Prashanth Palle won the first place award at the fifth annual NJIT GSA Research Showcase held on November 11, 2009. Palle's Abstract

DOE Selects Projects to Develop Pre-Combustion Carbon Capture Technologies for Coal-Based Gasification Plants

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of nine projects that will develop pre-combustion carbon capture technologies that can reduce CO2 emissions in future coal-based integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants. DOE solicited novel ideas on pre-combustion removal of the carbon content of the fuel and separation devices beyond current benchmarks of performance and cost that can separate hydrogen or CO2 from the water gas shift mixtures. In either option, the hydrogen must be available for the IGCC plant at practical rates and purity. One of the research projects selected was in Dr. Sirkar's research group.  

New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.— Dr. Kamalesh Sirkar (PI) proposed a pressure swing absorption approach to capture CO2 using an ionic liquid incorporated in either a ceramic hollow tube or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber membrane (DOE share: $805,819; recipient share: $206,017; duration: 36 months).

Mark Panczyk a recent graduate of our department now a doctoral student at the University of Delaware was recognized by the American Chemical Society's Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry for an outstanding poster contribution at the Fall 2009 ACS national meeting in Washington, D.C. http://www.che.udel.edu/

The NJIT chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers has won the Outstanding Student Chapter Award.  This is our chapter's 13th consecutive year winning this award. A special acknowledgement goes out to the executive board of NJIT's AIChE chapter as well as their advisors:  Lekshmi Pillai, Deepika Singh, Randy Murillo, Keena Patel and Paul Dupiano.  The advisors are Dr. Norman Loney and Shawn Yetman.

Dr. Kamalesh Sirkar, received the 2009 NJIT Excellence in Research Prize and Medal on October 7, 2009 for his pioneering research in membrane separation processes. These processes play a critical and greater role today in several areas of national interest including health care and the production of drinking water.

ExxonMobil Corporation presented a check to NJIT (9-23-09) for several engineering departments including Chemical, Biological & Pharmaceutical Engineering.  The scholarship funds are for incoming students.

Present for the event were:   Dr. Reginald Tomkins, Interim Chair, Chemical Engineering, Ms. Jacquelyn Rhodes, Associate Vice President University Advancement, and Ms. Monica Arboleda-Peña, Project Development Lead, ExxonMobil Corporation.

Laurent Simon, received the Master Teacher award during the NJIT University Convocation on Wednesday, September 2, 2009.

Dr. Xiao-Ping Dai received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Spring, 2000. She is currently employed at Medarex as a Biochemical Engineer; her position is now: Assistant Director, BioProcess Development.

(This picture appeared on the cover of Medarex’s Annual Report)

Lisa Kardos currently a Process Specialist for the Supply MFT Blending group, will move to the position of Section Leader for Americas PTF Deployment Team in Technology. Lisa will continue to be based at Linden Technology Center.

Joseph P. McCann, MSChE '68 U.S. Army CECOM, Fort Monmouth, Wire & Cable Expert for U.S. DOD (ret.) was the recipient of the 2009 Alumni Achievement Award for his significant development and patent of 'Waterproof Electrical Cable' the revolutionized the transmission of communications signals via cable in the 1960's; and for his achievements with the U.S. Rural Electrification Administration in developing specifications now used worldwide. 

Dr. Kamalesh Sirkar received the Clarence G. Gerhold Award on November 17, 2008 at the banquet of the separations division of AIChE during the Centennial Annual AIChE meeting in Philadelphia.

At the National Meeting of AIChE to be held in November 2008 Dr. Kamalesh Sirkar is being recognized for his contributions in Membrane Technology - two sessions Session 111 and Session 179 have been organized in his honor that reflect his contributions in his research area.   

At the University Convocation held on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 Chemical Engineering had the following award recipients - Distinguished Professor Piero Armenante received the award for Graduate Instruction. Distinguished Professor Rajesh Dave received two awards one for Excellence in Research and another for Master Teacher Designations. 

The Research and Development Council of NJ presented the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award to Kamalesh K. Sirkar, PhD, distinguished chemical engineering professor at NJIT.  Dr. Sirkar received the honor for his patent to remove volatile organic pollutants from waste gas streams produced from manufacturing processes before the toxic pollutants are released to the atmosphere.  The council also honored Jyh-Yao Raphel Li, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow who is a co-inventor of the patent.

Dimitrios Zarkadas received the graduate student award from the New Jersey Inventor Hall of Fame (NJIHOF) for the development of a technology for polymeric, hollow fine-fiber heat exchangers.  The awards ceremony was held at NJIT on June 22, 2006.

Dr. Piero Armenante is the recipient of the 2006 North American Mixing Forum NAMF Award for Contribution to Mixing Research and Practice, sponsored by Proctor & Gamble Company and the North American Mixing Forum of AIChE.

Dr. Deran Hanesian received the Saul K. Fenster Innovation in Engineering Education Award on May 5, 2006 from the Newark College of Engineering.

Dr. Kamalesh K. Sirkar, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at NJIT, received the AIChE Institute Award for Excellence in Industrial Gases Technology at the 2005 AIChE Annual Meeting. Dr. Sirkar was recognized for pioneering novel membrane gas separation techniques, innovative process concepts, membrane contractors for gas absorption/stripping, highly selective and stable liquid membranes, and for co-editing the "Membrane Handbook."

Stephanie Farrell, PhD ChE 1996, received the Robert G. Quinn award for outstanding contributions in providing and promoting excellence in experimentation and laboratory instruction.  The  award was presented at the 2006 ASEE Annual Conference in Chicago.

Anne Marie Flynn, PhD ChE 2000, received the Joseph J. Martin award of the Chemical Engineering Division for her paper on "The Greening of Chemical Engineering" students.  The award was presented at the 2006 ASEE Annual Conference in Chicago.

Dimitrios Zarkadas, PhD ChE January 2005) has been chosen as the recipient of the 2005 AIChE Process Development Division Student Paper Award.  The award will be presented to Dimitri on November 2, 2005 at the 2005 Annual AIChE meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Costas Gogos, Principal Investigator Advanced Cluster Energetics grant, was awarded $1,539,358.00 for the period of July 14, 2005 thru July 13, 2006.  

Dr. Kamalesh Sirkar has been selected as the recipient of the AIChE 2005 Institute Award for Excellence in Industrial Gases Technology.  This award is sponsored by Praxair, Inc., and will be presented to Dr. Sirkar at the Institute's Honors Ceremony scheduled for October 30, 2005 during AIChE's 2005 Annual Meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Deran Hanesian and Special Lecturer Joseph Kisutcza both won NJIT Excellence in Teaching Awards in their respective categories in 2004.  Dr. Hanesian also received the 2004 Newark College of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award which recognizes a full time member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching as recognized by faculty, students and alumni and has served as a full time member for at least three years

Dr. Piero Armenante received the Saul K. Fenster Innovation in Engineering Education that  recognizes significant innovative outstanding contributions to  engineering education at NCE .

Dr. Marino Xanthos was named a winner of the 2003 Harlan J. Perlis Research Award, presented by the NJIT Board of Overseers to a faculty member whose work advances the state-of-the-art and furthers scientific investigation.He was also named a fellow of the Society for Plastics Engineers (SPE). Out of some 25,000 members of SPE, only 210 have ever been elected to fellow status.

Dr. Dana Knox was named secretary of the Subcommittee on Solubility and Equilibrium Data of  IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry).