Astronauts might one day grow and eat genetically modified plants to ward off disease associated with long spaceflights. Researchers at the College of Engineering have developed a transgenic, or genetically modified, lettuce producing a drug to protect against bone density loss in microgravity. Kevin Yates, a graduate student working with Professor Karen McDonald and Adjunct Professor Somen Nandi at the UC Davis Department of Chemical Engineering, developed the lettuce that expresses a fusion protein combining PTH with part of a human antibody protein. The fusion protein is designed to be stable in the bloodstream and to allow astronauts to potentially purify the drug from plant extracts, Nandi said.
Chemical Engineering Distinguished Professor Bruce Gates was recently elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Being elected an NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction given to inventors in academia. It highlights academic inventors whose outstanding inventions have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and societal welfare.
The UC Davis Department of Chemical Engineering celebrates the careers of Professors Marjorie Longo and Ronald Phillips and Distinguished Professor Robert Powell, who all retired this summer. In over 90 combined years at UC Davis, they made an indelible impact on their fields, on the college and the university, and on the many students they taught and mentored. Their careers are remembered below:
Assistant professor of teaching Glaucia Helena Carvalho do Prado joined UC Davis in fall 2021, energized by the opportunity to connect with the diverse campus and share her background in food engineering to show students how to apply their skill sets to a variety of fields.
Chemical engineering assistant professor Ambar Kulkarni was recognized for his research with the 2021 Outstanding Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research Award from the UC Davis College of Engineering. Each year, these awards recognize faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and community.
Chemical engineering professor Karen McDonald was elected fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the organization’s highest grade of membership. AIChE fellowship recognizes members who have significant professional accomplishments, contributions and service in chemical engineering and is only achieved through election by fellow members.
Chemical engineering (CHE) distinguished professor Jennifer Sinclair Curtis has received the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award. Every year, the award recognizes world-renowned researchers from all disciplines whose fundamental discoveries, theories and findings have had a lasting effect on their field and brings them to German institutions as visiting scholars.
Chemical engineering assistant professor Ambar Kulkarni is one of 500 recipients nationwide to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award this year. The NSF CAREER Award, the agency’s most prestigious award for early-career faculty, recognizes researchers who have the potential to be role models and leaders in research and education by funding research projects that can serve as the foundation for the rest of their careers.
Chemical engineering distinguished professor Bruce Gates was honored by his students and colleagues on his 80th birthday with a special invited manuscript in ACS Catalysis highlighting his 50+ year career and accomplishments in the field.
Chemical engineering distinguished professor Ahmet Palazoglu published the third edition of his textbook, Introduction to Process Control this July through CRC Press, LLC. The book, co-written with Louisiana State University professor Jose Romagnoli, was first published in 2005 and updated in 2012.
Sandia National Laboratories and UC Davis have solidified a new partnership as David Osborn, a distinguished member of technical at Sandia’s Combustion Research Facility, joins the Department of Chemical Engineering as an adjunct professor. In his role, Osborn will teach guest lectures each year—something he has already been doing—and serve as the liaison between Sandia and chemical engineering students and faculty in the department.
The data is in! The Moulé lab is the grand prize winner in Safety Services’ second annual Lab Safety Awards Program. The awards committee named six winners in all, one for each college and school with labs. The committee based its decisions on a combination of safety inspection information and questionnaires sent to safety professionals.
Chemical engineering distinguished professor Robert L. Powell was elected Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Being elected an AIChE fellow—the organization’s highest grade of membership—recognizes significant professional accomplishments and contributions to chemical engineering.
Chemical engineering distinguished professor and dean of the College of Engineering Jennifer Sinclair Curtis was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) upon the recommendation of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics.
