Davidson School of Chemical Engineering faculty Dr. Rakesh Agrawal and Dr. Nancy Ho were honored at the Purdue Engineering Patents and National Medals of Science and Technology Wall unveil event on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. Comments at the event were presented by Dr. Mung Chiang, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering at Purdue University. Held in the Armstrong Hall of Engineering, the event celebrated Purdue Engineering patent holders and recipients of the National Medals of Science and Technology, the highest honor given by the U.S. government for Technology and Innovation. 

Professor Rakesh Agrawal, Professor Nancy Ho, and Dean Mung Chiang at the National Medals of Science & Technology Wall in the Kurz Atrium, Armstrong Hall of Engineering, on March 20, 2019.

 

Dr. Rakesh Agrawal is the Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering. Dr. Agrawal was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama in 2011 for an extraordinary record of innovations in improving the energy efficiency and reducing the cost of gas liquefaction and separation. These innovations have had significant positive impacts on electronic device manufacturing, liquefied gas production, and the supply of industrial gases for diverse industries. He holds 125 U.S. patents.

Dr. Nancy Ho is the Emeritus Research Professor of Chemical Engineering. Dr. Ho was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama in 2013 for the development of a yeast-based technology that is able to co-ferment sugars extracted from plants to produce ethanol, and for optimizing this technology for large-scale and cost-effective production of renewable biofuels and industrial chemicals. She holds four patents related to genetic engineering of yeasts for new industrial applications.

Read the Purdue College of Engineering announcement here: https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/AboutUs/News/Spotlights/2019/coe-unveils-new-bragging-points-at-armstrong-hall