Past Annual Meeting Speakers:
2013 - For last year’s Annual Meeting, we had Dr. James Wei, Emeritus Professor and former Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University, and the Author of “Great Inventions that Changed the World” explore the role of inventors and inventions in fueling innovation and global advancement.
He began his career as a Research Chemical Engineer for Mobil Oil Research in 1955, and advanced to Manager of Long-Range Analysis by 1969. From 1971-1977, he was the Allan P. Colburn Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware. He joined MIT in 1977 where he served as Department Head of Chemical Engineering until 1988, and was the Warren K. Lewis Professor from 1977-1991. Between 1991 and 2002, he was Dean of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University. From 1991-2010, he was also Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith Professor of Chemical Engineering at Princeton University. He is now Emeritus Professor.
Dr. Wei has published more than 130 research papers on chemical kinetics, catalysis, reaction engineering, and cancer chemotherapy. He is the author of many books, including “Product Engineering” with Oxford University Press in 2007, and “Great Inventions that Changed the World” with John Wiley in 2012.
He served as the president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1988. Among Dr. Wei's honors are: Award in Petroleum Chemistry from the American Chemical Society, 1966; Professional Progress Award from American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1970; Member of the National Academy of Engineering, 1978; William H. Walker Award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1980; Member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1982; Member of Academia Sinica, 1982. He was designated one of thirty "Eminent Chemical Engineers," at the AIChE Diamond Jubilee Meeting, 1983; and Founders Award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for contributions to the profession, 1990. He was chosen as one of “One Hundred Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era”, at the Centennial Celebration of the AIChE in 2008.
2012 - For 2012, Dr. Morton Lippman, a global expert in this topic, examine the fields of human-exposure assessment and air-pollution health effects. Download flyer.
Bio: Dr. Morton Lippmann, Professor in the Dept. of Environmental Medicine at NYU's School of Medicine. Dr. Lippmann is a leader in the fields of human-exposure assessment and air-pollution health effects. Winner of the 2012 Cooper Union's Alumni Award - Gano Dunn Award for Engineering (see photo above of Dr. Lippmann accepting the Gano Dunn Award) based on his outstanding contribution to the field of environmental health. As a scientist with national and international recognition, Dr. Lippmann has conducted rigorous research studies to improve our understanding of the health effects of air pollution.
2011 - Annual Meeting Speaker, John K. Smith, Associate Professor of History at Lehigh University, examined the question What are chemical engineers and why do we need them?
Sources: Google Books and Ai Control Systems
Bio: Prof. John K. Smith, Associate Professor of History at Lehigh University. Professor Smith received a B.S. in chemical engineering and B.A. in history for the University of Delaware, an M.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Delaware. Before becoming a historian, Prof. Smith worked as a chemical engineer at W.L. Gore and Associates and Air Products and Chemicals. He is the co-author of Science and Corporate Strategy, Du Pont R&D, 1902-1980. He has also written a number of articles on research and innovation in the chemical industry, and is currently working on a book entitled Octane: The Search for Better Gasoline and Cleaner Air.
2010 - At our First Annual Meeting Speaker, AIChE Executive Director explored The Future of Chemical Engineering just one year after the AIChE celebrated its own one hundredth anniversary.
Source: Washington Univ. in St. Louis Dept. of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering (WUSTL)
_______________________________________________________________