Indianapolis Section

Editor: Lia Treffman

February Meeting - Biological Engineering

Cathy R. Hood, Society for Biological Engineering

A presentation will be given by Cathy Hood, PE, about the Society for Biological Engineering (SBE), a newly launched effort by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers to connect interdisciplinary professionals within the biological industry. This is a joint meeting co-hosted by the Indianapolis Sections of American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Chemical Society. This excellent topic should be of benefit to our scientific community. The role of SBE will have a research focus and will have a wide audience in the Indianapolis area.

Feel free to attend and/or let others know that may have an interest. Contact Kevin Keating at keating_kevin@lilly.com or 317-651-1698 with any questions.

2003/04 Meeting Schedule (including special events)

Message from the Local Indianapolis AIChE Chairman

Please plan to attend our next meeting on February 17, 2004 at the Lilly Corporate Center, Business Dining Room. Your involvement can help strengthen our role as a professional organization. You can hear about an update of the future plans by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as discussed at the 2003 Annual Meeting held in San Francisco. There will be a presentation about new directions in chemical engineering with time for open discussion and idea collection. Meet other chemical engineers, and members from the American Chemical Society, as well as guests who have an interest in activities offered by the scientific community. We want to make a difference and have fun in doing what we do. Consider some of the other past activities that have been undertaken by the Indianapolis AIChE Section such as:

• Helped to organize events at the 2002 AIChE Annual Meeting held in Indianapolis;
• Participated in a Career Symposium to help encourage the training of new engineers and give them direction about potential job growth areas in the state;
• Worked with the Indy Partnership as part of discussions for inviting AIChE to consider Indianapolis as a headquarter site;
• Participated in the Chemistry Week activities at the Children's Museum to help promote the Indianapolis scientific community to young children;
• Attended plant tours at National Starch, and the Wabash River Coal Gasification Plant / FuelCell Energy demonstration facility;
• Have an established web site and Distillates Newsletter to help identify and promote our Section;
• Sponsor an AIChE meeting with the Purdue Section; and
• Provide a college scholarship.

Our normal attendance of chemical engineers at meetings have ranged between 3 and 15 people. Many other local AIChE sections across the country have had similar attendance records, but we hope to increase the number of local members who actively participate in our monthly functions. We invite you to help plan our activities and be a part of local influence that can benefit our scientific community.  

Thomas E. Leas PE, Chairman of the AIChE Indianapolis Section

Advance Notice: AIChE Spring Meeting April 25-29, 2004 - New Orleans, LA

The AIChE Spring Meeting scheduled for April 25-29, 2004 in New Orleans, LA,  will cover the following areas of interest:

• Process Intensification and Microreaction Technology
• Fuel Cells
• IT Applications in the CPI
• Green Chemical Engineering
• Heat and Mass Transfer in Emerging Energy Systems
• Loss Prevention
• Ethylene Producers Conference
• Natural Gas Utilization
• Refinery Processing
• The Profession in Transition
• Aromatics
• Chemical Entrepreneurism

• Hydrogen, Automotive Applications and Sustainability
• Natural Gas Pricing and Supply in North America
• Liquid Natural Gas
• Separations and Membranes
• Heat and Mass Transfer in Nuclear Systems, Micro Channels and Bio-Systems.

From the February AIChE Exchange:

While winter may bring plenty of snow and ice, February offers many reasons to celebrate: Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, Presidents Day, Mardi Gras, and African American History month, among others. AIChE also gives you ways to rejuvenate: a host of conferences, professional networks, and this latest issue of AIChExchange.

SPRING AHEAD: REGISTER TODAY FOR AICHE SPRING MEETING
Network with over 1500 of your colleagues and discover real-world solutions you can put to use immediately. Enjoy New Orleans' music, food, and culture, including the acclaimed JazzFest music festival. Learn more and register today at www.aiche.org/spring.

NATIONAL BIOTECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
Learn how biotechnology is transforming the pharmaceutical sciences at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) National Biotechnology Conference, May 16-19, Boston, MA, featuring multiple tracks,poster sessions, exhibits, and career center. AIChE members will receive a member discount. For more information, visit bio.aiche.org or www.aapspharmaceutica.com/nationalbiotech.

AWARDS OVERSIGHT
The National Winners of the AIChE Student Design Competition were recognized at the Annual Award Ceremony on November 16, part of the Annual Meeting and National Student Conference. Due to a communication error, the Second Place team from the University of Tulsa--Derrick Oneal, Jason Scott, and Mark Wilson (Laura Ford, advisor)--were not acknowledged. AIChE regrets the disappointment this caused the student team and its supporters. Learn more about this award at students.aiche.org/honors/nsdc.asp

LOCAL SECTION EVENT: HYDROGEN ECONOMY AND FUEL CELLS
Meet the leaders who are energizing the hydrogen economy and fuel cells at the NorCal Section's 42nd Annual Symposium, April 20, ChevronTexaco Park,Sam Ramon, CA. This one-day symposium features speakers, sessions, expo, and tour. It is an opportunity for all engineers and scientists to learn about new challenges and opportunities, meet the leaders, and tour an operating fuel cell system. For details, visit: www.aiche-norcal.org/symposium.html.

ANNUAL CALL FOR PAPERS
The 2004 AIChE Annual Meeting Call for Papers - PTP process is now open. Papers and posters are due on May 1. Submit papers online at www.aiche.org/annual.

ENGINEERING CHOCOLATE: A VALENTINE'S TREAT
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans consumed 24 pounds of candy per capita in 2002, with a large portion attributed to Valentine's Day. Learn about the engineering behind the sweets at www.engineergirl.org/nae/cwe/egcars.nsf/weblinks/CTON-4THVDV?Opendocument

WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK A GROUNDHOG
At 7:27 a.m. on February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog of Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania saw his shadow and offered his prediction: six more weeks of winter. www.groundhog.org

NAS: ENHANCING THE POST-DOC EXPERIENCE
The National Academy of Sciences Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy will hold its second convocation, "Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers," April 15, Washington, D.C, to evaluate the impact of the COSEPUP guide of the same title. The guide was drafted to inform post-docs, supervisors, institutions, and funding agencies of their opportunities, rights, and responsibilities. Postdoctoral scholars and principal investigators are invited to attend this free event. www7.nationalacademies.org/postdoc

NEW SUPERHEAVY ELEMENTS DISCOVERED
A team of scientists from the Glenn T. Seaborg Institute and the Chemical Biology and Nuclear Science Division at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia (JINR) recently discovered two new superheavy elements: element 113 and element 115. "This just opens up the horizon on the periodic table," said Ken Moody, Livermore's team leader. "It allows us to expand the fundamental principles of chemistry. From new chemistry comes new materials and new technology." Read more at www-cms.llnl.gov/e113_115/.

LEAP YEAR SCIENCE
Did you know one solar year (the time it takes for the earth to travel around the sun) is 365.24219 days? February 29 is added every fourth year to align the year with the course of the sun. Historically, after Julius Caesar's death in 44 B.C., calendars marked leap year every three years, not four, causing the seasons to slowly fall off course. In 1582, Pope Gregory XII noticed the problem and reset the seasonal schedule by decreeing October 4 as October 15, thus erasing the accumulated error.

OTC-CALL FOR PROGRAM COMMITTEE PARTICIPANTS
The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), May 3-6, Houston, TX, showcases the top innovations and accomplishments in this vital sector of the petroleum industry. OTC has been a fixture in Houston for the past three decades, attracting more than 50,000 attendees in 2003. As a co-sponsor, AIChE is represented on the program committee. If you are an AIChE member and interested in joining the committee, please contact: George Montgomery at 281/870-5413; gimontgomery@mcdermott.com or Art Schroeder at 713/681-1482; art@EnergyValley.net. A planning session for 2005 OTC will be held mid-April. For information about the 2004 OTC, visit www.otcnet.org.

NYC: EWEEK PROGRAM AND PROCLAMATION
The Metropolitan Engineering Societies Council invites local ChemEs to celebrate Engineers Week with a technical program and proclamation from the Mayor on February 12. Dinner starts at 5:30 pm, with program following at 7pm. Terry N. Adams, Ph.D., CTO, Changing World Technologies, will deliver "CWT's Thermal Process: Turning Organic Waste into Resources." Cost: $45.00. For more information, contact Wasyl Kinach, MESC chair at 212/669-2203; email info@mescnyc.org.

COATING AND DRYING, ADHESION SEMINARS OFFERED
The Coating and Drying Technology Seminar is designed for engineers and scientists who work with the coating of fluids onto continuous webs, and who wish to become familiar with all aspects of coating and drying. The next 3-1/2 day seminar will be held May 3-6. The Adhesion Technology Seminar is ideal for engineers and polymer chemists involved with practical adhesive bonding to plastics, metals, and other substrates. The next one-day seminar will be May 6-7. For more information, contact Dr. Edgar B. Gutoff, at 617/734-7081; ebgutof@coe.neu.edu; or visit: www1.coe.neu.edu/~ebgutof/.

$100 ANNUAL MEETING SURVEY WINNERS
Congratulations to the winners of AIChE's 2004 Annual Meeting Survey Contest: John La Scala, Alfred Hagemeyer, Ioannis Androukulakis, S. D. Jackson, and Herbert Riemenschneider, who will each receive a $100 American Express gift cheque. All contest entrants completed the Annual Meeting Survey, evaluating conference location, technical program, and value.