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July, 2010

John L. Potter was leader in aerospace engineering

Jul. 30, 2010—John Leith Potter, internationally known as a pioneer in the aerodynamics of jet fighters, rockets and spacecraft, died July 20 in Homewood, Ala. He was 87. The chief designer of a unique, highly successful wind tunnel for studies of rarefied hypersonic flow, Potter was invited to give the review lecture at the 5th International Symposium...

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Jennings receives 2010 ACS Doolittle Award

Jul. 29, 2010—Professor G. Kane Jennings, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, with doctoral student Juan Tuberquia and undergraduate student Nabijan Nizamidin, was awarded the 2010 Arthur K. Doolittle Award from the American Chemical Society. L-R, Nabijan Nizamidin, Professor G. Kane Jennings, Juan Tuberquia. The award is given to the authors of the best paper presented...

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Sponsored research: Grants awarded to engineering faculty

Jul. 28, 2010—The Division of Sponsored Research received notification in June that the following grants in excess of $25,000 had been awarded to engineering faculty members: Theodore A. Bapty, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has received an award in the amount of $77,000 by the Department of Energy for “Lattice QCD SCIDAC:  Optimization of Faulty Mitigation for...

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Pintauro named a fellow of the Electrochemical Society

Jul. 15, 2010—Peter Pintauro, H. Eugene McBrayer Professor of Chemical Engineering and chair of the chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been named a fellow of the Electrochemical Society (ECS). A mark of high distinction, the fellowship was established in 1989 and recognizes individuals who have significantly contributed to electrochemistry and solid-state sciences and are active in the...

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Students use rocket flight to test thermoelectric generator for waste heat recovery

Jul. 9, 2010—Vanderbilt mechanical engineering students have designed a thermoelectric generator for aerospace applications that elicited strong accolades at the spring 2010 NASA-sponsored University Launch Initiative and won the Payload Design prize. It has no moving parts and can convert some of the waste exhaust heat into usable electrical power. L-R: Cris Lioi, Ty Barringer, Travis Chan,...

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Former BP executive alumnus Cynthia Warner left Big Oil for Big Algae

Jul. 2, 2010—As the former head of global refining for BP, alumnus Cynthia Warner was one of Big Oil’s highest-ranking woman executives until she abandoned petroleum to become president of a small San Diego-based alternative-energy firm, Sapphire Energy in 2009. Warner has more than 27 years of experience in the energy, refining and transportation industries and was...

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Peter Cummings to receive AIChE Founders Award

Jul. 1, 2010—Peter T. Cummings, the John R. Hall Professor of Chemical Engineering, will receive the 2010 Founders Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Chemical Engineering from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) in a ceremony Nov. 7 at the organization’s annual meeting in Salt Lake City. Cummings was specifically cited “for outstanding contributions...

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