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Featured Researcher - Daniel F. Shantz
My
research program focuses on the assembly of inorganic materials mediated
by organic molecules. This work has two overarching and synergistic aspects,
1. developing a fundamental description of how inorganic solids assemble
in the presence of organic molecules, and 2. developing new synthetic paradigms
for fabricating novel inorganic materials. This research has appeal at many
levels: it is not only intellectually challenging, but of great fundamental
and practical interest. As an example of the first aspect consider the nucleation
and formation of zeolites, microporous aluminosilicates.
These materials have been studied for nearly 100 years, are a multibillion dollar a year industry, and yet the fundamental steps that lead to zeolite nucleation are still poorly understood. Elucidating how these materials form will not only answer an unresolved question of great interest to the scientific community, but should also provide insights into approaches for synthesizing new zeolites which could lead to new processes benefiting society as a whole.
As
an example of the second aspect, my group is currently exploring the use
of polypeptides as templates for fabricating “next generation” inorganic
solids, as polypeptides possess chemical and structural functionalities ranging
from approximately 0.1 – 100 nm that can be simultaneously controlled.
We have recently demonstrated the ability to imprint the secondary structure
of a polypeptide chain into an inorganic solid, and are now trying to couple
that with hydrophobic interactions between model peptides to form rationally
designed peptide aggregates as templates for fabricating new inorganic solids.
If these concepts can be demonstrated using simple peptides possessing one
secondary structural domain (a-helix, b-sheet) it will be possible to extend
this to much more complex proteins containing more sophisticated structural
motifs (four-helix bundles, a/b barrels, etc.). Given the numerous structural
motifs exhibited by proteins the possibilities for controlling pore shape
and size are considerable. This work will lead to new materials with relevance
in applications ranging from the separations of large molecules to inorganic
scaffolds that can be further functionalized for use in catalysis, sensing,
and potentially microelectronics.
(12/3/03)
Professor Update
Maria Barrufet, Ph.D., Professor in Petroleum Engineering has received a joint appointment in Chemical Engineering.
Trevor Kletz, Ph.D., has received a Adjunct Professor status in the department. Currently, Kletz is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering with Loughborough University. (7/12/03)
Glover Named Faculty Fellow
Charles Glover, Ph.D., has been selected as a TEES Fellow by the Engineering Program. (5/21/03)
Celanese Corporation hosted a Plant Design Competition in December of 2003. The winning teams were:
First Place ($500): D.O. Mighty
Jeff Reuther, Matt Martone, and Chris Berling
Second Place ($300): 13/77
Toni Pustka, Christi Pompeo, Jeremy Bielamowicz, Luke Addington, and Sha Sha Gilani
Third Place ($200): International Design Consultants
Jesse Ferrell, Jason Caroll, Gustavo DeSouza, and Carlos Ariza
(12/20/03)
AIChE '03-'04 Officers Announced
President - Jennifer Lau
VP Programs - Rian Kacer
VP Finance - Samantha Scruggs
VP Publicity - Claudia Nassar
VP External Activities - Josh Gaubert
VP Internal Activities - Mike Adams
VP Community Service - Michelle LaBorde
Secretary/Historian - Jeff Gribnau
Membership Chair - Alexis Tucker
Mentor Program - Coordinator Chris Ricketts
Intramural Chair - Richard Garcia
Plant Trip Coordinator - Brian Gahan
Catalyst Publisher - Luke Addington
Catalyst Publisher - John Spencer
Senior Representatives - Josh Gaubert, Kristen Svatek
Junior Representatives - James WinninghamAlexis Tucker
Sophomore Representatives - Chris Harris Candace Kessel
Freshman Representatives - Brad Lambeth, Kelley Phillip
(8/30/03)
Omega Chi Epsilon '03-04 Announced
President - Cheryl Keel
Vice President - Jeff Leininger
Treasurer - Errol Johnson
Errol Johnson - Secretary
(8/30/03)
ChE Student Named '05 University Scholar
The University Scholar Selection Committee named Nnaja Okorafor a "Class of 2005 University Scholar." She was chosen due to her academic achievements and campus leadership.
(8/22/03)
Chemical Engineering Student Wins 2003 Korean Honor Scholarship
Mr. Kunwoo Han, a graduate student in Chemical Engineering, recently received a 2003 Korean Honor Scholarship. The Scholarships are based on academic achievement and leadership, and fewer than 50 were awarded this year to Korean and Korean-American college students across all fields of study. The Scholarship fund was established in 1981 by a gift of $1.5 million from the government of the Republic of Korea to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic ties between Korea and the U.S.A.
(1/23/03)
Fall '03 Plant Design Competition
Celanese Corporation hosted a Plant Design Competition in the Fall 2002. The winning teams were:
1st Place: Santa Rita Engineering
Stephen Craig, Wayo Dozal, Johnny Simon,
Jared Wittry
2nd Place: Three-Legged Engineering
Justin Rose, Andrew Moody, Carlo Medina
3rd Place: Dua Ribu Dua
Stephanus Axnandia, Tania Betancourt, Jennifer Bouquet, Erik Woodward
(12/17/02)
Scholarships Awarded by Dwight Look College of Engineering
Akisha Axel Huitt - Zollars, Inc.
Eduardo Dozal - Mason J. Pilcher '28
Mark Roberts - O. Lynn Snow '18
Shauna Sharpe - Bernece R. McCarty
Matt Shoemaker - Fred Benson Memorial
(11/12/02)
12th Annual Graduate Symposium
The symposium was held on Tuesday, October 8, 2002 in the Memorial Student Center. Representatives from various companies such as Shell Chemical, ExxonMobil, Aker Kvaerner and Dow were present. The following students received awards based on their presentations:
1st place: Asad Javaid
2nd place: Anurdha Godavarty
3rd place: Rene Elms
(10/9/02)
Omega Chi Epsilon 2002-2003 Officers
David Moll - President
Rachel Erskine - Vice President
Jeremy Bielamowic - Treasurer
Sherry Brooks - Secretary
Francisco Tschen - Webmaster
(8/29/02)
Student Completes German Certification Program
Ashley Macauley, is the first student to complete the German Certification Program in the College of Engineering.
(8/16/02)
Students Receive Engineering Awards
Jennifer Bouquet, was awarded the "2002 Craig Brown Outstanding Senior Engineer Award" for 2002-2003.
(8/6/02)
