Message from the Chair

My name is Karl Johnson and I am the Interim Chairman for the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. I hope this e-newsletter finds you well and provides you with the opportunity to learn more about our department, our faculty and students. Read the message from the chair.

Listen to Dr. Johnson's message

Department News

Dean Names Interim Chair

Dean Gerald Holder is pleased to announce that Karl Johnson has been named interim chair. Read more about the chair.

Faculty News

Chemical Engineering Professor Receives Grant to Study Genome Sequencing

Di Gao, assistant professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, recently received a grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute. Read more about the grant.

Chemical Engineering Faculty Recognized for World Class Curriculum

McCarthy and Parker, both from the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, along with industrial engineering assistant professor Mary Besterfield-Sacre, recently received an award for leading one of the world's fully integrated chemical engineering curricula. Read more about the award.

Pitt Professor Recognized for Human Immune System Research

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation presents the 2008 Young Investigators award for efforts to create particles that mimic natural cells. Read more about the 2008 Young Investigators award.

Student Highlights

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Researcher: Sixth Consecutive Engineering Student to Win a Goldwater Scholarship

A Swanson School chemical engineering student has won a 2008 Goldwater Scholarship, continuing the school's tradition of winning the prestigious national award. Read about the scholarship recipient.

Bayer Distinguished Lecturer to Visit University of Pittsburgh

We are pleased to announce the 2009 Bayer Distinguished Lecturer will be Robert Cohen. Cohen is the St. Laurent Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his visit to the University of Pittsburgh, Professor Cohen will present two lectures on April 2 and 3, 2009.

Recent recipients of this prestigious award include Mildred Dresselhaus (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), David Weitz (Harvard University), Buddy Ratner (University of Washington), Linda Fisher (DuPont), Paul T. Anastas (Yale University), and Douglas C. Cameron (Khosla Ventures).

Alumni News

Alumni Reception Held at AIChE Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering hosted a reception for alumni at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting on the evening of November 17 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The event was well attended and afforded faculty and students the opportunity to reconnect with our alumni. We look forward to November 2009 when the AIChE Annual Meeting will be held in Nashville, Tenn. All alumni attending the meeting and those from the greater Nashville area are welcome to attend. Please visit our department Web site beginning in September for details on next year's reception.