News

Engineers in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have been selected to help lead a five-year, $20 million National Science Foundation engineering research center aimed at developing new mobile technologies for converting natural gas into transportation fuels near rural natural gas sites. [Read more…] about NSF ERC CISTAR

Alon Kirschner won the Texas Desalination Association Ed Archuleta Desalter Scholarship Fund prize based on his research in water purification. The award is named for Ed Archuleta, a pioneer in desalination in Texas.

Alon Y. Kirschner Receives the Elias Klein Travel Supplement from the North American Membrane Society (NAMS) for the 2017 International Congress on Membranes (ICOM).

The Elias Klein Founders’ Travel Supplement program supports students needing limited financial assistance and will provide up to $500 in reimbursement for reasonable expenses (e.g. travel cost, registration, workshops) for attending ICOM 2017 to present their research (oral or poster presentation). This award program is named in honor of Elias Klein, whose vision and spirit guided the founding of NAMS in 1985.

Alon Kirschner and Shichao He have been named the TAs of the Year for their work in ChE 317 Intro to Chemical Engineering Analysis and ChE 253M Measurement, Control and Data Analysis Lab, respectively.

Both Kirschner and He will each be awarded the Paige H. and J. Jeff Weidner Endowed Presidential Fellowship in Chemical Engineering worth $3,500.

In the evaluation of Kirschner’s performance, the students described him as encouraging, fair, caring and great at conveying information.

“Alon’s exemplary TA service in 317 was critical to getting the students off to a solid start in their chemical engineering careers,” Dr. Benny Freeman, ChE 317 course instructor, said. ”The students bonded with Alon and viewed him as a role model based on his personal enthusiasm, brilliant lecturing and patient mentoring.” [Read more…] about Alon Kirschner and Shichao He Named TAs of the Year (2016)

The North American Membrane Society (NAMS) has elected Dr. Benny Freeman, Richard B. Curran Centennial Chair in Engineering at the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, a Fellow based on his service to the organization and his highly significant professional accomplishments in the membrane field.

“Professor Freeman’s service to NAMS and other related societies is outstanding. Benny has provided extensive service to the profession through serving in high-level panels and committees, organizing conferences and symposia, serving as editor for journals, and serving in leadership roles of numerous organizations including NAMS,” said Dr. Dibaker Bhattacharyya, past president of NAMS. “He’s a tremendous asset to our profession.” [Read more…] about Freeman Elected Fellow in North American Membrane Society

Professor and Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Benny Freeman was recently announced as CSIRO’s 2017 Sir Jerry Price Lecture presenter.

CSIRO’s 2017 Sir Jerry Price Lecture.

The lecture series was established in 1990 in an effort to encourage the collaboration between industry, CSIRO and university scientists. Its namesake, Sir Jerry Price, was the former CEO of CSIRO and a leading mind in organic chemistry. [Read more…] about Benny Freeman, CSIRO’s 2017 Sir Jerry Price Lecture Presenter