Month: August 2023

Zhou to Lead Clean Energy Engineering Efforts at UConn

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Xiao-Dong Zhou We are thrilled to introduce and welcome Professor Xiao-Dong Zhou to our academic family as he takes on a pivotal role in leading our clean energy engineering efforts. As a UConn Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Faculty, Dr. Zhou will also serve as the Director of the UConn Center for Clean Energy Engineering (C2E2), a special advisor on sustainable energies to President Radenka Maric and Vice President for Research Pamir Alpay, the Nicholas E. Madonna Endowed Chair in Sustainability, and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund Professor in Sustainable Energy. He will also hold joint appointments in the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering departments.

Dr. Zhou comes to UConn from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) where he served as the Stuller Endowed Chair in the Chemical Engineering Department and the director of the Institute for Materials Research and Innovations. In 2021, the Electrochemical Society named Zhou a Fellow for his efforts in clean energy innovations. Since 2017, Zhou has secured more than $23 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Department of Energy. Prior to UL Lafayette, Zhou worked as a professor of chemical engineering at the University of South Carolina where he was honored the prestigious J. Bruce Wagner, Jr. Young Investigator Award for demonstrating exceptional promise in the field of high-temperature energy, materials, and processes. 

For an in-depth look at Dr. Zhou’s remarkable journey and his vision for clean energy, check out the full UConn Today article here.

Join us in welcoming Dr. Zhou as he embarks on this exciting chapter of his career. His leadership and dedication will undoubtedly inspire our students and faculty, propelling us to new heights in the pursuit of knowledge and sustainable innovation.

Prof. Dan Burkey and Colleagues Win Himmelblau Award from AIChE

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Dan Burkey PhotoProf. Daniel Burkey, Ph.D., M.A.Ed. has been selected as one of the winners of the prestigious David Himmelblau Award for Innovations in Computer-Based Chemical Engineering Education, sponsored by the Computing and Systems Technology Division (CAST) of AIChE.

Together with colleagues Cheryl Bodnar (Rowan University), Daniel Anastasio (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) and Matt Cooper (NC State University), Burkey is being recognized for his contributions to Contents Under Pressure, a digital immersive game that allows students to take on the role of a supervisor at a chemical production facility.

Contents Under Pressure gives students the opportunity to make decisions in a chemical plant that affect things like safety, productivity, and their own reputation and standing with their colleagues at the plant. The ultimate goal of the game is to get students to recognize the complexity of process safety judgements under realistic, real-world constraints and hopefully help them make better decisions as practicing engineers.

Contents Under Pressure was developed by the research team with funding from the National Science Foundation and in collaboration with educational games designer Filament Games. In addition to the Himmelblau award in 2023, Contents Under Pressure was also recognized at the 2022 International Serious Play Awards as a Silver Medalist.

Burkey and the rest of the team will accept the award at the CAST Division Dinner, to be held at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Orlando in November.

In addition to the 2023 Himmelblau Award, Prof. Burkey is also the recipient of the 2021 Corcoran Award from the Chemical Engineering Division of ASEE and the 2020 Award for Innovation in Chemical Engineering Education from the AICHE Education Division. He currently serves as the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education in the School of Engineering, and is a 2020 Inductee into the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering and a 2019 University Teaching Fellow.