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.
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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.
4 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
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
Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering,
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
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 5
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
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
6 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
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
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 7
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
8 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
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
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 9
Denny Davis, emeritus professor in the
Gene and Linda Voiland School of
Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering,
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