FALL 2023
DEPARTMENT OF
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING NEWS IN THIS ISSUE:
AI Helps Create Better Hepatitis, COVID-19 Tests Piyush K. Jain, Ph.D., is innovating on a system known as a one-pot reaction because the entire test happens in one small test tube. PAGE 14 Faculty News and Awards PAGES 4-11 Student Success PAGES 16-23 Alumni Highlights PAGES 26-27
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Dear alumni, friends, and members of the UF ChE community, I hope this note finds you in good health and spirits as we face the challenges and embrace the opportunities of our time. I am thrilled to announce that I have been reappointed as the department chair for the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. The past six years have been filled with excitement and productivity, and I am deeply honored to continue serving in this role. My dedication to furthering our department’s vision and mission remains unwavering, and I eagerly look forward to collaborating with all our stakeholders to further enhance our department’s standing.
Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D. Department Chair & Dean’s Leadership Professor
I am pleased to bring attention to some of the noteworthy news and events that defined the past year.
In this edition, we celebrate the recognition of our faculty for their extraordinary impact and professional achievements. Fan Ren, Ph.D., a distinguished professor, was elected an AIChE Fellow (page 4), and I was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (page 5). This past year was exceptionally rewarding for our early-career faculty members. Carl Denard, Ph.D., Piyush Jain, Ph.D., and Whitney Stoppel, Ph.D., each earned the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences R35 Early-Stage Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (page 6). Additionally, Dr. Denard received the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award (page 9). Amid a year marked by innovation and impact, Piyush Jain, Ph.D., an assistant professor, is leveraging AI to develop a home-based testing method that rivals the reliability of lab-based tests. You can find more information on this ground-breaking work (pages 14 and 15). We hope you enjoy learning about these projects and other faculty honors and awards. Our students consistently bring us immense pride. Five were awarded prestigious NSF fellowships (page 16). Furthermore, the AIChE student chapter achieved remarkable success at the AIChE Annual meeting and went on to effectively host the Southern Student Regional Conference this year, marking a significant milestone as the first in-person event since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (pages 18-21). Many of our students garnered recognition and awards at various local, national, and international events (pages 22-23). This year, our staff experienced significant transitions. Ricky Whitney and Randall Ledkins embarked on new career opportunities beyond the college and university, and we express our gratitude for their commitment and valuable contributions. Simultaneously, we extended a warm welcome to three new staff members: Shaniece Benis, administrative assistant to the chair; Kristen Burns, our new undergraduate academic advisor; and Nicole Bristow, who has joined us as the associate director of business services. As always, we are grateful for the support from our alumni, in time, talent and treasure. John Blazeck, Ph.D. (B.S. ChE ’07), served as the keynote speaker at the annual GRACE symposium and shared two big-picture ideas for combating cancer (page 26). Esdras Camacho (B.S. ChE ’23) shared his aspirations and the obstacles he faced as an undergraduate student amidst the pandemic. I hope you enjoy reading this magazine and I eagerly anticipate your feedback or the opportunity to meet you at an upcoming event. Sincerely,
Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D. ChE Department Chair and Dean’s Leadership Professor 2
UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
INSIDE THIS EDITION | FALL 2023 Forrest J. Masters, Ph.D. INTERIM DEAN, HERBERT WERTHEIM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D. DEPARTMENT CHAIR AND DEAN’S LEADERSHIP PROFESSOR
Advisory Board Members V.R. Basker, Ph.D. Zoe M. Baringara
Faculty News 4-9
Christopher J. Birdsall Dane Boyington, Ph.D. Sheila Boyington
Faculty Awards 10-11
Steven L. Carson Raymond Anthony Cocco, Ph.D. Albert D. DaCosta Michael Dickinson Mary Beth Jakab
Department News 12-13
Wayne J. Johnson, Ph.D. Steven Wayne Johnston, Ph.D. William K. “Billy” McGrane, Ph.D., MBA
Featured Article 14
Alex Moreno Jennifer Schutte
Student News 16-23
Michelle K. Runyon Marketing & Communications Specialist and Magazine Editor
Alumni Spotlight 26-27
CHE.UFL.EDU 3
FACULTY NEWS
REN ELECTED AICHE FELLOW FOR CONTRIBUTIONS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Fan Ren, Ph.D., a distinguished professor, was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the world’s leading organization for chemical engineering professionals. The title of Fellow is considered the highest grade of membership across the global organization and is a testament to Dr. Ren’s professional achievements and service to the engineering profession. Nominated by his peers, Dr. Ren’s election reaffirms the high esteem in which colleagues and peers view his work.
“I am deeply honored to be elected as an AIChE Fellow,” said Dr. Ren upon receiving the prestigious recognition.
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have the potential to transform the way we detect and diagnose diseases. By detecting chemical and biological signs, these sensors could provide early warnings for kidney disease, breast cancer, and other health issues, allowing for timely and life-saving interventions. His pioneering work in sensor technology holds great promise for enhancing healthcare and improving lives worldwide. With a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in New York in 1991, Dr. Ren has been responsible for innovative research in the processing and characterization of Group III-V and oxide-based semiconductor materials. His work has extended to the development of highspeed electronic and photonic devices as well as cutting-edge sensor technology.
The process of becoming an AIChE Fellow is rigorous, with stringent criteria for eligibility. Candidates must have at least 25 years of significant chemical engineering experience, a minimum of 10 years of AIChE membership, and a demonstrated commitment to service within the profession.
Dr. Ren has been elected as a Fellow of several prestigious organizations, including the American Physical Society, the Electrochemical Society, the Materials Research Society, the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers, and the American Vacuum Society.
The Ren Research Lab develops highly sensitive and low-cost health sensor technology. These sensors
By Michelle Runyon
UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
FACULTY NEWS
RINALDI-RAMOS ELECTED AAAS FELLOW
Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D., has been elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. The honor, which includes alumni such as Thomas Edison and W.E.B. DuBois, is among the most distinctive in academia and recognizes extraordinary impact and achievement across disciplines, from research, teaching, and technology, to administration in academia, industry and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public. Dr. Rinaldi-Ramos serves as the chair and Dean’s Leadership professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, as well as a professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering. He is an international leader in the fields of ferrohydrodynamics, biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles, and diffusion of nanoparticles in complex and biological fluids. In the field of nanomedicine, Dr. Rinaldi-Ramos has made outstanding contributions to harnessing localized nanoscale heating for magnetic nanoparticle thermal cancer therapy. Dr. Rinaldi-Ramos joins the 2022 class of AAAS Fellows, a distinguished group of 506 outstanding scientists, engineers, and innovators, all recognized for their remarkable and socially distinguished achievements. The AAAS elected 19 faculty from the University of Florida to its newest class, breaking previous records for the number of faculty awarded in a single year. “An important measure of the university’s prowess is the accolades its faculty members receive from national and international organizations,” said David Norton, vice president for UF Research. “The awarding of Fellow from AAAS to so many UF researchers this year is the result of the remarkable achievements of these individuals and reflects very positively on UF as we strive to become the best public research university in the country.” By UF News
CHE.UFL.EDU 5
FACULTY NEWS
Carl Denard, Ph.D., Piyush K. Jain, Ph.D., and Whitney L. Stoppel, Ph.D.
3 ASSISTANT PROFESSORS RECEIVE NIH MIRA AWARD Three faculty received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences R35 Early-Stage Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA). Each researcher was awarded a five-year, $1.8+ million award. MIRA awards provide investigators with greater stability and flexibility in funding, while enhancing their ability to take on ambitious scientific projects and approach problems more creatively.
Carl Denard, Ph.D., will investigate enzymes that catalyze post-translational modifications (PTM), with a focus on refining, redefining, and reprogramming their substrate specificity.
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Piyush K. Jain, Ph.D., the Shah Rising Star Term Professor, will build a program on the discovery of CRISPR/Cas systems with unique features and provide fundamental understanding of their mechanisms. “Type V CRISPR/Cas 12 systems are emerging as nextgeneration tools for both genome editing and nucleic acid detection,” said Dr. Jain. “A vast majority of these systems are understudied and poorly characterized. A systematic study of these systems will enable novel tools for diagnosing and treating infectious diseases, cancers, and genetic disorders.”
Whitney L. Stoppel, Ph.D., the William P. and Tracy
“PTM-enzymes are ubiquitous in life and disease and are at the heart of many chemical biology, synthetic biology, and biotechnology applications,” Dr. Denard said.
Cirioli Term Professor, aims to develop novel biopolymers for applications in healthcare and medicine using genetic engineering.
By combining high throughput screening and protein engineering technologies, deep sequencing, and machine learning, the Denard lab will discover and evolve proteinbased modulators that can reprogram the activity of disease-related PTM enzymes. An ideal therapeutic would be one that adjusts to a protease target only on disease-related pathways, a so-called substrateselective modulator. The award also supports efforts to evolve therapeutic proteases with novel and bespoke specificities toward disease targets such as Alzheimer’s disease and Type-2 diabetes.
“This support allows the Stoppel lab to bridge the gap between biomaterials, genetic engineering, and entomology,” said Dr. Stoppel.
UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
The Stoppel lab aims to leverage natural biodiversity within silk fibroin producing insects while also intentionally, but carefully, engineering new biopolymers through genetic modification of these organisms. By Michelle Runyon
FACULTY NEWS
VASENKOV TO INVESTIGATE ADVANCED POLYMER MEMBRANES
Sergey Vasenkov, Ph.D.
Sergey Vasenkov, Ph.D., a professor, has secured a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to enhance our understanding of how gases move through a new type of polymer known as “doubly segmented ionenes” (DS ionenes). Ionene-based gas separation membranes offer improved efficiency and energy savings compared to traditional methods like distillation and absorption. They excel at separating specific types of gases, especially those that are polar or can be polarized. Understanding how gases move within these membranes, a process known as gas diffusion, is crucial for optimizing their performance.
“We still have much to learn about how gas diffusion occurs on a very tiny scale within the membrane,” Dr. Vasenkov said. This project seeks to bridge that knowledge gap by studying microscopic gas movement using a specialized technique called high magnetic field diffusion Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. The membranes themselves will be created by Professor Jason Bara’s team at the University of Alabama, who is the primary collaborator on this project.
“Through this approach, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of how gas molecules move on a small scale and how it impacts the overall gas flow through the entire membrane,” Dr. Vasenkov said. To accomplish this, the project will utilize synthetic chemistry, polymer science, and advanced transport measurement and spectroscopic techniques. The insights gained from this research have the potential to revolutionize the performance of these membranes. The knowledge and techniques developed in this project can be extended to other applications. For instance, they can be used to create high-performance polymer materials with unique properties from recycled plastics, suitable for 3D printing. Additionally, this award will support the training of undergraduate and graduate students in various synthetic and characterization techniques, fostering their participation in cutting-edge research. Dr. Vasenkov’s research lab specializes in understanding how molecules and ions move within porous membranes, sorbents, catalysts, and related materials across a wide range of microscopic scales, from approximately 100 nanometers to tens of microns. By Michelle Runyon CHE.UFL.EDU 7
FACULTY NEWS
EXPLORING THE BIOMECHANICS BEHIND CELL ASSEMBLY AND SHAPE CHANGES
Richard Dickinson, Ph.D.
Richard Dickinson, Ph.D., a professor, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study the assembly and organization of cells in epithelial tissue. This project, in collaboration with Tanmay Lele, Ph.D., at Texas A&M University, aims to unravel the biomechanical principles underlying the formation and behavior of spherical cell monolayers, known as acini.
“Irregular growth and assembly of cells can lead to various pathologies, including tumor formation and cancer,” Dr. Dickinson said. “Understanding how cells organize themselves into functional tissues is crucial for advancements in regenerative medicine, drug development, and the study of morphogenesis and tissue repair.” Dr. Dickinson’s research examines the forces that keep the acini in a balanced state, where they are not collapsing or falling apart. The researchers will create a computer model that considers different forces and
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UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
interactions between the cells. They will also perform experiments using high-resolution imaging to see how the acini change under different conditions. The second objective of this research investigates how acini can transform from their stable state to a different shape called “everted polarity.” This transformation is similar to what happens in certain diseases and can be important for growing tissues in the lab for medical purposes. The researchers will use computer simulations to understand the forces that cause this transformation and will also perform experiments using chemicals and lasers to trigger the change and note outcomes. This project emphasizes training and mentoring of a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students. This includes collaboration with students from the UF Digital Arts program, who will render animations based on 3D imaging of acinus dynamics. These animations will be used for outreach and education, making the research more accessible to the wider public and encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration. By Michelle Runyon
FACULTY NEWS
DENARD RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS NSF CAREER AWARD
Carl Denard, Ph.D.
Carl Denard, Ph.D., an assistant professor, received CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. His research focuses on cellular and protein engineering to develop novel strategies to diagnose, target and fight disease. With this award, Dr. Denard aims to discover and redesign protein molecules that can reprogram proteases. Proteases are enzymes that break peptide bonds in proteins. They are present in all organisms and play key roles in regulating cellular processes. Impaired protease regulation is often involved in several disease pathophysiology, including cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases.
“Our goal is to discover molecules that can reprogram proteases associated with cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases,” Dr. Denard said.
Dr. Denard and his team hope to make the process of isolating and designing these molecules more efficient. Currently, most approved protease drugs are inhibitors that bind the enzyme’s active site. These inhibitors are often nonspecific because many related proteases have similar active sites and cleave similar substrates. As a result, even though proteases represent about 10% of all therapeutic targets, many of them are undruggable with current drug development strategies. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop novel approaches to target proteases. In addition to more specific inhibitors, Dr. Denard says we need molecules that can activate or change the specificity of proteases rather than inhibit them. Although researchers know that such molecules would interact with a protease away from its active site, a systematic approach to discover or design them remains
largely elusive. In this project, the Denard lab will develop a highthroughput functional screen and characterization pipeline and leverage machine learning tools to discover small protein binders that can reprogram how proteases function. “We think of enzymes as nanomachines and believe one can interact with parts of the enzyme to alter its function. Our high-throughput functional screen, coupled with machine learning tools, will allow us to explore a largely overlooked aspect of protease research,” Dr. Denard said. “In many cancers, making a protease work faster or remain active longer can lead to a therapeutic benefit. Yet very few therapeutics exist to restore the function of a dysfunctional protease or to increase the activity of tumor-suppressive protease.” By Michelle Runyon
CHE.UFL.EDU 9
FACULTY AWARDS
SAMPATH RECIPIENT OF RALPH E. POWE JUNIOR FACULTY ENHANCEMENT AWARD Janani Sampath, Ph.D., an assistant professor, has been selected as one of 35 recipients of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards. This competitive research award provides seed money for junior faculty members that often results in additional funding from other sources. She received the award for her research using computer models to understand how certain molecules interact with each other and designing new materials that can adapt for use in clean energy and healthcare.
The Sampath Research Group studies polymers, proteins, and their hybrids to design the next generation of soft materials using molecular dynamics simulations, high throughput computations, and enhanced sampling methods. Dr. Sampath joined the University of Florida in January 2021. She was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Dr. Sampath earned her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Prior to joining graduate school, she worked as a research engineer at Unilever R&D in Bangalore, India. The ORAU is committed to enriching the research skills and professional growth of young faculty members at ORAU member institutions.
HAGES RECEIVES SONY FACULTY INNOVATION AWARD FOR RESEARCH IN MACHINE LEARNING Charles J. Hages, Ph.D., an assistant professor, has received the Sony Faculty Innovation Award. With this award, Dr. Hages will use machine learning to enhance the development of semiconductor materials. Characterizing material properties is a critical aspect of developing new semiconductors – whether for renewable photovoltaics or materials for advanced computing. Hages’ work will accelerate the ability to determine these material properties and expand the scope of information gained from typical measurements.
10 UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
“Our goal is to eliminate the need for time-consuming (and often erroneous) manual analysis of data. Such measurement data can be very complex – and the time is ripe to leverage modern computational resources to solve this problem,” Dr. Hages said. The Sony Faculty Innovation Award provides up to $100K in funds to conduct pioneering research. This is the first Sony award given to someone at UF. The Hages Lab develops next-generation semiconductors for energy research.
FACULTY AWARDS
FACULTY RESEARCH AWARDS JASON BUTLER, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $63,583 project funded by NSF titled, “Rapid, End-to-end Sample Preparation for Sequencing Applications,” effective 1/23-12/23
RICHARD DICKINSON, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $369,426 project funded by NSF titled, “Collaborative Research: Biomechanics of Epithelial Tissue Homeostasis, Collapse, and Eversion,” effective 7/23-6/26
CARL DENARD, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $607,187 project funded by NSF titled, “CAREER: Selectively Reprogramming Proteases through the HighThroughput Discovery of Functional ProteinProtein Interactions,” effective 2/23-1/28 Principal Investigator in a new $1,736,371 project funded by the National Institute of Health NIGMS titled, “Reprogramming proteases: tackling human diseases with next-generation modulators,” effective 9/22-8/27
CHARLES HAGES, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $100,000 project funded by SONY Electronics Inc. titled, “Machine Learning for Enhanced Semiconductor Material Development,” effective 12/22-11/23
PIYUSH JAIN, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $193,600 project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture titled, “The Development of Novel RNA Dependent RNA Polymerases, Nucleases, and Transposases by Metagenomics and Protein Engineering,” effective 9/22-8/24 Principal Investigator in a new $1,833,076 project funded by the National Institute of Health NIGMS titled, “Discovery and engineering of CRISPR/Cas systems,” effective 9/22-8/27
DAVID HIBBITTS, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $112,898 project funded by U.S. Department of Energy, The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) titled, “Solar Driven Flowing Particle
Reactor for Catalytic Dehydrogenation of Paraffins,” effective 10/22-3/24 Principal Investigator in a new $200,000 project funded by Exxon Mobil Corporation titled, “Selective Hydrogen Combustion Materials for Light Alkane Dehydrogenation,” effective 1/23-12/24 Principal Investigator in a new $95,000 project funded by Pfizer Inc. titled, “Predict Binding Affinity of Organic Compounds on Metallic Surfaces,” effective 12/22-12/23 Principal Investigator in a new $281,184 project funded by NSF titled, “Collaborative Research: Structure, Dynamics, and Catalysis with Dilute Bimetallic and Single Atom Alloy Nanoparticles,” effective 6/23-5/26
RANGA NARAYANAN, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $199,899 project funded by NASA titled, “Reduced-Order Model and Experiments Using the PSI Data from STDCE,” effective 1/23-1/25 Principal Investigator in a new $25,000 project funded by NASA titled, “Using Resonance to Enhance Convection and Heat Transfer for Thermal Management in Space,” effective 8/22-8/23
WHITNEY L. STOPPEL, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $1,800,152 project funded by the National Institute of Health NIGMS titled, “Leveraging biodiversity and utilizing genetic engineering to expand the structure and function of silk fibroin biopolymers for biomedical applications,” effective 8/22-6/27
CARLOS M. RINALDI-RAMOS, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $400,685 project funded by the National Institute of Health NINDS titled, “Innovative Non-Invasive Imaging of Traumatic Brain Injury,” effective 9/22-8/24
SERGEY VASENKOV, PH.D. Principal Investigator in a new $272,735 project funded by the NSF titled, “Collaborative Research: Quantifying the Role of Interfaces in Liquid Separation Membranes based on Carbon Molecular Sieves,” effective 7/22-6/25 CHE.UFL.EDU 11
DEPARTMENT NEWS
DINESH O. SHAH ANNUAL LECTURER IN SURFACE SCIENCE Matthew Tirrell, Ph.D., the D. Gale Johnson Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus and Dean of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D., (left) the University and Matthew Tirrell, Ph.D. of Chicago, was the 2022 Dinesh O. Shah Annual Lecturer in Surface Science. Dr. Tirrell presented, “Electrostatic Self-Assembly
of Charged Macromolecules: New Physics and New Applications.” Dr. Tirrell is a pioneering researcher in the fields of biomolecular engineering and nanotechnology, specializing in the manipulation and measurement of the surface properties of polymers, materials that consist of long, flexible chain molecules. The Dinesh O. Shah Annual Lecture in Surface Science was established in the Chemical Engineering Department at UF by Dinesh O. Shah, Ph.D. because of his strong commitment to the university and the field of surface science. Dr. Shah retired in 2005 from UF after a distinguished academic career spanning 35 years.
ENDOWED DISTINGUISHED LECTURER IN FLUID MECHANICS Norman J. Wagner, Ph.D.,
Norman Wagner, Ph.D., (left) and Carl Denard, Ph.D.
Alison Professor and Unidel Robert L. Pigford Chair in Chemical & Biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware, was the 2023 Endowed Distinguished
Lecturer in Fluid Mechanics. Dr. Wagner presented, “Shear thickening fluids and
their application as protective materials for first responders, athletes, and astronauts (and some recent work on “planetopolymers”).” Dr. Wagner has affiliate faculty appointments in Physics and Astronomy, as well as Biomechanics and Movement Science. He served as Chair of the CBE Department from 2007-2012, and is the director of the Center for Neutron Science. He was elected to the National Academy of Inventors in 2016 and the National Academy of Engineering in 2015. He leads an active research group with focus on the rheology of complex fluids, neutron scattering, colloid and polymer science, applied statistical mechanics, nanotechnology and particle technology.
FACULTY HONORS & AWARDS Henry C.W. Chu, Ph.D., selected as Soft Matter
Mark E. Orazem, Ph.D., delivered the plenary
Emerging Investigator and RSC Advances Emerging Investigator by the Royal Society of Chemistry
lecture at the 74th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry in Lyon, France
Fernando Mérida, Ph.D., UF International Center Virtual Exchange Training Fall 2022 Awardee
Whitney L. Stoppel, Ph.D., elected Vice Chair for AIChE Division 15 Leadership
12 UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT NEWS
STAFF UPDATES Shaniece Benis joined the department as an Administrative Assistant to the Chair on March 29, 2023. Prior to joining the department, she was a Human Resources Generalist at the UF College of Medicine and worked as the Chair’s Administrative Assistant in the UF Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering.
Kristen Burns joined the department as an Undergraduate Academic Advisor on Sept. 16, 2022. A ‘double Gator’, Burns holds a M.Ed. in Educational and Instructional Technology and a B.A. in English Language and Literature. She previously worked as an Admissions Officer for UF Online. Nicole Bristow joined the department as an Associate Director of Business Services on Aug. 4, 2023. Bristow earned an MBA from Ashford University and a B.A. in Business Adminstration and Management from UF. She worked as a Research Administrator III in the UF College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry.
After 1o years in the department, Ricky Whitney accepted the position of Director of Administrative Services at the College of Medicine department of Health Outcomes and Bioinformatics. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ricky to make our department what it is today,” said Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D., the department chair. “While I am sad to see him go, I am grateful for his service and wish him the best.”
After 5 years at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, Randall L. Ledkins accepted a position as the Senior Managing Director of Development at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Ledkins managed the advancement efforts of over a third of the College’s departments including Industrial & Systems, Chemical, Material Sciences and Nuclear Engineering.
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FEATURED ARTICLE
AI HELPS CREATE BETTER, SIMPLER HEPATITIS, COVID-19 TESTS
Piyush K. Jain, Ph.D.
Going beyond pregnancy and COVID-19, the world could someday soon come to rely on at-home tests for many diseases thanks in part to AI-fueled improvements. University of Florida scientists have used artificial intelligence tools to simplify a test that works for both hepatitis C and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The simplified test happens in one small test tube in just a few minutes. With further refinement, it could arrive at doctor’s offices soon and, one day, become available as home tests that are as easy as a pregnancy test. “We are trying to build a home-based test that is as reliable as a lab-based test,” said Piyush K. Jain, an assistant professor and Shah Rising Star Professor, who led the latest research. “Our objective is to develop a simple test that eliminates the need for expensive equipment and provides results in just 10 to 20 minutes.” To accomplish those goals, Dr. Jain’s group is innovating on a system known as a one-pot reaction because the entire test happens in one small test tube. These tests, based on a technology known as RT-LAMP, can amplify small portions of a virus’s genome and produce a visible signal when it detects the virus. Reading these tests can be as simple as looking for a blue color or using a small device that detects a change in the test tube.
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The FDA has approved some at-home, one-pot tests for COVID-19, as a part of the emergency use authorization, but they have a relatively high false positive rate, meaning they aren’t as reliable as they could be. “We are combining another technology called CRISPR to determine the difference between a false positive and a true positive,” Dr. Jain said. CRISPR has become known in the biotech world for its ability to drive rapid genetic engineering improvements, which have the potential to one day cure inherited
FEATURED ARTICLE diseases by repairing genomes. Dr. Jain’s group relies on the CRISPR system’s ability to home in on particular genetic sequences. Only if the sequence for, say, the hepatitis virus is really present will the test show a positive result. The only problem? The RT-LAMP technology requires a temperature of 150 degrees (F), while CRISPR works best at 100 degrees. That difference makes tests far more complicated requiring two separate reactions– too complicated for athome use. Jain’s team has been trying to bridge this gap by developing a CRISPR system that can withstand higher temperatures. From a heat-loving species of bacteria, the researchers recently discovered a CRISPR enzyme that thrives at 140 degrees. In their latest work, Dr. Jain’s group turned to AI tools to analyze this enzyme and discover how they could make it survive at 150 degrees. The AI programs suggested a few dozen changes to the enzyme, which Dr. Jain’s group tested in the lab. They eventually found four changes to the enzyme that let it work at 150 degrees. “It’s very challenging for any human to do this kind of analysis on an enzyme. We didn’t have to spend years; we could make these improvements in months,” Dr. Jain said. “With everything working at the same temperature, now we are able to combine everything in a true one-pot reaction we call SPLENDID.” The team verified their simplified SPLENDID test on clinical samples from patients with hepatitis C or COVID-19. The test was 97% accurate for SARS-CoV-2 and 95% accurate for the most prevalent version of the hepatitis C virus found globally. Although it didn’t work well against all other less predominant versions of the hepatitis C virus, straightforward changes to the test should quickly improve its accuracy, Dr. Jain said. His team published their findings May 8 in the journal Cell Reports Medicine. The work was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health in hopes of developing simple tests for viruses like hepatitis C so they can be identified and treated early, when treatments work best. Dr. Jain’s group will now work to refine the test, improve its ability to distinguish between hepatitis C strains and verify it in hospital settings in hopes of one day providing at-home tests as well.
JAIN RECEIVES PROVOST’S EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR ASSISTANT PROFESSORS Piyush K. Jain, Ph.D., an assistant professor and Shah Rising Star Professor, has received the UF Provost’s Excellence Award for Assistant Professors for 2023. The awards are focused on junior faculty and recognize excellence in research. Dr. Jain has helped secure approximately $14 million of anticipated research funding with over $3 million as PI dedicated to his lab and is generously supported by the National Institutes of Health-Office of the Director, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, the United States–India Science & Technology Endowment Fund, the UF Health Cancer Center- Department of Urology Pilot Grant, the Dinesh O. Shah Endowed Professorship, and industry projects. In 2022, he received the National Institutes of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences R35 Early-Stage Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award. His work has been published in top journals including Nature Communications, Cell Reports Medicine, eBioMedicine (The Lancet Discovery Science), Communications Medicine (Nature Portfolio), Nanoscale, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie, ACS Nano, Nature Protocols, Nucleic Acids Research, Plos One, etc. and he has been listed as an inventor on over 30 patent filings. Dr. Jain has had several noteworthy accomplishments during his time at UF. In 2023, he was awarded the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering Excellence Award for Assistant Professors, and in 2020, he was recognized as holder of the Shah Rising Star Professorship.
By Eric Hamilton CHE.UFL.EDU 15
STUDENT NEWS
5 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SENIORS AWARDED THE NSF GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP Five seniors from the department, Jostin Armada, Dylan Carman, Grace Li, Grace Shoemaker, and Brendan Wernisch, were awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP). The fellowship program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions.
JOSTIN ARMADA Armada graduated with his B.S. degree in chemical engineering in December 2022. His research project focused on understanding the role of storage temperature conditions on silk fibroin particles to investigate the potential elimination of expensive cold-chain transport and storage systems that are currently required to utilize the particles as clinically accepted artificial oxygen carriers, while simultaneously maintaining particle sterility. Armada conducted his research in Dr. Whitney Stoppel’s lab and was mentored by Marisa Pacheco, a Ph.D. student. Armada served as a Gator Marching Band Trumpet Section Leader, an undergraduate Peer Mentor first 16 UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
year Peer Advisor, Peer Advisors’ Communications Officer, and AIChE Mentor. He received the department’s Senior Leadership and Service to the Profession Award in Fall 2022. “The NSF GRFP award means that I can participate in outreach and mentorship within my community, where I can help younger students understand the benefits of pursuing research at an early stage of their lives and how taking opportunities to engage in wellrounded research can open a large range of doors specifically designed for the advancement of their careers,” he said. Armada will begin a chemical engineering Ph.D. program at Cornell University in the Fall.
DYLAN CARMAN Carman graduated with his B.S. degree in chemical engineering in May 2023. He has been involved in several research projects in Dr. Piyush Jain’s lab including genetic engineering, protein engineering, and infectious disease diagnostics. He was mentored by Long Nguyen, a Ph.D. student. This year, Carman served as president of the UF AIChE student chapter, and played a key role in
organizing and hosting the 2023 AIChE Southern Regional Student Conference held at UF in March 2023. “The financial support that the fellowship provides allows me more freedom when choosing a lab at Johns Hopkins,” Carman said. “Of course, the prestige of the award is also a tremendous benefit, as it fills me with pride to be able to say that I have achieved this honor. I am so thankful for the mentorship provided to me by Dr. Piyush Jain, who has given me the research knowledge necessary to be considered for the award.” Carman will attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall.
GRACE LI Li, who also graduated May 2023, worked in Dr. Carlos RinaldiRamos’ research laboratory with Ph.D. mentor Ambar C. Velazquez-Albino to optimize the synthesis of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI). Li has held several leadership positions in AIChE including secretary, outreach director, treasurer, and participated on the Chem-E-Car design team and competition at the 2022 national conference.
STUDENT NEWS
“The NSF GRFP means an opportunity as well as motivation and encouragement for me to continue developing my skills as researcher. I fell in love with research and am extremely grateful to Dr. Rinaldi-Ramos for giving me this chance to work in his lab,” Li said. “I believe the GRFP is an opportunity that I achieved with the help of those around me, and I will use its support to further develop my research skills.” Li plans to attend the University of Michigan.
GRACE SHOEMAKER Shoemaker graduated in May 2023. Working in Dr. Piyush Jain’s lab, her research centered around the discovery and characterization of novel CRISPRCas systems. Her focus has been constructing CRISPR-Cas systems as a diagnostic tool for HIV, COVID-19, malaria, and more. Recently, she has worked on creating Cas variants with charge engineering by increasing the pH and temperature range capabilities of that particular Cas enzyme, as well as increase its efficiency. Shoemaker has been involved in UF Student Government since her sophomore year. She served as vice president, treasurer, and candidate coordinator of the UF Party, Change Party, and served a term as the Engineering Senator. Through this, she authored and sponsored
legislation pertaining to accessible contraceptives, international student achievements, bus app accessibility, LGBTQ+ history, and 24/7 libraries. She worked with the administration in the libraries for over a year to help get 24-hour service at Marston Science Library. Shoemaker said she feels incredibly lucky to have received the award. “To me, it means freedom to research in a field where my values and interests align,” she said. “I now have a greater opportunity to support those in need, which is a wonderful and privileged responsibility.” Shoemaker plans to attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall.
BRENDAN WERNISCH Wernisch graduated in May 2023. In Dr. Janani Sampath’s lab, Wernisch built and compiled open-source tools for computational materials research. He used HiPerGator’s computing resources to study polymer membranes for separations applications, deforming them at different conditions and observing how the morphology of the membranes’ void spaces evolves throughout the deformation period. He was mentored by Ph.D. student Mohammad Al Otmi. Wernisch worked with the Center for Undergraduate Research Board
of Students (CURBS) for four years, and this year he served as CURBS’ executive director. He also served as CUR’s representative and chair of the Student Life Committee on the Student Advisory Council for Undergraduate Affairs (SACUA). Wernisch was awarded the 2022 Attributes of a Gator Engineer Award in Leadership. “As a first-generation, queer, undergraduate and engineer, I am so proud not only becoming a part of the GRFP’s long legacy of inspiring STEM leaders but being a part of increasing representation both in this field and in the future classes of GRFP awardees,” Wernisch said. Wernisch plans to earn a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Northwestern University. In addition to the five students, three UF ChE summer REU program alumni were also awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. Diana Aponte Claudio was an undergraduate in the Sampath Research Group during summer 2021. She was mentored by Ph.D. student Mohammad Al Otmi. Katie Leonard was an undergraduate in the Stoppel Lab during summer 2022. She was mentored by Ph.D. student Elizabeth Aikman. Samuel Mercer was an undergraduate in the Hibbitts Research Group during summer 2022. He was mentored by Ph.D. student Hansel Montalvo. By Michelle Runyon CHE.UFL.EDU 17
The UF AIChE Student Chapter show their Gator pride at the 2022 AIChE Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ.
SUCCESS AT THE AICHE ANNUAL MEETING The Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) was held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Ariz., last fall. UF students and faculty participated and received many distinguished awards.
UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS The UF AIChE Student Chapter received the Outstanding Student Chapter Award for the 5th year in a row. The award is presented annually to student chapters that show an exceptional level of participation, enthusiasm, program quality, professionalism, and involvement in the university and community.
Sarah Flannery received the Freshman Recognition Award. This distinguished award is presented to one AIChE student member in each student chapter who has been the most active in their student chapter during their freshman year.
Brooke Erickson received the Donald F. Othmer Sophomore Academic Excellence Award. This distinguished award is presented to one AIChE student member in each student chapter who has attained the highest scholastic grade point average during their first and sophomore years. Sixteen UF ChE students participated in the annual undergraduate student poster competition. The following were undergraduate student poster competition winners: 18 UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
• Kaitlyn Meister won 1st Place in Food, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology Group 2
• Craig Singiser won 1st Place in General Engineering/Engineering Education
• Jostin Armada won 2nd Place in Food, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology Group 7
• Linnea Helenius won 2nd Place in Materials Science and Engineering Group 11
• Brendan Wernisch won 2nd Place in Materials Science and Engineering Group 10
• Sophie Williams won 2nd Place in Fuels, Petrochemical, and Energy Group 2
• Grace Shoemaker won 3rd Place in Food, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology Group 3 The Chem-E-Car team placed 4th in the poster competition and 6th place overall. The team was represented by four students: Emerick Gilliams, Patrick O’Sullivan, Grace Li, and Caroline Cicotte. The K-12 STEM Outreach Competition team received the award for Top Module, Grades 9-12. The team was represented by three students: Zoe Reddecliff, Vienna Moran, and Brooke Erickson.
AWARDS GRADUATE AWARDS Aniruddha Kulkarni, a Ph.D. student in the Ziegler Research Group advised by Kirk Ziegler, Ph.D., won first place in the Carbon Nanomaterials Graduate Award Session for his oral presentation on “Unique Thermodynamic CoSurfactant Equilibria of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Fluorescent Biosensors.” The award is sponsored by the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum (NSEF), and the award session honors graduate students whose research achievements, in the broad area of carbon nanomaterials, demonstrate a high level of excellence. UF undergraduate students Stephen Michel (BME), Irene Chung (CHE) and Claire Marc (CHE) who worked in Dr. Ziegler’s lab were also co-authors of the research.
stipend for travel, and provided a complementary annual membership to AIChE for 2023.
FACULTY AWARDS Fan Ren, Ph.D., a distinguished professor, was elected as an AIChE Fellow. Election as a fellow is the highest grade of membership, and the honor reaffirms the high esteem in which colleagues and peers view his professional achievements.
Sindia Rivera-Jimenéz, Ph.D., an assistant professor
Research Fellow in the Stoppel Lab, received the Women in Chemical Engineering (WIC) Travel Award. The award, which supports female graduate students, covered her registration for the annual meeting, included an $800
in the Department of Engineering Education, affiliate faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) and AIChE Chapter Adviser, received the 2022 Education Division Awards Award for Service to Chemical Engineering Education. The award is for service to the AIChE community including leading workshops on unconscious bias, social justice and inclusive teaching, and cofounding the AIChE LatinX in ChE. By Michelle Runyon
From left: Sindia Rivera-Jimenéz, Ph.D. and Samuel Sheek accept the AIChE Outstanding Chapter Award.
From left: Brooke Erickson, Zoe Reddecliff, Vienna Moran, and Sindia Rivera-Jimenéz, Ph.D.
From left: Brendan Wernisch, Linnea Helenius, Sophie Williams, Grace Shoemaker, Jostin Armada, Kaitlyn Meister, and Craig Singiser
From left: Chem-E-Car team: Grace Li, Caroline Cicotte, Emerick Gilliams, and Patrick O’Sullivan
Marisa O. Pacheco, a Ph.D. candidate and NSF Graduate
CHE.UFL.EDU 19
The UF chapter went above and beyond to make this experience possible for students in the Southern Region.
UF AICHE STUDENT CHAPTER HOSTS THE SOUTHERN STUDENT REGIONAL CONFERENCE The University of Florida American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student chapter hosted the first fully in-person AIChE Southern Student Regional Conference (ASRC) since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Chemical engineering students throughout the southern region came together to participate in various networking opportunities, industry events, skills-building workshops, and competitions on March 3-4, 2023.
is based on the stopped car’s distance to the finish line, taking the best distance of two runs. This year, 14 teams participated.
The two-day event saw participants from 29 universities, five engineering companies, members of National AIChE’s Executive Board, and other professionals in chemical engineering. Attendees showcased their skills and knowledge, while also learning from industry leaders and exploring career opportunities.
The University of Kentucky took first place as their car came to a stop within only 3 centimeters of the finish line. Second place was won by Auburn University with 72.4 centimeters. UF took third place with 82 centimeters, followed by the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez in fourth place, and the University of Alabama, Huntsville in fifth place. The top five teams advance to the National Student Conference in November this year.
Chem-E-Car Competition One of the main events, and usually the most anticipated event for spectators, is the Chem-E-Car Competition. Chem-E-Car provides students with a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge in a collaborative and innovative setting. This competition consists of teams designing a car that functions using a power and stopping mechanism that operates based on chemical reactions. The car must travel a specified distance and stop without surpassing the finish line during competition or veering off to the sides. Scoring 20 UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
The event was supported by student and faculty volunteers from the University of Florida, as well as other participating universities. Environmental Health & Safety staff members also volunteered to supervise the event and keep participants and spectators safe.
ChemE Jeopardy Competition The annual Jeopardy competition took place on both days and included Preliminary, Semi-Final and Final rounds. A total of 13 teams participated in the Jeopardy competition this year. The competition is a Jeopardy game, utilizing chemical engineering coursework as the basis for most questions. Three teams, consisting of a maximum of four students, face off to earn points by giving correct answers to questions from a variety of categories.
STUDENT NEWS As Georgia Institute of Technology won the competition at the last regional conference, their team bypassed the preliminary round and automatically advanced to semi-finals. After teams competed on March 3, the three teams to advance to the Finals the next day were Georgia Institute of Technology, Auburn University, and Mississippi State University. The teams were quite knowledgeable on the topics, resulting in a tiebreaker needed between Georgia Institute of Technology and Auburn University. Georgia Institute of Technology won first place and will advance to the National Student Conference.
Poster Competition The conference includes a Poster Competition for individual students to present a poster about their undergraduate research. This year, the Poster Competition included a high number of presenters with 44 posters in the following categories: • Fuels, Petrochemicals, and Energy • Materials Engineering and Sciences • Separations • Catalysis and Reaction Engineering • Computing, Simulation, and Process Control • Environmental Science and Engineering • Food, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotechnology
Each poster is judged by three AIChE professionals in industry or academia based on criteria pertaining to the poster’s visuals, the presenter’s verbal presentation, competence of research and analysis, and presenters’ answers tobyquestions. Hosted the ards Banquet and Keynote Address
CHE SOUTHERN STUDENT AL CONFERENCE Micah Dickens from the University of South Alabama University of Florida
earned first place for his poster on Understanding the Effect of Alkali Metal Addition on the Electrochemical Upgrade of MEA-Captured CO2. Danielle Flores from the University of South Alabama won second place for her poster on Thermal Stability of Novel Ionic Liquids for High Temperature Applications. Sasha Bronovitskiy from the Georgia Institute of Technology won third place for her poster on Cell Free Protein Synthesis Using Linear Expression Templates.
2023 AICHE REGIONAL C
Plant Tour, Recruitment Fair, and More
The ASRC fostered an environment for students to learn more about the field of chemical engineering and provided them with valuable experiences. A plant tour was held at the Milliken SiVance Plant in This spring, the American Institute of Gainesville, Fla., and showed students how chemical Chemical Engineers (AIChE) at the engineering conceptsUniversity are applied in was an industrial of Florida honored to hold environment. the first fully in-person AIChE Southern Student Regional Conference (ASRC) since
On the second day ofthethe conference, hosted COVID-19 pandemic UF impacted our lives early 2020. The 2023 ASRC took place a Recruiting Fair withinseven graduate schools and on March 3rd and 4th, hosting 29 universities four industry companies. FAMU-FSU College of with 350 attendees, 5 engineering companies, Engineering, University of Alabama, UF, University members of National AIChE’s Executive of Kentucky, University ofand South University Board, other Florida, professionals in Chemical Engineering.of The two-dayas event of Tennessee, and University Virginia, well was Engineering intended to bring Chemical as Ascend Performance Materials, Kraton, Intel, students throughout the southern region and Mosaic’s participation inspired undergraduate together to participate in various students with opportunities professional growth. networkingfor opportunities, industry events, skills-building workshops, and competitions.
Other events included Inclusion Thea Diversity University ofand Florida chapter went seminar, and a resume and workshop, which above andinterview beyond to make this experience possible for students in the Southern Region. provided attendees with professional growth. The 2024 ASRC will be held at Auburn University. By Flynn Baliton and Violet Warren
ed here is Billy B. Bardin who was the keynote or the conference. He is the Global Digitalization r for DOW and he is the President of National of rthe2023. He has had many accomplishments both ooldDOW and National AIChE. He has worked for nce ern 2000 and has been involved in leading DOW nce developing numerous technologies, and fostering ves for career development. As part of National ons on he served on the Board of Directors from 2017 to ties was ies, chair of the Audit Committee. We would like ecognition and special thanks to Billy B. Bardin ive cal veling to attend and speak at the 2023 ASRC.
was ing ion ous nts, ons. ent nce on.
re quite knowledgeable on the topics, n a tiebreaker needed between Georgia of Technology and Auburn University. stitute of Technology ultimately won first UF AIChE chapterteams hosted the will two-day aforementioned advance to the ChemE CarThe Competition will be advancing the and National National Student Conference in November later One of the event. maintoevents, usually theStudent most this year. anticipated event for spectators, is the ChemE Car e. Competition, which provides students with a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge in a collaborative and innovative setting. This competition consists of teams designing a car that functions using a power and stopping mechanism that operates based on chemical reactions. The car
mpetition
ence also includes a Poster Competition
ChemE Jeopardy Competition
The annual Jeopardy competition took place on both days of the 2023 ASRC and included Preliminary, Semi-Final and Final rounds. A total of 13 teams participated in the Jeopardy
Billy B. Bardin, Global Digitalization Director for DOW and 2023 President of National AIChE was the keynote speaker for the conference.
Chem
One o anticip Compe unique collabo compet functio that op must tr surpass veering distanc taking teams p The Un The winning team, the University of Kentucky with their vehicle, Kentucky Fried Chemicals. car cam finish ChemE Car Competition CHE.UFL.EDU 21 Univer The winning team, the University of Kentucky with Univer their vehicle, Kentucky Fried Chemicals, achieved a
STUDENT NEWS
THE SOCIETY FOR BIOMATERIALS UPDATES The UF Chapter of the Society for Biomaterials (SFB) enhances student interest in biomaterials and promotes the advancement of student research and education as it relates to biomaterials. The group accomplishes this through developing and executing biomaterials focused outreach in K-12 classrooms and hosting an on campus student research symposium. When Marisa Pacheco, a 3rd year chemical engineering Ph.D. student took over as the president of the group in 2021, the ability to run these activities was limited. The group adapted and developed virtual outreach activities and hosted a virtual symposium in March of 2022 that focused on the idea of “Scaffolding New Ideas.” Speakers from companies like Medtronic and academic institutions delivered invited talks and over 30 student researchers from across campus shared their work in oral presentations and in posters in a virtual conference hall. Bo Yu, a chemical engineering Ph.D. student in the Rinaldi-Ramos laboratory was awarded for the “Outstanding Poster Presentation.”
As restrictions began to ease Pacheco wanted to continue in the role as president to bring back the group’s in-person activities. Other chemical engineering graduate students joined her in leadership roles. Elizabeth Aikman undertook the role of outreach coordinator in 2022. In March 2023, SFB hosted the first in-person symposium since 2019 and placed 3rd in the “Education Challenge” at the National Meeting in San Diego. Chemical engineering students again did great in the symposium, and Ph.D. student Jasmine McTyer won the Outstanding Poster Award. Chemical engineering leadership in the organization continues as Elizabeth Aikman accepted the role of President and other chemical engineering Ph.D. students Lauren Eccles, Jasmine McTyer, and Samantha Martinusen join Aikman and Pacheco in the group of student officers.
STUDENTS SELECTED AS UNIVERSITY SCHOLARS Four chemical engineering students were selected as 2023-2024 University Scholars. The University Scholars Program introduces undergraduate students at the University of Florida to the exciting academic research world. In the program, students work one-on-one with UF faculty on selected research projects. The University Scholars Program serves as an exceptional capstone to the academic careers of UF students. The program will consist of undertaking an entire research project under the guidance of a faculty member. Only 200 students from all disciplines are selected through a competitive process to participate in this program.
22 UF UF || DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ENGINEERING
Congratulations to the following University Scholars:
Hunter Black Project Title: Faraday Instability at Interfaces Mentor: Ranga Narayanan, Ph.D.
Marian Pulgar Project Title: Investigating the Substrate Specificity of Sortases Mentor: Carl Denard, Ph.D.
Ethan Slaton Project Title: High Throughput Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutic Proteins Mentor: Carl Denard, Ph.D.
Nikita Narasimhan Project Title: Novel Chromogenic Sensor Research Mentor: Peng Jiang, Ph.D.
STUDENT NEWS
PH.D. STUDENTS WIN BRUCE DEAL & ANDY GROVE YOUNG AUTHOR AWARD
GRACE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM Students presented to peers at the 23rd Annual Graduate Association of Chemical Engineers (GRACE) Research Symposium, held on Sept. 8, 2022. John Blazeck, Ph.D., (ChE B.S. ’07) assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, delivered the keynote presentation.
Chao-Ching Chiang and Jian-Sian Li were selected as recipients of The Electrochemical Society (ECS) 2022 Bruce Deal & Andy Grove Young Author Award for their paper, “Threshold Ion Energies and Cleaning of Etch Residues During Inductively Coupled Etching of NiO/Ga2O3 in BCl3.” This is the third time that Dr. Fan Ren’s students have won the prestigious award. Chiang and Li join past UF recipents: Shihyun Ahn (2017), and Jiancheng Yang, Ph.D. (2018). The Bruce Deal & Andy Grove Young Author Award recognizes the best paper published in the ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology by a young author or co-authors for the volume year preceding the award.
Dr. Blazeck joined fellow ChE alumni and offered insight into different career paths in industrial and academic environments during a professional panel Q&A. The alumni panel included: Thomas Chancellor, Ph.D. (’12), Yash Kapoor, Ph.D. (’08), Ray Cocco, Ph.D. (’82), and Monica Ford, Ph.D. (’06). Industrial panelists included: Paul Wesson (Senior Technologist SiVance LLC), Erin Ekart (Eastman Chemical Company). The symposium is a one-day research showcase where chemical engineering students have the opportunity to present their research to peers and a panel of judges. Congratulations to the following winners: First Place Student Oral Presentation Award Winners: Ph.D. candidate Elizabeth Aikman; Ph.D. student Calvin Fai; and Ph.D. student Marlon Brutus. First Place Graduate Poster Presentation: Ph.D. student Samantha Martinusen; Ph.D. student Chao-Ching Chiang (Chester); and Ph.D. student Jason Livesay. First Place Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation: Robert Singiser; Victoria Lynch; and Marc Claire.
STUDENT HONORS & AWARDS Spring 2023 Senior Awards: Leadership & Service to the Profession: Dylan Carman; Research Achievement: Grace Shoemaker; Service to the Community: Gabrielle Russo; Professional Achievement: Violet Warren; Biery Award: Grace Shoemaker; Fahien Award: Sophie Williams and Sergio Prieto; Outstanding Gator Engineering Scholar (4-year award): Sophie Williams; The Dean Weil Award: Sophie Williams
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition: Cynthia Ezeh and Athena Ghiasi
NIH NIGMS Diversity Supplement: Hannah Bagnis
NextProf Nexus 2023 participant: Victor Rivera-
Tau Beta Pi Fellowship: Lauren Eccles
Llabres
UF International Center Research Abroad for Doctoral Students Award: Shreyanshu Agrawal UF 28th International Students Achievement Award:
Igin Benny Ignatius Attributes of a Gator Engineer Ph.D. Award for Creativity: Santosh Rananaware
CHE.UFL.EDU 23
SEMINAR SPEAKERS
CHE HOSTS OUTSTANDING INVITED SEMINAR SPEAKERS UF ChE hosted a vibrant, virtual and in-person seminar series where invited speakers shared their latest research and met with faculty and students each week. Travis J. Anderson, Ph.D. U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Spring 2023
Fernando Escobedo, Ph.D. Professor Cornell University Spring 2023
José L. Avalos, Ph.D. Associate Professor Princeton University
Beata Kilos-Réaume, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist Dow, Inc.
Fall 2022
Spring 2023
Taryn Bayles, Ph.D. Professor University of Pittsburgh
Sanat K. Kumar, Ph.D. Professor Columbia University in the City of New York
Fall 2022
Spring 2023
Gerardine G. Botte, Ph.D. Professor and Department Chair Texas Tech University
Bryan D. McCloskey, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor and Chair University of California, Berkeley
Fall 2022
Spring 2023
John F. Brady, Ph.D. Professor California Institute of Technology
Delia J. Milliron, Ph.D. Professor and Department Chair University of Texas at Austin
Spring 2023
Fall 2022
Megan Butala, Ph.D. Professor University of Florida
Elizabeth Nance, Ph.D. Associate Professor University of Washington
Fall 2022
Fall 2022
Wilfred Chen Ph.D. Professor University of Delaware
Andre Palmer, Ph.D. Professor and Associate Dean The Ohio State University
Spring 2023
Fall 2022
Ho Yong Chung, Ph.D. Associate Professor Florida A&M University
Fateme Rezaei, Ph.D. Associate Professor Missouri University of Science and Technology
Fall 2022
Spring 2023
Yamil J. Colón, Ph.D. Assistant Professor University of Notre Dame
Adrianne M. Rosales, Ph.D. Assistant Professor University of Texas at Austin
Spring 2023
Spring 2023
Lydia M. Contreras, Ph.D. Associate Professor Johns Hopkins University
Carlos A. Silvera Batista, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Vanderbilt University
Spring 2023
Fall 2022
Honggang Cui, Ph.D. Associate Professor Columbia University
William A. Tisdale, Ph.D. Associate Professor Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Spring 2023
Spring 2023
Purushottam Dixit, Ph.D. Assistant Professor University of Florida Fall 2022 24 UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
YOU CAN HELP POWER THE NEW ENGINEER! Make an online gift today at www.che.ufl.edu or use the QR code.
DEPARTMENT SUPPORT
GIFTS TO THE DEPARTMENT We are thankful to all of our donors in July 2022-June 2023. Every gift, large or small, makes a difference and helps advance and improve student experiences at ChE. Your gifts to the Chemical Engineering Excellence Fund support scholarships, fellowships, faculty, and unrestricted support for the department. We would especially like to recognize our major donors (gifts at $500 and above) this year: Wayne L. Moss
Robert J. Brugman
L. Dianne Dlouhy
Charles R. Revette
Jatinder Jolly
Alex Moreno
Albert D. DaCosta
Procter & Gamble
Varadharajan R. Basker
James J. Sandy III
Agis Kydonieus
Elizabeth Whitby
AICHE-Central Florida Section
Nick S. Katzaras
Douglas C. White
Kent J. Probst
Michael K. Dickinson
Juan C. Barinaga
Nathan C. Lee
Matt Pytosh
Frederick C. Edie
Joseph C. Hutter
Robert L. Goodmark
The Mosaic Company
Christopher J. Birdsall
Robert J. Heinle
Thomas W. Moore
Daniel G. O’Neil
Schwab Charitable Fund
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Ascend Performance Materials
Exxon Mobil Tokyo Electron Limited Yogini Shroff
Chand Deepak William K. McGrane
Dominick White Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund Intel Corp.
ExxonMobil Foundation Ayco Charitable Foundation Morgan Stanley GIFT, Inc.
Ann Powers, Executive Director of Advancement As we pause to reflect on the milestones and accomplishments of the UF Department of Chemical Engineering, our hearts swell with gratitude for your unwavering support and dedication. Year after year, we find ourselves deeply humbled by your immense generosity and your steadfast belief in our vision. Your invaluable contributions continue to strengthen the foundation of our department, enabling us to deliver a world-class education and to foster innovative research. Your philanthropy provides the much-needed resources that power our student groups to compete on a global stage, facilitating academic excellence and the development of future leaders. The profound impact of your support also extends to first-generation college students, helping them to break the barriers of financial stress and concentrate on their academic pursuits in the laboratory
and classroom. This is a testament to how your generosity serves as a transformative force, bridging gaps and making dreams come true. We are thrilled to share the exciting news about the recent $30 million allocation from the state and $11 million commitment from UF to revitalize our infrastructure. This substantial investment, a testament to our successful Public-Private partnership with you, our alumni and donors, is poised to catapult our department into a new era of excellence. With these funds, we look forward to creating state-of-the-art facilities that our students, faculty, and staff truly deserve. Yet, our journey doesn’t end here. As we embark on this next chapter, we firmly believe that with your continued involvement, we can further enhance our impact on the chemical engineering community at the University of Florida and beyond. Let us continue this conversation about how your philanthropy can make an even greater difference for our students, faculty, and the department. We eagerly anticipate how we can strengthen our bonds and foster a brighter future, together. CHE.UFL.EDU 25 CHE.UFL.EDU 25
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
INSPIRING STUDENTS WITH ‘BIG-PICTURE’ IDEAS Engineering Lab tackles challenges at the interface of immunology, engineering, and metabolism to improve human health. They utilize their expertise in cellular and protein engineering to control biological function and to develop novel therapies to fight disease.
At the Graduate Association of Chemical Engineers (GRACE) annual Symposium, John Blazeck, Ph.D. (ChE B.S. ’07), delivered a captivating keynote speech on his research and shared two bigpicture ideas for combating cancer. He is exploring two innovative approaches to help the body fight cancer: using enzymes to fix cancer cells’ metabolism to boost the body’s immune system and using genetic engineering to directly control the cells of the immune system to fight solid tumors. “First, I talked about how we can use an engineered enzyme to ‘correct’ aspects of cancer cell metabolism that have gone haywire. Surprisingly, by correcting these metabolic features, the body’s immune system can fight cancer cells better,” Dr. Blazeck said. “Second, I talked about how we directly control cells of the immune systems (using genetic engineering) to better fight solid tumors.” Dr. Blazeck is an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The Blazeck Immunological and Cellular 26 UF | DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Dr. Blazeck has been recognized nationally with several prestigious awards and honors, including an American Cancer Society Fellowship; a National Merit Scholarship; an Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Beckman Young Investigator Award, and more recently, a New Innovator Award from the National Institute of Health’s high-risk, high-reward research program. Dr. Blazeck graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida in 2007 with a B.S. in chemical engineering. He obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, performing research with Hal Alper, Ph.D., to engineer microbial hosts to produce biofuels. He continued his research career as a Postdoctoral Fellow at UT Austin, working with George Georgiou, Ph.D., to engineer a cancer-fighting enzyme. He recently shared some comments about his time at UF.
the same group of friends, just at different places. Q: Who influenced you during your time at UF? A: I was fortunate to be influenced and guided to my current career as a professor (which I love!) by many people while at UF. I still quote the very first person I talked to at UF about chemical engineering. During my sophomore year, I realized that computer engineering was not the major for me. As I was looking into other programs I spoke to Cynthia Sain, the chemical engineering undergraduate advisor. She told me that, and I’m paraphrasing because it has been more than few years, “chemical engineers invent new things and make old things better.” I decided to start taking Material and Energy Balances right away. I was also influenced by many of the excellent teachers and research advisors that I had while at UF, like Dr. Oscar Crisalle, Dr. Jason Butler, and Dr. Kirk Ziegler. Dr. Ziegler was the first person to introduce me to laboratory research (actually inventing new things!), and I will always be thankful to him and his Ph.D. student, Carlos Silvera Batista, for their mentorship.
Q: What is your favorite memory of your time as a student?
Q: What advice do you have for current students?
A: It’s hard to pick, as there was so much to do and so many wonderful people that I met while at UF. But all my favorite memories are with
A: Be creative, work hard, and ask for guidance earlier rather than later! And go to the beach while you are close to it.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
CAMACHO CONQUERS OBSTACLES AND SETS A COURSE FOR HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
Esdras Camacho (ChE B.S. ’23) faced many challenges during his time at the Department of Chemical Engineering largely due to the global pandemic and the shift to online classes. However, with drive and determination he not only excelled but also received accolades from his professors. “Esdras was among the few students who participated in every class. He is a tremendous engineer who can think critically and problem solve. He is also an outstanding communicator who can explain difficult engineering concepts in easy-to-understand terms,” said V.J. Tocco, Ph.D., an instructional assistant professor in the department. “Esdras is also a caring and compassionate person. I am proud to call him a graduate of our department.” Camacho graduated with his B.S. degree in chemical engineering in May 2023, and started at Harvard Law School in the fall. Q: What inspired you to pursue a degree in chemical engineering? A: I have learned throughout
my life that I can become better only when I challenge myself and step outside of my comfort zone. Though at first, I didn’t know what Chemical Engineering really was, it sounded like something that I could enjoy and more importantly be motivated by. Ultimately, I knew that if I challenged myself, I would be all the better for it, and I couldn’t think of a better test than tackling chemical engineering at the University of Florida. Q: What challenges have you faced in your time studying chemical engineering and how have you overcome them? A: I struggled with staying motivated knowing my future career wouldn’t involve a direct application of the material I learned in class. Though I dealt with this doubt at times, I continually reminded myself that even if I wouldn’t be doing separation problems in my future career, I would forever be shaped by the way that I learned to think critically and analytically, regardless of the path I chose to pursue. Q: What motivated you to pursue a law degree after completing your chemical engineering degree? A: I always knew that I wanted to be a lawyer — I just didn’t know what path I would take to
get there. I knew that I didn’t want to take a traditional pre-law major just because that’s what most people do, I wanted to do something I could be passionate about. It wasn’t until near the end of my degree that I decided to use my technical skills to pursue patent law. The carryover between careers is often underrated: much like in law school, chemical engineering can be an extremely abstract subject, as there is no one right answer to every problem; everything revolves around tradeoffs. My degree prepared me for law school better than I could have ever hoped for. Q: Who inspires you and encourages you? A: I credit Dr. V.J. Tocco, one of my favorite professors during my college career, with the motto that pushed me during these past years. “The juice has to be worth the squeeze.” I’ve remembered this simple saying ever since he shared it with us during one of my classes junior year. I think of this lesson as emblematic of my college experience, and I will certainly remember it when times get tough in law school and beyond. My family has made me what I am today. I was raised by parents who never stopped moving forward and that’s what has inspired me to champion my education. CHE.UFL.EDU 27
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UPCOMING EVENTS NOBCCHE 50TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE Sheraton 500 Canal Street New Orleans, LA September 11-14, 2023 SOCIETY OF HISPANIC PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS (SHPE) NATIONAL CONVENTION Salt Lake City, UT November 1-5, 2023
AICHE ANNUAL MEETING Hyatt Regency Orlando Orlando, FL November 5-10, 2023