INCOMING CHAIR ERIC M. FURST D E PA R T M E N T C H A I R translational innovations in pulmonary drug delivery. Her research is at the intersection of materials science, chemistry, transport phenomena, pharmaceutics, and immunology. Professor Korley joins us from Case Western Reserve University with a joint appointment in Materials Science and Engineering. Her research into polymeric materials synthesis and processing draws inspiration from biological structures to design and realize new nanocomposites and tough elastomers.
The fall semester is in full swing here at the University of Delaware. Since beginning my term as Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in July, I have marveled at the breadth and depth of our endeavor. The department is over 600 strong in students, faculty, and staff working together to learn, teach, and develop groundbreaking scholarship. This year, the department welcomed 130 freshmen, 36 first-year doctoral students, and 10 students in the Masters of Engineering in Particle Technology Program. The energy, enthusiasm, and spirit of these students are palpable. Of course, it’s the people that make us a
top-10 department in chemical engineering. From the beginning, our focus on attracting, mentoring, and developing talented faculty, students, and staff has defined our course and sustained its excellence. We work with a peer group that supports us and pushes us, in an environment that provides the resources to define the highest levels of education and research. I think of this special esprit de corps of Delaware often. This year we are excited to welcome two new faculty members, Catherine Fromen and LaShanda Korley. Professor Fromen is establishing a multidisciplinary program using fundamental discoveries in science to drive
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
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The University of Delaware today is a force of discovery and innovation. In the past year, the announcement of two USA Manufacturing centers has demonstrated the tremendous leadership our faculty brings to bear across the wide range of chemical engineering practice -from biomolecular engineering to energy and chemicals. NIIMBL, led by Professor Kelvin Lee, will advance the production of some of the most important emerging pharmaceuticals, and RAPID, which focuses on process intensification, has a major node at Delaware led by Professor Dion Vlachos. Right behind our senior leaders, a strong group of early career faculty is rapidly rising in distinctions, including Professors Feng Jiao, April Kloxin, and Bingjun Xu. You can read about their accomplishments, as well as the awards and initiatives of many other colleagues and students, in the pages that follow.
Advances in scholarship, research, and entrepreneurship flourish because of our sustained commitment to delivering a world-class chemical engineering education here at the University of Delaware. The mutual engagement of a community of learners, teachers, and scholars results in far more than the accumulation of credit hours, quality points, and research papers on the way to a degree. “Colburn Lab, [is] the place where I learned how to learn,” were the words of Dr. Udit Batra, who delivered the Gerster Memorial Lecture earlier this year. His sentiments are echoed by many alumni who come back to visit and share their own challenges and accomplishments. As I begin my term as Chair, I recognize the work of my predecessors who have built a strong and lasting foundation for our department’s future. To outgoing Chair, Professor Abraham Lenhoff, I offer special gratitude. Bramie: Thank you. For the past sixteen years you have been a mentor, and for the past five you have been an indefatigable advocate of the department, a careful listener and an equitable mediator. You are a man of many hats or, more appropriately, many sweaters.
Eric M. Furst