James A. Dumesic, Steenbock Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, will present the 2010 L. K. Doraiswamy Honor Lecture at Iowa State University on Thursday, February 4, at 11:00 a.m. in 171 Durham. His topic is “Catalytic Approaches for Conversion of Biomass to Liquid Fuels and Chemicals.” The lecture is free and open to the public.
Dumesic, who has been on the University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty since 1976, pioneered the field of microkinetic analysis in which diverse information from experimental and theoretical studies is combined to explain the essential surface chemistry that controls catalyst performance. Most recently he has advanced the use of heterogeneous catalysis for the conversion of renewable biomass resources to hydrogen, liquid hydrocarbons, and intermediates for the chemical industry.
Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1998, Dumesic has received a variety of awards and honors in the field of catalysis and chemical engineering. His awards include the Colburn Award and Wilhelm Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Emmett Award from the North American Catalysis Society, and research excellence awards from the New York and Michigan catalysis societies. In 2009 he was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was awarded the William H. Walker Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for outstanding contributions to chemical engineering literature. He has published more than 330 papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Dumesic earned his BS degree at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and MS and PhD degrees at Stanford University.
The lecture series is named in honor of L. K. Doraiswamy, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Iowa State University Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and a former director of India’s National Chemical Laboratory. Each year the lecture series brings an internationally recognized scientist or engineer to Iowa State University and the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, India, to present lectures.
Contact: Christi Patterson, Chemical and Biological Engineering, 515 294-7643