Two Purdue Chemical Engineering alumni were recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and will be formally inducted at a ceremony on October 6, 2019. Dr. Jefferson Lievense (PhD '84, OChE '14), senior adviser to the chief executive officer, bioengineering and technology at Genomatica Inc. in San Diego, CA, was cited for leadership in biomanufacturing of sustainable chemicals. Dr. Robert Scott (PhD '98), vice president, technology transfer, surgical research and development at Alcon in Lake Forest, CA, was cited for contributions in ophthalmological biomaterials for intraocular lenses, glaucoma implants, and surgical equipment.

Davidson School of Chemical Engineering Professor Linda Wang is leading a research team that is developing technology to transform the world's polyolefin waste, a form of plastic, into useful products, such as clean fuels and other items. Dr. Wang, the Maxine Spencer Nichols Professor of Chemical Engineering, and her research team are utilizing the strategy to create a driving force for recycling by converting these wastes into a wide range of valuable products, including polymers, naphtha (a mixture of hydrocarbons), or clean fuels.

Spirrow Therapeutics, co-founded by Davidson School of Chemical Engineering Professor You-Yeon Won, PhD graduate Dr. Kyle Kim, and undergraduate alumnus Davis Arick, will receive $20,000 from the Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund for research to develop a novel treatment for a life-threatening lung condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS.

Professor Rakesh Agrawal, the Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, will take part in a panel discussion considering, "What IF the world ran on 100 percent renewable energy?" The February 6, 2019 event starts at 6:00 p.m. in the Purdue University Stewart Center Fowler Hall with a lecture by Dr. Jorge Haddock, President of the University of Puerto Rico and Purdue Engineering alumni.

Officials from Purdue University cut the ribbon Wednesday (Jan. 30) on the Manufacturing Design Laboratory, a research space dedicated to the technology-driven future of manufacturing in Indiana and across the globe. Dr. Jan-Anders Mansson, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Engineering, developed the new Laboratory in Purdue's CMSC.