa died in September 2000. Greg married Patrice VanOverbeke in 2002, thereby gaining three additional children (all adults). Greg is now a Six Sigma Black Belt and Master Black Belt candidate, specializing in Design for Six Sigma. He and Patrice reside in Crystal Lake, Illinois. He bikes 10 miles to work when it is bright enough outside to do so safely.
Jeffrey Brown, B1985 replied
I have recently changed positions and am now plant manager for Bio Energy Washington, a one of a kind facility that takes landfill gas from the county landfill and purifies the methane through absorption processes, molecular sieves, and semi-permeable membranes to pipeline grade specification. It is very exciting work and provides a significant energy resource in this community from a stream that was previously flared to the atmosphere.
He and his wife Steph live in Gig Harbor, WA.
Lisa Cain, B 1985, earned a MBA from UD and a PhD in Marketing from Wharton. She is the principal for PagePoint Web Solutions (pagepointwebsolutions.com), and she points out that her firm provides free website audits. She is married to Aaron Gobler and they have two children, Emma and Jolie living in Berkeley, CA.
Robert Cairncross, B 1985, wrote the following note:
Caterpillar, Inc since 1989 (21 years now) - Currently "6 Sigma Black Belt"
Typical busy family life. The kids are involved in a mix of sports (soccer, swimming, basketball, volleyball) and activities (band, chorus, paper routes, 4H, scouts). We own three horses, a couple of dogs, bunnies, a cat, and recently 15 turkeys! I was a mountain climber when in grad school in Colorado - climbing all 54 peaks over 14,000'. My wife and I have traveled to Mexico and Ecuador to climb mountains (20,500'). I have "converted" to a more flexible activity: running with a goal to run a marathon in all 50 states (2 a year over 25 years). So far I have run 35 marathons in 21 states. After the first 5 years out of school I haven't connected with UD folks much. My son is planning on being an engineer … more likely a nuclear engineer than a chemical engineer but close. My daughter has a few years to go yet.
Doug Clarke, B1985, reports that he is unit manager at the DuPont plant in Niagara Falls, NY. He is married to Francine DelMonte and earned a MBA from U. Buffalo in 2005.
Monica Lanzillotti Gallagher, B1985, and her husband, Tom, live in Skillman, NJ. She is the president of Affinity Logo, LLC.
Laura Krumwiede Hartwell, B1985, is the Director, Safety, Environmental and Security at ATK Propulsion and Controls, Elkton Operations. She and her husband, James, live in Elkton, MD.
Lisa Laffend, B 1985, earned a PhD from Cornell in 1991 and then joined DuPont. She wrote
“My current job title is ‘Senior Research Associate’ and I am still with DuPont in Wilmington, DE. I am married to Charles (Charlie) Nakamura, and we have one son, Daniel (Danny), born 7/28/2000.” She also has a Facebook.
Susan Wikoff Lotter, B 1985, lives in Lombard, IL where she is a senior project manager for Kraft Foods. She and husband Tom have three children which she described as:
Children: Jason, Senior civil Engineering Student, Univ. of Illinois; Nicholas, History Major, Northern University; Aaron, Freshman in high school.
Linda E. Smiddy Nelson, B1985, earned a MD degree from U. Maryland. She now works as a staff anesthesiologist at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD. She and her husband, David live in Fulton, MD with their two children, Jenna and Gregory.
Frank Petrocelli, PhD 1985 responded to an information request with:
I’m about to complete my 22nd year at Air Products. I’ve recently been promoted to the level of Senior Research Associate. After a number of years as a manager, I’ve returned to an individual contributor role, conducting research in support of Air Products’ Energy businesses. I’m also now my company’s PhD recruiter at UD, and greatly enjoy my periodic return visits to campus.
To commemorate my 25th anniversary, in April I visited my thesis advisor, Mike Klein. It had been several years since we last spoke, and we had a fine time reminiscing and catching up. In reflecting on my career to this point, I’ve come to realize how influential Mike was in my decision to pursue a PhD, and how that decision has propelled my career forward in a very satisfying and rewarding way ever since.
On a personal note, I’m happily married to a wonderful woman, Lisa, and we have two young daughters, Lauren and Sophia (ages 7 and 4, respectively).
When asked for a short description of his views of the future for solutions to the energy problems, he responded: “Solutions to today's energy issues promise to be many and varied, as a comprehensive "one size fits all" technology "fix" isn't evident. As new feedstocks, conversion processes (both energy and material), and chemical separations will be required, chemical engineers are uniquely positioned to play a central role in providing the innovations that will enable a new energy future for generations to come."
Darrell Schimmoller, B1985 describes his time since UD with:
In 2002 Carol and I turned our lives upside down. She went back to work full time and I retired. I therefore had a chance to spend time with our kids (Adam b89, Amanda b90) before they grew up and left for college and their own lives. In my previous job I had traveled frequently before so this was a good change.
Amanda is currently attending college and is a sophomore. Adam is taking a break from college and is looking at following his mother'sfootsteps (now a Lt. Col.) and joining the Air Force. Carol and I have enjoyed 23 years of marriage and look forward to celebrating our 25th in two years.
Alison Pratt Spoonmore, B 1985, wrote:
Alison and her husband Bob are enjoying raising their three boys in Indianapolis. Both are employed at Eli Lilly and Company.
Recent UD contacts included a campus visit for eldest son Tom, who plans to pursue Chemical Engineering and BioEngineering this fall. Although UD was impressive, it fell to 2nd choice -Tom will attend Notre Dame for his undergrad degree. We had a wonderful visit to Newark, hosted by Kathy Haines Bender.We connect with Laura Dodge-Murphy each year as she and Jim visit for the Indy 500, and correspond with Judianne Medd Ganschow via Facebook. Great to connect with our UD friends!
******The 25th Reunion was well represented by “CHEGs”, and my reading of the list of attendees found Wen Chao, Monica Gallagher, Laura Hartwell, Susan Lotter, Ted Owens, Susan Saud, and Bob Tullman. Thank you all for coming, and I’m sorry I couldn’t make the occasion.****************
Professor Michael Betenbaugh, PhD 1988 of Johns Hopkins won the 2010 Cell Culture Engineering Award from Engineering Conferences international. The Cell Culture Engineering Award recognizes contributions to the field of cell culture technology and engineering, as well as significant service and dedication to the field. Betenbaugh is best known for his work in metabolic engineering for a cell’s glycosylation machinery, which controls the enzymatic process that produces glycans, a key component in protein folding reactions.
Sarah Bannister, B1995, writes:
I'm still an associate at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, DC. Despite the overall slowdown in the legal market, I had a busy year preparing for a patent trial in May 2010 (held in District Court, Wilmington, DE). For lawyers with engineering training, patent litigation is surprisingly fun. Being part of a trial team was reminiscent of junior and senior lab - lots of late nights in front of computers in rooms with poor overhead lighting. (Unfortunately for me, surviving on 5 hours of sleep was a lot easier when I was 20 years old.)
Sujata Bhatia, B1995, responded to a request for material with:
Surita Bhatia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is married to Peter Khalifah, an inorganic chemist and an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Stony Brook University. At home, Surita and Peter have been keeping busy raising their two energetic boys and enjoying life in rural western Mass, including hiking in the fall, maple sugaring in the spring, and berry-picking in the summer. Yum!!
Surita's research at UMass involves studying the structure and rheology of complex fluids, colloidal dispersions, polymeric gels, and biomaterials. She runs a Research Experiences for Undergradautes (REU) program and is co-PI on a graduate training program (IGERT), both in the area of cellular engineering. Surita has received a number of awards for research, including an NSF CAREER Award, a 3M Award, and a Dupont Young Professor Award. Recently Surita was an invited participant in the NAE's Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium based on her work on diversity in science and engineering.