Ultimately, the role of chemical engineers is to apply chemistry, especially biological, organic, and inorganic chemistry. Applying chemistry provides the gasoline, safe drugs, shampoo, textiles, plastics, computer chips, paints, and so many things that make up our everyday lives. To make all these things, chemical engineers combine chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology, economics, management, and computer science. These elements are used together to analyze and design systems, including chemical processes and products.
At UMass Amherst, undergraduate and graduate students learn how to apply sciences to manufacture this "stuff of life" while building the analytical and innovation skills needed to create new solutions. Lectures, computer use, problem-solving in and out of class, laboratory experiences, and intense discussion are all parts of this challenging major. Going beyond the traditional educational environment, our students hone their skills in a model computer classroom and in research supervised by the faculty.
Throughout the world, UMass Chemical Engineering is particularly known for four areas:
Multiscale systems analysis and design
Materials science and engineering, including polymers
Molecular and materials modeling
Cellular and metabolic bioengineering
In this website, you will find key information about all aspects of the department, including our faculty and their research interests as well as our teaching programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. For prospective students, links are provided to detailed information about our undergraduate/graduate programs and admissions procedures. Come to UMass and see!
Huber Does Double-time as Biofuels Newsmaker The cover story in the July issue of Scientific American, on newsstands this week, features an article by George Huber, Chemical Engineering Department, and a co-author. They predict that, if the United States maintains its commitment to biofuels over the next 15 years, the number of vehicles powered by “grassoline”― gasoline and diesel fuel made from plants―could “fundamentally change the world.” The article is entitled, “Grassoline at the Pump.” Meanwhile, Huber is also doing a congressional briefing on June 18 about “The road to the new energy economy,” sponsored by Discover magazine, the National Science Foundation, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Discover recruited Huber for the briefing as its "expert researcher" on biofuels. Read More
Eight Receive Isenberg Awards Eight outstanding graduate students at UMass Amherst, including chemical engineering doctoral student Tracy Heckler Panzarella, have been chosen to receive Eugene M. Isenberg Awards for the 2009-2010 academic year. This program was established in 1994 by Mr. Isenberg, an alumnus of the UMass Amherst School of Management and the CEO of Nabors Industries, Inc., to support and inspire campus graduate students who demonstrated both academic merit and a commitment to the integration of science, engineering, and management. The Isenberg Awards are given for amounts of up to $10,000. “We are grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Isenberg for their ongoing commitment to this program,” says Dean Mike Malone, the Ronnie & Eugene Isenberg Distinguished Professor. “Their leadership and insight into the value of integrative work offers a unique opportunity to our students.” Read More
Big Haul for ChE Grad Student It’s been an exciting spring for Tracy Heckler Panzarella. The fourth-year doctoral candidate in chemical engineering is not only one of eight UMass Amherst graduate students to receive Eugene M. Isenberg Awards for the 2009-2010 academic year, but a member of a team that recently won the $35,000 grand prize at the UMass Amherst Innovation Challenge Final Business Plan Competition. Panzarella’s winning team was named QD Tech, and her research was a key ingredient in the winning business plan. With the Isenberg Award, Panzerella can devote more time to QD Tech, including refinement and expansion of its business plan and applying for grant funding suitable for the business. In addition, she is a past recipient of a prestigious $30,000 Clare Boothe Luce Fellowship, intended to support “women of the highest academic standard.” Read More
QD Tech Wins Innovation Challenge On Tuesday, May 5, QD Tech won the $35,000 grand prize in the University of Massachusetts Amherst Innovation Challenge Final Business Plan Competition. The winning team plans to produce quantum-dot‐based materials designed to improve solar cells. “QD Tech aims to increase solar cell power output by adding a quantum dot active layer to increase existing solar cells’ efficiency,” the team described its technology. “Our proprietary quantum dot synthesis method allows us to do this at relatively low cost, when compared to the traditional quantum dot synthesis.” The $25,000 second-place prize went to Bug Power, a biotech company planning to produce a talented strain of bacteria that can simultaneously clean up waste, eliminate odor, and generate electricity in portable toilets. Read More
Lin Accepts Position at Yuan-Ze University Dr. Yu-Chuan Lin, a post-doc researcher in the group led by Dr. George Huber and Dr. Curt Conner, has recently accepted a position as assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science at Yuan-Ze University. Yuan-Ze University is a top-ranked private university in Taiwan, with approximately 10,000 students and 300 faculty members. He will begin his new position in August of 2009. “The Chemical Engineering Department helped me to obtain this position,” says Dr. Lin. “Our department is full of resources to help students and researchers establish their academic credits, which lead to their successful careers in the foreseeable future.” Read More
ChE Newsletter Archive 2006 >Spring | Fall
2007 > Spring | Fall
