Chemical Engineering and Materials Science News
Top Stories
- Andrew Thron wins MRS Award
- CHMS grad student named Lawrence Scholar
- Castro and van Benthem edit new book
- Julie Schoenung wins Chime Bell Award
Faculty
Castro and van Benthem edit new book
NEW BOOK RELEASE: Professors Ricardo Castro and Klaus van Benthem of CHMS have recently co-edited a book entitled "Sintering - Mechanisms of Conventional Nanodensification and Field Assisted Processes". This book is designed to be both a teaching and consulting text summarizing the current state of knowledge in sintering with a special emphasis on electric field assisted densification techniques and mechanisms. The text is a collection of individual chapters authored by the leaders in this field and serves as a compendium for researchers and industrial users. During the editorial process Castro and van Benthem have used the text for their graduate course on Field-Assisted Sintering to improve the educational value for the interested reader.
Julie Schoenung wins Chime Bell Award
Julie Schoenung of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science received the Chime Bell Award from the Government of the Hubei Province on September 28, 2012. The Award honors foreign experts who have contributed to the betterment of the province. She was the only woman among the twelve recipients. Schoenung is a Guest Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing at the Wuhan University of Technology, collaborating on thermal/cold spray and physical deposition techniques for ceramic coatings.
Professor Ristenpart aids forensics research
Professor Bill Ristenpart of CHMS is using his expertise to aid important research in forensics; see the UC Davis produced video!
Research
Wen Tong wins ASM Award
Congratulations to CHMS graduate student Wen Tong, of Professor Nigel Browning’s research group, for receiving the first place Poster Award given by the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) at the 70th Microscopy and Microanalysis Conference, held at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix, AZ.,July 29 – August 2, 2012. Wen was presented with the award for his poster "Determining the Atomic Structure of [111] Tilt Grain Boundaries in Ceria". The Microscopy and Microanalysis conference is the premier meeting of the MSA, spanning nano technology, materials science, physical, life and analytical sciences, bringing together delegates from around the globe to report on the latest work and advances in microscopy and microanalysis.
CHMS Graduate Student Wins Best Poster Award
Tarit Nimmanwudipong, a graduate student with Professor Bruce C. Gates and Professor David E. Block, won the 2012 Best Student Poster Award at the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Catalysis held at Colby-Sawyer College, New London NH during June 24-29, 2012. The GRC on Catalysis is considered one the most prestigious conference for catalysis research, bringing together leading researchers from both academia, industry and national labs to discuss the latest, most exciting research in catalysis and the future directions for the field. Tarit presented his work on selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived compounds in the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals.
Gates' work featured in C&EN
Research results from the lab of Distinguished Professor Bruce C. Gates was highlighted in the recent News section of Chemical & Engineering News. Using a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) method, Gates’ lab has pinpointed the locations of individual catalytically active gold atoms in a zeolite support material, information that could lead to improved catalysts.
Awards
Andrew Thron wins MRS Award
CHMS graduate student Andrew Thron of Professor Klaus van Benthem’s lab was announced as a winner of the Materials Research Society’s (MRS) Graduate Student Awards during the 2012 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston. Twenty-four graduate students were recognized for their academic achievements and current materials research, which exhibit a high level of excellence and distinction. Of the 242 applications processed this year, the 24 finalists were chosen on the merits of exceptional abilities and promise for significant future achievement in materials research. Prizes consisted of $400 and a presentation plaque for the Gold Award winners and $200 and a certificate for the Silver Award winners. For more information, visit www.mrs.org/f12-gsa.
CHMS grad student named Lawrence Scholar
Congratulations to CHMS graduate student Ramya Tunuguntla, of Professor Pieter Stroeve’s research group, for being named a Lawrence Scholar of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL). Lawrence Scholars are top Ph.D. students granted appointments of up to four years to conduct research of interest to LLNL while completing their thesis research.
Professor Schoenung elected ASM Fellow
The Board of Trustees of ASM International has elected Professor Julie Schoenung a Fellow of ASM International. The honor of Fellow represents recognition of Professor Schoenung’s distinguished contributions in the field of materials science and engineering. The citation reads: "For distinguished contributions to processing and characterization of nanocomposite materials and to green engineering and design." This honor will be conferred upon Professor Schoenung at the Convocation of Fellows to be held during the ASM Awards Dinner on October 9, 2012, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Students
Hydrogen Student Design Award
A student team from CHMS took third place at the national Hydrogen Student Design Contest. The CHMS team was led by Mengjing (Irene) Yu. Their design included a hydrogen power and heating system for a residential building complex next to the Davis campus. The 2012 Contest was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Combined Heat and Power Partnership, the World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2012, and the International Association for Hydrogen Energy.
Ceren Aydin wins Microanalysis Society Award
Ceren Aydin, a graduate student with Professor Bruce C. Gates and Professor Nigel D. Browning, won the 2012 Distinguished Scholar Award (DSA) given by Microanalysis Society (MAS). This award includes complimentary meeting registration and financial support to cover her travel expenses to attend the Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 Meeting that will be held July 29 - August 2 in Phoenix, AZ.
Wade Zeno wins Professor for the Future Award
Wade Zeno, one of our CHMS graduate students and a member of Professor Longo’s research group, has been selected to participate in the 2012-2013 Professors for the Future program. Wade was chosen based on a number of factors including academic performance, leadership potential, desire to serve the needs of fellow students, and interest in participating in the graduate and postdoctoral education process. Congratulations to Wade!