Richard Belzer, of the television program Law and Order, authored a book entitled “UFOs, JFK and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don’t Have to be Crazy to Believe.” I remember reading and enjoying the book. The author contended that there are five-sided…
It was Terry Thurber’s idea. It was a bad idea. But Bob Miller and Nick Urbanski taught me many years ago that, in the research and development (R&D) world, bad ideas are often the best ideas. Install things upside down…
Back in the 1980s when teaching a physical chemistry (P-chem) laboratory at Gannon University, I devised a simple experiment to analyze the rotational band structure of carbon monoxide using our newly acquired Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). Having worked with students…
At Chemical Engineering magazine, we focus the bulk of our coverage on the unit operations and equipment that tie the various segments of the chemical process industries (CPI) together. Regardless of industry sector, plant engineers perform chemical, mechanical and thermal…
There was genuine excitement at the November 14 and 15 ChemInnovations event held in New Orleans. This was especially true at the Plant Managers Roundtable that was moderated by Rebekkah Marshall. On stage with Rebekkah were Jim Armstrong of Rhodia,…
It always makes me nervous when people say “change is good.” By now I’ve come to realize that statement is usually made after change has taken place, usually without planning, and we might as well make the best of it.…
Based especially on FRI’s productivity statistics for 2010 and 2011, I was nominated for the ChemInnovations Plant Manager of the Year Award. On November 13, I attended the Awards Banquet, but I lost the award to a very worthy candidate…
I drink tap water! There, I finally said it. I am out of the closet — the water closet. My two sons are now cowering with shame, wondering how they can possibly ever face their Dasani-drinking friends again. It was…
My personal physician looks at me like I am a distillation column. Dr. Dianne English worked as a chemical engineer for about five years before attending and completing medical school. As an engineer, she worked for Champlin and Conoco-Phillips —…
More opinions on ChE education I would like to contribute to the discussion on “practical” ChE education (CE, September 2012). After graduation, I as well didn’t know what a pipe flange was, nor a gasket, didn’t know how to read…