Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and

Summer 2012

Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering

C H E M I C A L E N G I N E E R I N G A N D B I O E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S L E T T E R | S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

From the Director’s Desk

I hope you enjoy

the latest edition

of our newsletter as we highlight some of the

exciting work here in the Voiland School. As

you will see, we’ve been having a great deal

of success in our research programs, which

create new knowledge and enable education

of undergraduate and graduate students

as they face the greatest challenges of the

future: sufficient clean energy and healthy

lives for our citizens.

As many of you probably know, we are

focused in the area of energy and, particu-

larly, on catalysis, where we are working to

be one of the top programs in the nation.

The school has a long history in this small

but critical research area, starting with the

work of Professor Emeritus Bill Thomson.

Moreover, many of our alumni, such as

Jim Lafferty (’44, BS ChE) have played

instrumental roles in implementing novel

catalytic systems. Cataylsis is involved in

the production of every commercial product

made in the United States, and without it,

only 10 to 15 percent of a barrel of oil would

be useable. In fact, catalysis is essential for

our lives and lifestyles. To understand them,

we must understand all aspects of chemi-

cal engineering. Through the generosity

of Gene and Linda Voiland, we have been

working to build this critical research area,

led by researchers such as Professor Yong

Wang (p.1) and through collaboration with

the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

This newsletter also includes stories about

important work that we are doing in the

area of biomechanics and biomolecular

engineering (p.2) and in our efforts in

engineering education, where we are also

making significant contributions (p.3).

As we continue to grow our research

program to be among the best in critical

areas, the entire school benefits. Enrollment

has been increasing steadily, so that we now

have more than 200 undergraduates and 60

doctoral students. Almost 40 percent of our

graduates are women, a high percentage for

engineering programs.

Through the Campaign for Washington

State University: Because the World Needs Big

Ideas, the support that many of you are

providing is having a direct impact on our

students. Your support can make a difference

in whether a student gets a critical boost that

will help him or her finish a degree. Or it can

mean the difference in being able to attract a

world-class faculty member to campus who

can make a research breakthrough while

educating tomorrow’s leaders. I hope you’ll

take a look at our stories on the establish-

ment of the Hohenschuh Professorship

or on the Thomson Fund (p.5) to see how

your gifts can directly and positively impact

our students and our program. And I hope

that when you hear from Don Shearer, our

associate director of advancement, you’ll

take his call. Particularly in these challeng-

ing economic times, your support is more

important than ever for our students.

I have noticed one interesting indicator of

the pride our students feel in our program.

This isn’t a number that gets reported to

any accrediting agency or to any group that

assesses us for rankings. Nevertheless, I think

it says a lot about how we are valued—100

percent of our 42 graduating students

attended last year’s graduation ceremony.

As you know, nobody has to go to their

graduation. And in many large programs,

people might just feel like another number

when that big day comes. Plenty of people

skip it for other obligations. Having every

single Voiland School graduate show up

for this event shows just how much our

students do truly care about each other and

this program and how much they value the

education that they received.

I am proud of your strong allegiance to

this school, and I look forward to continu-

ing that caring and valued relationship for

many years into the future.

—James PetersenDirector, Voiland School of ChemicalEngineering and Bioengineering

ContentsResearch WSU Leads Effort to Develop

New Catalysts .................................. 1

A Note on Catalysis ........................... 1

Finding Answers for Our Degenerating Cartilage .................... 2

On the Frontiers of Engineering Education ...................... 3

Heat-Producing Microbes ................. 3

Faculty New Faculty Members in the

Voiland School .................................. 4

KNona Liddell Retirement ................. 4

Fund Honors Bill Thomson ................ 5

Students Student Receives Distinguished

Fellowship at PNNL .......................... 6

Students Develop Winning Idea for Hydrogen Power Plant ................ 7

Awards and Recognition

Zollars Named Fellow of ASEE ........... 8

Davis Receives Best Paper Award ..................................... 9

Alumna Named Fellow of TAPPI ........ 9

Neil Ivory Named Hohenschuh Professor ........ Back Cover

The Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering newsletter is published annually for the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Dana 118, PO Box 642710, Pullman, Washington, 99164-2710 by Washington State University, PO Box 645910, Pullman, Washington, 99164-5910. Distribution is free to ChEBE alumni, friends, personnel, and students. Volume 4, Issue 1. 7/12 138796

Communications Coordinator: Tina Hilding, [email protected] the Web: www.chebe.wsu.edu

C H E M I C A L E N G I N E E R I N G A N D B I O E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S L E T T E R | S U M M E R 2 0 1 2 1

Researchers in the Pacific Northwest

have developed a new catalyst mate-

rial that could replace chemicals currently

derived from petroleum and be the basis for

more environmentally friendly products

including octane-boosting gas and fuel

additives, bio-based rubber for tires, and a

safer solvent for the chemicals industry.

To turn bioethanol into other useful

products, researchers at the Department of

Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Labora-

tory and at Washington State University

have developed a new catalyst material

that will convert it into a chemical called

isobutene. And it can do so in one produc-

tion step, which can reduce costs.

To make sustainable biofuels, producers

want to ferment ethanol from nonfood

plant matter such as cornstalks and weeds.

Currently, bioethanol’s main values are as

a non-polluting replacement for octane-

boosting fuel additives to prevent engine

knocking and as a renewable replacement

for a certain percentage of gasoline.

Reported by researchers in the Institute

for Integrated Catalysis at PNNL and in the

Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemi-

cal Engineering and Bioengineering at

WSU, the findings appeared in the Journal

of the American Chemical Society.

“Isobutene is a versatile chemical that

could expand the applications for sustain-

ably produced bioethanol,” said chemi-

cal engineer Yong Wang, who has a joint

appointment at PNNL in Richland and at

WSU in Pullman and leads research efforts

at both institutions.

In addition, this catalyst requires the

presence of water, allowing producers to use

dilute and cheaper bioethanol rather than

having to purify it first, potentially keeping

costs lower and production times faster.

A New cAtAlyst For ethANol mADe From BiomAssFrom PNNL press release

reseArch

Catalysts, which are critically important to more than 35% of the global GDP, are the key to life and

lifestyle. Catalytic systems enable modern transportation systems, safe foods, a clean environment, and

novel, life-saving vaccines and pharmaceuticals. In partnership with the Pacific Northwest National

Laboratory, WSU is positioned to be a national leader in developing, testing, and using catalysts to

advance society.

A Note on Catalysis By Jim Petersen and Yong Wang

A catalyst…

• Facilitates molecular transformations,

entering into a chemical reaction, but is not

consumed or produced during the reaction

• Increases the rate at which a reaction occurs

• Lowers the amount of energy needed to

accomplish the chemical reaction

• Ensures that the maximum amount of

desired products are produced

• Ensures that less-desirable and/or environ-

mentally hazardous by-products

are minimized

Catalysts are…

• Used in 90% of the world’s chemical pro-

cesses to manufacture 60% of its chemical

products

• Responsible for 75% by value of all the prod-

ucts derived from petroleum

• Essential to life, as highly specific biological

catalysts (enzymes)

Chemical and biological catalysts are used in…

• Energy production to combine small mol-

ecules or break large molecules to produceus-

able products like gasoline, diesel fuel,

and jet fuel from petroleum or alternative

materials like methane, biomass, ethanol,

or methanol

• Energy conversion systems to enable

high efficiency fuel cells and new battery

technologies

• Chemical production for tires, plastics, poly-

mers, laundry detergent, and agrichemicals,

including fertilizers and pesticides

• Environmental control systems to reduce

emissions from automobiles, power plants,

and manufacturing facilities

• Food processing, including baking, brewing,

to make cheese, beer, bread, margarine, high-

fructose corn syrup, and many other foods

• Consumer products like pharmaceuticals,

detergents, fine chemicals, ethanol-based

fuels, and food products, which are all manu-

factured using catalysts

• Health care, which depends on chemical

and biological catalysts for the production

of highly specific vaccines, pharmaceuticals,

and nutraceuticals

• Life itself, which depends on enzymes

(biologically-produced catalysts) to maintain

the body’s myriad systems

Our catalysis research will enable fuels

derived from non-petroleum, alternative

sources to power aircraft, trucks, and naval ves-

sels and liquid fuels to be efficiently converted

to electricity. It will also enable us to manufac-

ture new consumer products, have a cleaner

environment, develop cost effective fertilizers,

and produce new drugs that will save lives

worldwide.

Understanding how catalysts work and

devising ways to effectively employ them will

help society and advance WSU’s clean energy,

health, environmental, and agricultural/safe

food research programs. ❚

Yong Wang

2 C H E M I C A L E N G I N E E R I N G A N D B I O E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S L E T T E R | S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

Researchers in the Gene and Linda

Voiland School of Chemical Engineering

and Bioengineering have received a National

Science Foundation grant for work they hope

will someday lead to better treatments for

the significant number of people who are

disabled by injury or degeneration of their

cartilage.

Working with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Inc., Professors Bernie Van Wie and Nehal

Abu-Lail are studying how mechanical and

biochemical stimuli promote the growth

of healthy cartilage. Regeneron scientists

Vincent Idone, Aris Economides, and Hyon

Kim are experts in regenerative medicine,

especially as it applies to cartilage and bone

diseases.

Unhealthy and degenerating cartilage is

a significant and increasing health issue for

much of the United States population, lead-

ing to arthritis and injury. Joint replacement

surgery is done about once every minute

in the United States, and the problem is

exacerbated by an increasingly obese and

aging population. Approximately 40 million

people in the U.S. suffer from osteoarthritis,

says Abu-Lail.

Cartilage stays healthy by being exposed

to varying amounts of pressure and loads.

That is, when we put some weight on our

knee or hip joints or use our fingers, it helps

them stay healthy. Once we become injured,

though, pressure and load can negatively

influence our cartilage.

The researchers will use a unique centri-

fuge bioreactor process method invented at

WSU to grow cartilage tissue starting with

adult stem cells. The centrifuge bioreactor

allows the researchers to grow and study a

large amount of cartilage cells compared to

other methods and to put the cells under

stress, mimicking the types of stresses that

our cartilage might naturally undergo.

In particular, they will look at applying

various amounts of mechanical pressures and

chemical stimuli on cartilage to see how it

reacts at the cellular level. Perhaps there are

chemicals that can enhance cartilage health

the same way that physical pressure might,

for instance.

The researchers will also use an atomic

force microscope to study the cartilage

functionality and mechanical properties on

the cell surface. The atomic force microscope

allows researchers to look at cells at the

atomic level. Rather than having a tradi-

tional lens, the microscope ‘feels’ its way

along a surface, using a cantilever to measure

tiny amounts of force as it moves. As the

cantilever moves, a laser measures changes in

its reflections. A new WSU doctoral student,

Chrystal Bailey, who recently graduated from

the Voiland School in bioengineering, has

joined the team to focus on the AFM work.

The work is funded by a National Sci-

ence Foundation EAGER (Early Grant for

Exploratory Research) award. Companion

support is coming from Regeneron through

an industrial internship for WSU doctoral

student Arshan Nazempour.

“The results could have a potentially high

societal impact that could be transformative

in guiding regenerative treatments,” said

Van Wie. ❚

hopiNg to FiND ANswers For our DegeNerAtiNg cArtilAge

reseArch

Left to right Nehal Abu-Lail, Chrystal Bailey, and Bernie Van Wie.


reseArchers work to uNDerstAND heAt-proDuciNg microBiAl commuNitiesBy Alyssa Patrick, CEA Intern

In a lab in Dana Hall, groups of little brine

shrimp are swimming in boxes that

contain murky water collected from Hot Lake

near Oroville, Washington.

While they may look like samples from

any lake, the microbial communities at work

there and that give the lake its name may

offer a possible solution to one of our biggest

worldwide environmental challenges—car-

bon dioxide sequestration.

WSU researchers are collaborating with

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to

better understand these microbial commu-

nities and someday to create systems that

could remove harmful CO2 from the air and

convert it to biofuel.

Akin Paksoy, a chemical engineering PhD

student in his first year at WSU, is focusing

on this project. Three other PhD students are

helping him with the varying complex experi-

ments involved; they are Timothy Ewing,

Jerome Babuta, and Hung Duc Nguyen. Haluk

Beyenal, associate professor in the Voiland

College of Chemical Engineering and Bioengi-

neering, is overseeing the research.

Hot Lake was originally a salt mine, but

excavations filled parts of the mine with soil

and allowed rain water to collect, resulting

in unusually high salinity. In fact, the lake is

saltier than sea water.

Salt-loving microbial organisms that can

live in such an extreme environment form

themselves into communities in the lake

called mats, Beyenal explained. The layers of

different communities can use sunlight to fix

CO2 and produce energy that heats the lake

to a higher temperature than the surrounding

environment.

Using cutting-edge microsensor technol-

ogy, the research team is examining the mats

to determine what chemical reactions are

taking place in each layer.

“If the natural environment can use this

carbon that pollutes the air, then learning

about the system can help us simulate it artifi-

cially,” Ewing said. ❚

Nehal Abu-Lail, associate professor in

the Gene and Linda Voiland School of

Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering,

was one of two WSU professors who were

selected to attend the prestigious National

Academy of Engineering’s Frontiers of Engi-

neering Education (FOEE) symposium. Only

65 faculty members from throughout the

United States were chosen to participate.

The three-day symposium, held last fall in

Irvine, California, brought together innovative

engineering educators to share ideas and learn

from research and best practices in education,

according to a National Academy of Engineer-

ing press release.

Through a National Science Foundation

grant, Abu-Lail, a WSU faculty member

since 2006, has provided support for several

students from underrepresented groups to

help with the research she is doing to better

understand how Listeria monocytogenes con-

taminate surfaces and lead to infections. She

has also participated in visits to high schools

around the state to tell students about WSU’s

engineering programs and has worked with

high school teachers to develop experiments

for the high school classroom about bacterial

adhesion as well as other engineering and

scientific concepts.

At the conference, the professors gath-

ered to discuss the challenges and ways to

improve engineering education and interest in

engineering. The number of students who are

receiving engineering degrees has remained

flat for more than 40 years in the United

States and persistent, large gaps remain in

the number of women and underrepresented

minorities who enter the field.

“It was a call to arms,” said Chris Hund-

hausen, a professor in the School of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science, who was

the other WSU attendee.

At the conference, the professors discussed

ways to improve messages to high school

students about engineering, focusing on engi-

neers’ ability to make a difference and the cre-

ativity required in the field. Other discussions

centered around improving learning through

efforts such as peer tutoring, student research,

hands-on projects, and technology. ❚

tAckliNg the FroNtiers oF eNgiNeeriNg eDucAtioN

reseArch

Akin Paksoy, graduate student in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, at Hot Lake.


New FAculty memBers iN the VoilAND schoolBy Daniel Estep, CEA Intern

Alla Kostyukova has joined the

Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical

Engineering and Bioengineering as an assis-

tant professor. Her research hopes to improve

our understanding of muscle proteins at the

molecular level. Kostyukova is collaborating

with the group of muscle protein research-

ers that already exists in the school, which

includes Wenji Dong, David Lin, Edward Pate,

and Anita Vasavada.

Kostyukova’s research is focused on a

specific type of protein in the muscle, called

tropomodulin, that determines the length of

actin filaments in muscles. “Tropomodulin

allows our muscles to be built,” she explained.

The filaments need to be a certain length in

order for the muscles to slide and contract

correctly, she says. When actin filaments are

not the right size, problems and diseases may

occur. Kostyukova’s research is particularly

applicable to heart problems.

Kostyukova holds a master’s degree in bio-

physics from St. Petersburg State University,

Russia, and a doctorate in molecular biology

from the Institute of Protein Research, Russian

Academy of Sciences & Moscow State Univer-

sity. Before joining WSU, she was an assistant

professor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical

School in Piscataway, New Jersey. ❚

After more than three decades of

teaching and conducting research

in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of


Professor KNona Liddell is retiring.

Liddell’s research has been in the area of

electrochemical kinetics and reactor design,

with applications for environmental prob-

lems and materials processing.

She came to WSU in 1980 after getting

her doctorate in chemical engineering at

Iowa State University. She taught many

courses, including the unit operations labo-

ratory, which is a critically important part

of the chemical engineering educational

process. Because of her focus on safety, her

diligent review of reports, and her desire

to see her students develop a clear under-

standing of chemical engineering prin-

ciples, students two years ago voted her as

outstanding instructor in the department,

particularly recognizing her teaching in

that class.

“In her many years of service she has

touched the lives of hundreds of students,

helping ensure that we maintain our repu-

tation for educating outstanding, industry

ready engineers,” says Jim Petersen, director

of the Voiland School. “She has been an

important part of our program. She will be

missed by the students and by her faculty

colleagues.” ❚

kNoNA liDDell retires

Jean Sabin McEwen has joined

the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemi-

cal Engineering and Bioengineering, where

he is working to model and improve catalytic

reactions that could address energy challenges.

Rising fuel costs and the depletion of natu-

ral resources have created a need for diverse,

new alternative energy sources. Fuel cells, for

instance, hold the promise to convert hydro-

carbons directly into electricity at efficiencies

far greater than that of conventional means,

but in order to optimize them, they have

to be understood at the molecular level,

says McEwen.

McEwen is performing computations that

allow complicated and diverse catalytic reac-

tions to be modeled and better understood. A

catalytic reaction allows a chemical reaction to

occur, which would not occur otherwise in the

absence of a catalyst. McEwen’s computations

complement experimentalists’ work.

“Heterogeneous catalysis has played and

will continue to play an important role both

in the generation and use of energy to ensure a

sustainable future, but a number of open ques-

tions remain to exploit the full potential of

such catalytic systems,” he says. “In order to

do this, one needs not only to understand,

but also to control materials at the nanometer

scale. In order to understand the reactions

at a atomistic level, we will use quantum

mechanics.”

McEwen is excited about the focused

emphasis on catalysis in the Voiland School.

He also aims to collaborate with researchers at

the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in phys-

ics from McGill University, Canada, and a

master’s degree and doctorate from Dalhousie

University, Canada. He spent several years as

a postdoctoral fellow in Belgium and then

came to the United States to work as a research

assistant professor at University of Notre Dame

before coming to WSU in January. ❚

FAculty


Many alumni of the Gene and Linda

Voiland School of Chemical Engi-

neering and Bioengineering fondly remem-

ber Bill Thomson, emeritus chair of the

Department of Chemical Engineering and

former director of the O.H. Reagh Labora-

tory for Oil and Gas Processing.

The Bill Thomson Fund honors Thom-

son’s legacy of preparing Cougar chemi-

cal engineers for careers in industry. The

fund will provide support for a part-time

faculty position that will focus on teaching

laboratory education and safety, and on

giving undergraduate students a hands-on

industry perspective.

Thomson is a fellow of the American

Institute of Chemical Engineers and author

of an undergraduate text, Introduction to

Transport Phenomena. One reviewer wrote

that his text “should be on every practicing

chemical engineer’s bookshelf.” Much of

his research has been in the area of develop-

ing new catalysts for use in hydrogen

fuel cells.

Thomson has been a long-time advocate

of a strong undergraduate program, even

while the school developed a strong gradu-

ate program. Within academia, the empha-

sis on research has increased dramatically,

and young faculty members have to focus

on their research programs. Consequently,

most faculty members don’t have industrial

experience before coming into the class-

room, he said.

“So when Jim Petersen approached me

to seek my support for a separate source of

funding to hire instructors with industrial

experience, it took me all of five seconds to

agree,” he said. “I do believe that this fund

will ensure that the Voiland School will

continue to graduate hands-on, industry-

ready, problem-solving engineers who

reason and communicate in ways that will

enable them to become leaders in industry

and society.”

The Thomson Fund effort asks for annual

commitments from alumni and donors for

up to five years. The fund will be used to

support the faculty member. The position

will be filled by an experienced process

engineer—in all likelihood someone who

is retired from a successful career in the

process industries.

“This individual will help shape the

careers of future WSU chemical engineers,”

says Jim Petersen, director of the Voiland

School.

Providing students with hands-on labo-

ratory education will provide a key building

block for young engineers preparing to

enter the job market, says Bob Rieck (’77

ChE). Rieck and his wife, Mary, have two

sons who are currently chemical engineer-

ing graduate students at WSU. The Riecks

have committed to support the Thomson

fund.

Rieck fondly remembers the hands-on

experience he got running equipment and

operations in the Chemical Operations Lab.

Both of their sons have benefitted from

working in industry as they have pursued

their education.

“The insight provided is of immeasur-

able importance and value in developing

the needed tools to understand employer

expectations in the job force,” said Rieck.

“Gaining some perspective from those

who have work experience will give young

engineers a glimpse of the system they are

about to enter. It will also benefit those

who provide this service as they better

understand the cutting edge experiences

and fresh ideas the undergrads have

to offer.”

“This effort not only strengthens the

curriculum with outside experts and experi-

ences, but matches well with Mary’s and

my belief that experience-based learning is

a powerful vehicle to build with,” he added.

“It will only improve the WSU chemical

engineering graduates’ stand out résumés

when they apply for employment to enter

the work force.”

You will be hearing more about the

Thomson Fund effort in the near future.

If you want to get involved, please

contact Don Shearer at 509-335-4733 or

[email protected]. ❚

FuND hoNoriNg Bill thomsoN will help stuDeNts iN the lAB

“The insight provided is of immeasurable importance and value in developing the needed tools to understand employer expectations in the job force.”

—Bob Rieck (’77 ChE)

FAculty


Ryan Renslow, a Washington State

University engineering doctoral can-

didate, recently received the Linus Pauling

Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship at

the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

(PNNL) in Richland. He is researching elec-

trochemically active communities of micro-

organisms, called biofilms, to discover the

mechanism behind extracellular electron

transfer and how this allows cell-to-cell and

cell-to-mineral interactions in subsurface

sediments. Renslow is a graduate student

with Haluk Beyenal, associate professor

in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of

Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.

Research in this field has grown signifi-

cantly in the last two decades, resulting in

the identification of microorganisms that

can create energy. Much of that research has

turned to application of the energy output,

but Renslow is interested in the fundamen-

tals behind the process. At PNNL, he will

have access to research instruments and

laboratories that use advanced technologies.

“I want to develop new scientific capa-

bilities and integrate existing technologies

and techniques already present at PNNL,”

Renslow said. Current standard tools can-

not provide the data needed to answer his

research questions.

According to the PNNL website, the

Linus Pauling fellowship is for “next genera-

tion scientists and engineers who will push

the boundaries of science to world-recog-

nized discoveries.” The fellowship provides

recipients full funding for their major

research projects. ❚

wsu grAD stuDeNt receiVes DistiNguisheD Fellowship At pNNl

stuDeNts


A group of WSU students took second

place in their first time competing in an

international hydrogen design competition

with their innovative design for a power plant

that can produce heat, hydrogen, and electric

power from wheat straw.

The annual Hydrogen Student Design Con-

test challenges university students to design

hydrogen energy applications for real-world

use. This year’s competition required that

students design a power plant system that pro-

duces electricity, heat, and hydrogen for their

university campus using local materials. The

WSU team placed second among 20 teams

from around the world, including teams from

Asia, Europe, and North America. The award

was announced in June at the 2012 Young

Scientist Symposium of the World Hydrogen

Energy Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Whitman County is the top producer of

wheat in the United States and produces

about 650 million pounds of wheat straw

that almost nobody wants. After the wheat is

harvested, most of the wheat straw is either

burned or tilled underground.

The students developed a plan to make the

wheat straw into a valuable resource for the

campus and community. Their plan calls for

collecting the wheat straw and then using a

heating method called pyrolysis to break it

down into biochar, a material that is similar

to charcoal. From the biochar, the students

developed methods for extracting hydrogen

and breaking it into base components that

have value. The students developed plans to

use the hydro-

gen for fuel-cell

powered buses,

for heating and

electricity, and

to produce fertil-

izer.

The facility

could produce

enough hydro-

gen to cut down

the natural gas

requirements

of the WSU

steam plant, add

4.4 megawatts

of electricity

to Pullman’s

power grid, and

heat nearby

greenhouses.

Furthermore,

the system could provide enough hydrogen to

power Pullman’s entire fleet of transit buses as

well as WSU’s fleet of work vehicles. Hydro-

gen fuel cell-powered buses already run in

some cities, and the only waste product from

the vehicles is water. Students on the project

included Brennan Pecha (ChemE), Jacob Bair

(ME), Eli Chambers (ChemE), Cale Levengood

(ME), and Shi-Shen Liaw (BioSysE). ❚

stuDeNts plAce At iNterNAtioNAl hyDrogeN competitioN By DeVelopiNg use For wheAt strAw

stuDeNts

Originally from: Folsom, California

Undergraduate degree: University of Dallas, bachelor of science in chemistry

Graduate student in: Chemical Engineering

Why he got involved: Su Ha emailed the class, asking for students who wanted to participate. “I didn’t have enough to do, so I emailed him back.”

Why he really got involved: “I wanted to do a project outside of class to learn about the whole process of making hydrogen and actually implement it. I’m interested in renewable energy in general. I want to use the resources we have here in the United States but also be a steward of the land and take care of it for future generations.”

On placing in the competition: “It was really exciting. We didn’t know how we would do, and there were teams from all over the world. We put our all into it.”

What’s next? Brennan didn’t know anything about pyrolysis, wheat straw, or hydrogen. Now he’s planning on doing his doctorate in the research area of pyrolysis with Professor Manuel Garcia-Perez.

Advice: “Work hard and do your best every single day. Every once and a while, it pays off!”

meet BreNNAN pechA


Richard Zollars, professor in the Gene

and Linda Voiland School of Chemical

Engineering and Bioengineering, has been

named a fellow of the American Society for

Engineering Education (ASEE). The award

is given in recognition of outstanding

contributions to engineering or engineer-

ing technology education, according to the

ASEE website.

With WSU since 1978, Zollars served as

department chair and then interim director

of the school for 14 years. He has received

several department teaching awards and

has been involved in engineering education

efforts.

In the area of K-12 teacher development,

Zollars led the development of SWEET, or

Summer at WSU Engineering Experiences

for Teachers. The program subsequently

has been established at a national level. It

invites middle and high school teachers to

an intensive six-week course that intro-

duces them to engineering research and

encourages development of curricula that

they can bring back to their classrooms.

In the university engineering classroom,

Zollars helped develop a software environ-

ment called ChemProV (Chemical Process

Visualizer). The software presents chemical

engineering students with dynamically

generated feedback on their process flow

diagrams and equations, guiding them

toward correct solutions. Students using the

program do a better job of problem-solving

than those using traditional learning

methods.

He recently received support from the

National Science Foundation’s Transform-

ing Undergraduate Education in Science,

Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

(TUES) program on a project to use

ChemProV to facilitate studio-based learn-

ing in chemical engineering classes. Faculty

at ten institutions around the United States

are experimenting with and documenting

the software and the studio-based effort in

their material/energy balance courses.

Zollars’ research areas include interfacial

phenomena, polymer science and engineer-

ing, and surface and colloid science. He

also advises the WSU student chapter of the

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

(AIChE). Zollars and the student group

several years ago developed the idea for the

society’s national chemical car competi-

tion, in which student teams design, build,

and race miniature cars that run off of a

chemical reaction.

He was honored at the ASEE annual con-

ference in San Antonio, Texas, in June. ❚

ZollArs NAmeD Fellow oF Asee

AwArDs AND recogNitioN

In the Voiland School we are working to

maintain excellence in education while grow-

ing our reputation for world-class research.

The strength and vitality of our programs are

increasingly dependent upon a public–private

partnership. Many of the students receiv-

ing an education and much of the research

being conducted within the Voiland School

would not take place without the unwavering

support of alumni, parents, students, faculty,

foundations, corporations, and the friends

of WSU

Support such as yours not only helps us

fundamentally impact student’s lives, but on

a deeper level it creates the opportunities for

engaged and motivated students to fully real-

ize their potential. Your continued response

to the needs of WSU and the Voiland School

in particular is especially gratifying to all of

us. We know you have many options when

it comes to your philanthropic support and

we thank those of you that have continually

answered our call to action.

Every gift positively impacts the school,

college, University, and beyond. This is one

of the many reasons why I so deeply believe

in our cause. Your support helps to ensure

the long-term sustainability of academic

programs, which shapes the intellect of every

student who earns a chemical engineering or

bioengineering degree.

I urge you to join fellow alumni, faculty,

students, and friends of WSU in this important

and highly worthwhile effort to support the

Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and

Bioengineering at WSU. I may call you for a

meeting in the future. Please take my call—I

am sure we can find a match between the

Voiland School’s priorities and your interests

that will be worthy of your support.

Go Cougs!

Don Shearer ‘93 Assistant Director of Development College of Engineering and Architecture

VoilAND school philANthropy


Denny Davis, emeritus professor in the

Gene and Linda Voiland School of


recently received a best paper award for his

paper, “Integrated Design Engineering Assess-

ment and Learning System (IDEALS): Piloting

Teamwork and Professional Skills Develop-

ment Instructional Materials.”

Davis presented the paper at the annual

conference of the American Society for

Engineering Education that took place in San

Antonio in June. The full paper is published

in the conference proceedings and is available

through the ASEE website (asee.org).

In the paper, Davis and 11 other co-

authors summarize 10 years of work in the

development of research-based assessments

and instructional materials for engineering

design. Collaborators from across the country,

representing several higher education institu-

tions with diverse student populations, have

developed and documented the effectiveness

of their modules in capstone engineering

design courses.

“With funding from the National Science

Foundation, we have documented extraor-

dinary professional skill development in our

capstone design students using IDEALS mod-

ules. Students learn design and professional

skills in an authentic professional environ-

ment, so they are ready to apply these skills in

the professional world,” Davis said.

IDEALS modules give capstone design

course instructors the materials they need

to help students learn teamwork, profes-

sional responsibility, and professional

development (self-directed learning)

skills and to document the achievement

of these skills. With the publication of

the paper, instructors throughout the

United States and beyond are directed

to the IDEALS website (ideals.tidee.org)

where modules and instructor guides are

available. Davis hopes that the work leads

to more purposeful instruction and more

useful assessment of students’ professional

skills in design classes.

Davis is a leading expert in engineering

design education, and the project leader for

the IDEALS team. He and colleague Howard

Davis have used many of the materials they

developed in capstone courses at WSU.

The other researchers coauthoring the paper

include Michael Trevisan, Howard Davis, and

Jennifer LeBeau from WSU, Steven Beyerlein

and Jay McCormack from the University of

Idaho, Paul Leiffer from LeTourneau Univer-

sity, Phillip Thompson from Seattle University,

Susannah Howe from Smith College,

Robert Gerlick from Pittsburg State University,

Patricia Brackin from Rose-Hulman Institute

of Technology, and M. Javed Khan from

Tuskegee University. ❚

eNgiNeeriNg eDucAtioN AssessmeNt teAm wiNs Best pAper At Asee coNFereNce

By Alyssa Patrick, CEA Intern

AwArDs AND recogNitioN

Nancy Ross Sutherland ’84 was named

a 2012 Fellow of TAPPI, the leading

association for the worldwide pulp, paper,

packaging, and converting industries. This

honorary title is bestowed upon a small per-

centage of TAPPI’s membership and is given

to individuals who have made extraordinary

technical or service contributions to the indus-

try or the association. Sutherland is head of

the Paper Test Lab, Forest Products Laboratory.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in wood and

fiber utilization from Michigan Technological

University, and a master’s degree in chemical

engineering from Washington State Univer-

sity. She has worked for the U.S. Forest Service

since joining the Forest Products Laboratory

in 1989 as a forest product technologist for

the Composites Unit. She has held leadership

positions in the TAPPI Process and Product

Quality Division, is currently a Member at

Large on the P&PQ Division Steering Com-

mittee and is active in the Paper and Board

Division as well. She’s served on the fun run

committee at PaperCon for the last seven

years and is currently planning committee

chair. Nancy is a member of American Society

of Testing Materials Committee D06 on Paper

and Paper Products, currently serving as vice

AlumNA NAmeD Fellow oF tAppi

chair, and is also active in the Technical Com-

mittee (TC 6) of the International Standards

Organization (ISO). ❚

NonprofitOrganizationU.S. PostageP A I DPullman, WAPermit No. 1

Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and BioengineeringPO Box 642710 Pullman, WA 99164-2710

Professor Cornelius (Neil) Ivory has been

named as the inaugural Paul Hohenschuh

Distinguished Professor in the Gene and Linda

Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and

Bioengineering. The professorship, which was

created by Paul Hohenschuh and Marjorie

Winkler, is for the recruitment or retention of a

world-class, internationally-recognized faculty

member, providing annual funding support for

materials, equipment, staff, graduate student

salaries, or other support that furthers his or her

research program.

A faculty member at WSU since 1989,

Ivory is a well-known researcher in the area of

bioseparations, where his work is focused on

the development of novel systems to enable

molecular-level protein separations and puri-

fication. The work has important implications

in a variety of areas ranging from separations of

radionuclides for national defense to purifica-

tion of proteins that are used in pharmaceuti-

cals and other health-related applications.

Ivory worked with his students to develop a

separation technique called dynamic field-

gradient focusing, which enables the isolation

and purification of specific desired and unde-

sired molecules by trapping them in an electric

field gradient. Using this and other separation

techniques, he is working with his collaborators

to develop a blood test that can be used in a

physician’s office to quickly and simply identify

protein biomarkers that indicate if a patient

is at risk of suffering a heart attack. He also

has worked with pharmaceutical companies

to develop ways to better detect impurities in

commercial pharmaceuticals and is applying

his technologies to enable the purification and

detection of specific radioactive isotopes that

have implications for national defense.

Ivory holds five patents, with several others

pending, and has more than 80 refereed publi-

cations. He holds an master’s degree and doc-

torate from Princeton University in chemical

engineering and received his bachelor’s degree

from the University of Notre Dame.

The Hohenschuh professorship employs a

unique gift mechanism that allows the donor

to commit a specific gift amount for a set

period of years to support a faculty position or

a scholarship. While most chairs and professor-

ships have typically come from an endowment

established in a donor’s estate plan, this new

annual gift mechanism allows a donor to fund

faculty and students immediately, says Don

Shearer, associate director of development for

the Voiland School. In so doing, the donor is

able to immediately see the gift’s impact.

Ivory Named Inaugural Hohenschuh Distinguished Professor

“We are grateful to Paul and Marjorie for

their investment in the faculty of this

school. With this support, they are helping

to enhance the school’s performance, help-

ing grow its reputation while ensuring that

we have the best faculty teaching, engaging,

challenging, and educating our students.

They will truly make a difference in the lives

of both chemical engineering and bioengi-

neering students.”

—Jim Petersen, director of the Voiland School

Documents

Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and