Centennial Celebration Rousing Success
The Department of Chemical Engineering celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding with a two day celebration on Wednesday, October 29 and Thursday, October 30, 2003.
By all measures, the event was a rousing success, with more than 125 participants, of which 75 were Chemical Engineering alumni. John J. Williams BS in ChE ’34, MS '36, PhD '38 was the oldest alumnus to participate; Stefan Dainard a current applicant for Lehigh ChE class of 2008, the youngest. Every decade since the 1930’s was represented.
The celebration began on Wednesday afternoon with a wine and cheese reception in the Tower Room of Iacocca Hall, the current home of the Department of Chemical Engineering. Previous homes included Chandler-Ullman Hall (1903 – 1968) and Whitaker Laboratory (1968 – 1987). Click here for a brief history of Chemical Engineering. Click here to see a photo essay of these buildings.
During and after the reception, participants viewed posters that described the department’s ongoing research efforts. Those posters addressed:
Click on the individual link to learn about that research program.
Prior to dinner, Lehigh University president Greg Farrington spoke on "The Global Aspects of Modern Education." Within that context, Dr. Farrington addressed several areas of critical importance to current engineering education:
- the need for greater participation in engineering by minorities and females
- the importance of interpersonal skills, particularly communications and presentation skills, as well as team building skills for engineering graduates
- the need for modern engineers to understand the effects of political and legal, social and cultural, and environmental constraints on engineering solutions
- the requirement for engineers to be able to comprehend contemporary issues and the roles they play in addressing those issues
- the demand for engineers who understand the impacts of and have the ability to work in the global environment
- the ever increasing role of information and computing technology in engineering
- the impact of biotechnology and nanotechnology on chemical engineering in the twenty-first century
- the need for “life-long” learning as a means of staying current in an ever changing profession
The morning session on Wednesday included a discussion, "Chemical Engineering at Lehigh", which focused on the historical aspects of the Chemical Engineering Program. The seminar featured Professor (Emeritus) of Chemical Engineering Leonard Wenzel, Professor (Emeritus) of Chemical Engineering Curtis Clump, and Rossin Senior Professor and Chair of Chemical Engineering Anthony McHugh. Professor Wenzel, assisted by two undergraduate students, spent the last year and one-half researching the history of chemical engineering at Lehigh and presented some of his findings. Professor Clump spoke of his memories and the evolution of the department since the time of his appointment in 1955. Professor McHugh described the ongoing evolution of the department. He highlighted the undergraduate and graduate programs and the eminence of the faculty through its numerous national and international awards for teaching and research. He also pointed out some of the challenges the department faces in terms of updating and modernizing its undergraduate and graduate curricula, hiring new faculty in key research areas and redirecting its research foci. Professor McHugh specifically described how the department is incorporating the emerging fields of biochemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology into its educational and research programs.
In the first afternoon session, Professor Matthew V. Tirrell, Richard A. Auhll Professor and Dean of Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara, spoke on "Challenges for Chemical Engineers in Nanoscale Processing." This session was particularly helpful in extending Professor McHugh’s morning discussion of the challenges the department, and Chemical Engineering as a whole, face in becoming and remaining key players in the realm of nanotechnology.
Professor Tirrell’s lecture and its discussions provided valuable background to the next session, "Chemical Engineering of the Future - an Industrial Perspective." This session featured Dr. L. Louis Hegedus Sr. Vice President, Research and Development ATOFINA Chemicals, Inc. In his discussion, Dr. Hegedus reiterated that Chemical Engineering graduates not only need to be knowledgeable in the fundamentals of mathematics, physics, and chemistry, as well as the principles of chemical engineering, but also in the practical application of this knowledge in production and research and new product development. Dr. Hegedus also stressed the importance of graduates being able to work on interdisciplinary teams with scientists and businesspersons of both genders and diverse backgrounds.
Professor Morton M. Denn, Albert Einstein Professor of Science and Engineering of City College of the City University of New York followed, speaking on the topic, "The Changing Face of Chemical Engineering: A Personal Odyssey." Professor Denn noted that many of the early 20th century developments in chemical and biochemical technology were the results of responses by chemical engineers to challenges posed by the two world wars. In describing his own career, Professor Denn reiterated the need for chemical engineers to possess strong technical skills, but also to be able to incorporate new knowledge derived from developments in fundamental chemistry, physics, and applied mathematics in their problem solving skills. In this regard, Professor Denn also suggested that an engineer’s ongoing professional development must include both technical and non-technical components.
In the last of the formal presentations, Mr. Gerard E. Tarzia, LU ChE ’82, Vice President and Worldwide Director, Rohm and Haas Company, extended previous discussions in his talk entitled, "The Future of Chemical Engineering: An Industrial Perspective." Again, Mr. Tarzia stressed the integration of theoretical, academic coursework with practical, hands-on experience and engineering commonsense as being critical to the success of young engineers.
The celebration concluded with Professor McHugh leading a lively discussion of and debate on the correct or best direction the profession of chemical engineering should be heading; what should and should not be included in the modern chemical engineering curriculum; trends in chemical engineering research; and the chemical engineer’s role in business and industry.
For additional information regarding the Centennial Celebration, click on the following links:
Click here to see some information collected by Dr. Williams during his graduate days in Chemical Engineering.
Click here and click here for background information about the Centennial Celebration.
Click here to read the Centennial brochure.
Click here to see the Celebration schedule of events.
Click here to read the speakers' biograghical summaries.
Click here to read the Express-Times article on the Centennial Celebration
Click here to read the Chemical Engineering Progress AIChExtra article on the Centennial Celebration.
Click here to read the RCEAS account of the Centennial Celebration
Lastly,
Click here to see a photo essay of the Centennial and
Click here to order a commemorative Centennial Celebration shirt.
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