Chemical and Environmental Engineering News
Greetings! In July of 2024, our Department Head, Dr. Anastasios Angelopoulos accepted the position of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. A search for a permanent department head is underway and the department will be led in the interim by Dr. Junhang Dong. Dr. Dong is a professor in chemical engineering and was recently appointed as the George Rieveschl Eminent Scholar Chair Professor in Membrane Science and Technology in recognition of his long-standing achievements and international stature in the areas of nanostructured inorganic membranes for gas and liquid separations, chemical sensing, catalytic reactions, and flow batteries for energy storage. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Angelopoulos for his years of excellent service and we look forward to carrying our momentum under Dr. Dong’s leadership into the 24-25 academic year!
Faculty News
Professor Drew McAvoy serves as expert panelist for U.S.EPA
Scientific Advisory Boards (SAB) are used by the U.S.EPA to review the quality and relevance of the scientific and technical information being used by the EPA or proposed as the basis for Agency regulations; to review EPA research programs and plans; to provide science advice as requested by the EPA Administrator, and to advise the agency on broad scientific matters. Last year, the U.S.EPA assembled an SAB for the purpose of reviewing the Agency’s draft, “Standardized Framework for Sewage Sludge Chemical Risk Assessment”. Dr. McAvoy was one of 11 experts in the area of biosolids from across the U.S. invited to participate in this activity. The Panel officially started in February 2023 and the final report was published in October 2023.
Two ChEE faculty honored with college awards in spring ceremony
Two ChEE faculty were recognized by the College of Engineering and Applied Science as they honored exceptional faculty and staff members this past spring with college awards. Each of the recipients has demonstrated the legacy of excellence, scholarship and innovation that defines the college. Professor Ben Yavitt was chosen as a University Research Council Faculty Scholar for his recent research successes at UC and for his promising future. Professor Greg Harris was awarded both a Master Educator Award for his excellence in the classroom as well as a Gold Star Lab Safety Award. Congratulations to both!
Professor Yeghiazarian takes part in congressional briefing
Dr. Lilit Yeghiazarian was one of five National Science Foundation-funded researchers who were asked to participate in a congressional briefing on “Strengthening American Infrastructure: How NSF Research is Supporting a Resilient and Innovative Future. All researchers were chosen as the PI of a project that supports climate-resilient infrastructure and extreme weather, cyber infrastructure, safe and secure transportation, and the future of the American city. This is a critical area as, stated by the NSF, “Effective infrastructure can provide a strong foundation for growing the economy, protecting the natural environment and enhancing national security.”
Professor Dion Dionysiou honored posthumously
Dr. Dion Dionysiou was named posthumously as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a very distinguished honor within the scientific community. Professor Dionysiou was a professor of environmental engineering at UC for 23 years and he died in November 2023. He leaves behind a tremendous legacy, of which this award is a small part. This award was bestowed based on his outstanding work in developing technologies and strategies to identify, monitor and treat water pollutants and toxins.
Alumni Highlight: Saiful Haque Rahat
Saiful Haque Rahat, a former Ph.D. student of Dr. Patrick Ray, currently works in high level climate finance and vulnerability assessment in Manhattan, NY and continues to collaborate with his PhD advisor. Together, they will soon have a paper published in Scientific Reports by Nature Portfolio that examines how extreme precipitation may affect different groups within American society. Their findings reveal that approximately 53 million people in the United States live in high flood-risk areas, with about 7 million below the poverty level and about 8 million disabled with one or more conditions. This number could double with a 2°C increase in temperature. They also found that around 37% of agricultural lands are experiencing long-term droughts, valuable findings on a national scale that will be helpful for decision-makers. Dr. Rahat remarked that Professor Ray’s guidance and encouragement were instrumental in the path of his accomplishments and that such mentorship is vital for scientific innovation.
ChEE External Advisory Board met April 19, 2024
Each year, our department hosts a one-day meeting with our External Advisory Board in which the two programs present accomplishments and future vision to a group of disciplinary experts from all areas of government, industry and academia. The EAB members were invited to the Student Award Ceremony on Thursday, April 18th, which was followed by a dinner at the Graduate Hotel. During the dinner, Dr. Taso Angelopoulos gave introductions and a brief overview of the department. The next day, the meeting commenced, with various faculty presenting updates on both the undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as updates on our COOP program and ABET. Also included were specific highlights on new faculty members. At the end of the day, the EAB members delivered assessment and recommendations on undergraduate, graduate, faculty, and strategic planning issues for each program.
Professor Greg Beaucage chairs first Soft Matter Symposium
This past May, UC, P&G and the American Chemical Society Miami Valley Section sponsored the P&G Soft Matter Symposium, organized by committee and coordinated by Dr Peter Koenig (P&G) and Dr. Greg Beaucage (UC). The keynote address was given by Dr. Norm Wagner, the 2024 Awardee of the Procter & Gamble Soft Matter Lectureship. Dr. Wagner is the Unidel Robert L. Pigford Chair in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Director of the Center for Neutron Science at the University of Delaware. He spoke on the topic of Thixotropy, Shear Rheology and Electron Transport in Model Carbon Black Suspensions Under Flow. Presentations were also given by Matt Lynch (P&G) (Polymers for preparing sprayable yield-stress fluids) and Jon Pham (UC) (Wetting, adhesion, and friction of soft material surfaces). A poster session and reception followed. The symposium had 80 attendees representing eight companies, national labs and the University of Cincinnati.
Research Highlights
Ohio awards grants to ChEE faculty to reduce CO2 emissions from coal-burning power plants
- Dr. Joo-Youp Lee’s lab was awarded $250,000 to assess a new absorption-based method for separating carbon dioxide in emissions
- Dr. Vadim Guliants was awarded three grants totaling $750,000 to investigate:
- Converting emissions into products used in lithium-ion batteries and polymers
- Using coal fly ash to degrade organic pollutants in wastewater through oxidation
- Extracting lithium and rare earth elements from coal
- Dr. Peter Smirniotis was awarded $750,000 to investigate the following projects:
- Developing and testing new materials for removing carbon dioxide from flue gas emissions of coal-fired boilers at a wide range of temperatures
- Creating novel and cost-effective ways to produce ethene from coal
- Using nano-catalysts to convert carbon dioxide from emissions into synthetic gas
- Dr. Junhang Dong was awarded $100,000 to showcase a novel batteries with carbon capture capacity for thermal and electric energy storage at coal-fired power plants.
Team led by Professor Jingjie Wu develops more efficient profess for converting carbon dioxide to ethylene
Professor Jingjie Wu’s work, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, is investigating a more selective conversion of CO2 to ethene than to ethanol.
Energy media highlight UC project to turn greenhouse gas into ethylene
Professor Ryan Chae joined NSF water initiative
Professor Ryan Chae joined the National Science Foundation’s Water Initiative to protect the water quality in the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to 30 million people. Chae’s lab will specifically focus on removing cyanotoxins, PFAS and excessive nutrients from wastewater to improve water quality.
Other ChEE Awards
Dr. Dongmei Feng, a professor in the environmental engineering program, was recently awarded a major grant from NASA, which will provide ~$ 1 million over the next 4 years to study global inland water carbon emissions. Dr. Feng, serving as the Project PI, along with co-PI Dr. Raymond at Yale University, will use river data obtained from a newly launched satellite designed particularly for inland surface water and ocean bodies. They will use this data to study global rivers and quantify river discharge and carbon exchange (CO2 and CH4) between rivers and the atmosphere.
- Greg Beaucage, National Science Foundation, Mechanism for nanoparticle release from automotive tire tread, $410,000.
- Dongmei Feng, U.S. Geological Survey, Integration of in-situ and SWOT data to regionally improve SWOT data accessibility and accuracy, $32,000
- Joo-Youp Lee, Department of Energy, Energy-Efficient Direct Air Capture System for High Purity CO2 Separation, $520,000
- Xi-Zhi Niu, U.S. Geological Survey, Tracing the Shortest: method development and analysis of ultrashort-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Ohio River basin, $270,000
- Yoonjee Park, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Injectable, Co-Delivery Dose-Controllable Implants for Advanced Chronic Eye Disease Treatment, $80,000
- Yoonjee Park, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Injectable, Tunable Co-Delivery Therapeutic Implant to Reduce Airway Stenosis, $65,000
- Aashish Priye, National Science Foundation, Compact and Low-Energy Molecular Diagnostic Devices for Testing of Infectious Diseases, $50,000
- Patrick Ray, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Insight Needed for Investment in Natural and Nature-Based Features in Water Resources Planning, $39,000.
ChEE Student News
Ejajul Hoque, a Ph.D. student studying under the guidance of Professor Ben Yavitt, won 2nd Prize in the poster competition at the Ohio Polymer and Soft Matter Symposium, hosted by Case Western Reserve University on May 21-22. Ejajul was also awarded a Graduate Student Government (GSG) Research Fellowship Award to support his research.
Sarah Barber, also a Ph.D. student under Dr. Yavitt, was selected for a Student Travel Grant Award to attend the Society of Rheology Annual Meeting in Austin, TX this fall 2024
Tolulope Odunola was named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Toluope is working on her doctorate, under the guidance of Professor Patrick Ray in environmental engineering. Her research specifically focuses on improving the economic evaluation of water resource projects under changing climate conditions.
On April 12, 2024, the 2024 graduating class in chemical engineering came together for a first annual celebratory Maggiano’s dinner. The dinner was attended by students as well as many of the ChE faculty members. Dr. John Weidner, the dean of CEAS, also made an appearance, giving all the chance to congratulate the students on their accomplishments!
The Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering held their annual Student Award Ceremony on Thursday, April 18th. Awards and scholarship recipients are listed below. Congratulations to our students on these outstanding accomplishments!
Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Capstone Design Awards
First Place
Title: Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass into Ethanol and Mixed Alcohols
Team Members: Jaclyn Bashore; Ryan Hertlein; Hunter Kasparian; Kaitlyn Ruschell; Nick Legters
Second Place
Title: Biochar/Bio-Oil from Pyrolysis of Almond Husks and Shells
Team Members: Emily Witkowski; Jenna Pepple; Sarah Gerardi; Willow Tyl; Lauren Steele
Third Place
Title: Food Grade Vanillin Production Plant Design
Team Members: Paul Twarog; Adam Noriega; Alex Elegeer; Calvin Carpenter; Tia Current
Graduate Student Awards
This award is awarded to a deserving graduate CHE student at the doctoral level who exceled in his/her performance during his/her tenure in the department, prior to graduation.
- PhD: Zhiwei (Avery) Zheng (Advisor: Dr. Y. Park)
- MS: Dimal Kissan Achary (Advisor: Dr. A. Priye)
Chemical Engineering Gift Fund Awards
- R.S. Tour Award for Outstanding Chemical Engineering Senior
Jaclyn Bashore - Bunin Scholarship
Han Gia Tran - Brems Scholarship for Best Academic Achievement
Ethan Molnar
Michael O'Connell
Dillon Patel
Ryan Hertlein - Lubrizol Foundation Scholarship
Colin Downing
Yasmine Loussaief
Deborah Cole-Taylor
Nickolas Waddraji
Environmental Engineering and Science Undergraduate Capstone Design Awards
- First Place
Sponsor: Mill Creek Alliance
Title: Wetland Nutrient Reduction of Treated Effluent in the Upper Mill Creek
Team Members: Gabriela Currier, Chloe French, Grace Nowak, Autumn Tristano, Jeff Urbanowicz - Second Place
Sponsor: R3source of Hamilton County
Title: Stormwater Composting Infrastructure Recommendation for Hamilton County
Team Members: Aaron Tam, Ariana Fox, Cameron Gastaldo, Gianna Cantor, Kathryn Jordan, Mohammed Alsaqri - Third Place (Tie)
Sponsor: Northern Kentucky Water District
Project: Coagulant Chemical Dosing for NKWDz
Project Team: Erin Smith, Sophia Pedigo, Savannah Honigford, Isaiah Brinson - Third Place (Tie)
Sponsor: OMID
Project: Optimizing Agrivoltaic Canopy Systems in Urban Farms
Project Team: Kelsey Sayre, Claire Myers, Josh Ring, Ethan Miller, Tommy Combs
Graduate Student Awards
- Pat Scarpino Award MS Thesis Award:
Prashant Shahi (Advisor: Dr. D. McAvoy)
CEAS Expo
The third annual CEAS EXPO was held on Tuesday, April 9, at the Duke Energy Convention Center. Over 230 capstone groups from CEAS showcased the projects they had been working on over the past year. The following ChE teams received awards from the external judges from the Ohio Valley Section of Chemical Engineers.
AIChE Ohio Valley Section Capstone Awards
- First Place
Title: Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass into Ethanol and Mixed Alcohols
Team Members: Jaclyn Bashore; Ryan Hertlein; Hunter Kasparian; Kaitlyn Ruschell; Nick Legters - Second Place
Title: Food Grade Vanillin Production Plant Design
Team Members: Paul Twarog; Adam Noriega; Alex Elegeer; Calvin Carpenter; Tia Current - Third Place
Title: Biochar/Bio-Oil from Pyrolysis of Almond Husks and Shells
Team Members: Emily Witkowski; Jenna Pepple; Sarah Gerardi; Willow Tyl; Lauren Steele - Special Recognition
Title: Water Treatment for Burere, Tanzania (studeCatherine Gottsacker; Camryn Theado; Lindsay Sadler; Dillon Patel; Adit Kulkarni
The Best of Environmental Engineering award in recognition of outstanding performance in the 2024 CEAS Expo poster competition was given to the following team of Environmental Engineering Majors.
- Sponsor: Mill Creek Alliance
Title: Wetland Nutrient Reduction of Treated Effluent in the Upper Mill Creek
Team Members: Gabriela Currier, Chloe French, Grace Nowak, Autumn Tristano, Jeff Urbanowicz