In January 2013, the EWB-UMBC team traveled to Isongo, Kenya for an assessment trip, during which they successfully established relationships with the residents, mapped the community, analyzed the water quality, and surveyed residents on water, sanitation, and hygiene. Now the group is planning an implementation trip for January 2014 to install a clean water system that will benefit 500 people from Isongo.

But they can’t make the trip without your help.

How can you help?

Your donation makes two things possible: (1) Development of a clean water supply for the community of Isongo, Kenya and (2) transformative experiences for UMBC students interested in international, humanitarian work. You can also help the EWB-UMBC project by spreading the word to your friends, family, and co-workers. Money raised will help pay for materials and tools needed to drill wells in Isongo, as well as travel and lodging costs for student volunteers.
With your help, EWB-UMBC hopes to raise $20,050 to send a team of 6 students to Kenya to complete this important project.

For more information or to donate, please visit EWB-UMBC's crowdfunding page.

Congratulations to Environmental Engineering graduate student Aditi Bhaskar for receiving a Rising Young Star award at the 2013 Gordon Conference on Catchment Science, which was held Jun 16-21, 2013 in Andover, NH.

Regular conference meetings were preceded by a two-day Gordon Research Seminar, in which graduate students and post-doctoral investigators met as a group to share and discuss their cutting-edge research, build new scientific collaborations and prepare for their interactions with more senior scientists. The goal of the symposium was to promote networking among the young people in advance of the conference in a non-threatening, low-key environment. Students were required to apply in order to be allowed to give oral presentations, and the top three outstanding oral presentations were selected by a vote of all seminar attendees. Rising Young Star recipients were then given the honor of presenting their work to the general conference.

Ms. Bhaskar, who is a research assistant in the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE), did a wonderful job giving her presentation and received congratulations from attendees from around the world, many of whom are senior and well known scientists. CBEE is very proud of her remarkable achievement!

Recipients of a Ph.D. degree in Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering

The following Ph.D. graduates completed a doctoral thesis describing significant research contributions to their field:

John Bendick May 2013, High Shear Rotary Membrane System Enhancements for Naval Wastewaters MENTOR: Brian Reed

Philip Gidly Dec. 2012, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Transport in Amended Sediment Caps MENTOR: Upal Ghosh

Hui Guo May 2013, Development of Chromatofocusing Techniques Employing Mixed-Mode Column Packings for Biomolecule Separations MENTOR: Doug Frey

Angele Kwimi May 2013, Interaction of As(III), As(V) and PO4 with Fe Oxide Impregnated Activated Carbons: Modeling Multisorbate Adsorption using the Surface Complexation Approach MENTOR: Brian Reed

Recipients of a Master of Science degree in Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering

The following M.S. graduates completed a thesis describing original research endeavors:

Helena Gaifem, Dec. 2012 The Influence of Neural Stem Cells on the Degradation of Poly(Ethylene) Glycol Hydrogel Scaffolds MENTOR: Jennie Leach

Priyanka Gupta, May 2013 Completely Non-invasive Monitoring of Dissolved Oxygen in Disposable Small Scale Cell Culture Devices MENTOR: Govind Rao

Sunsanee Kanjananimmanot, May 2013 Noninvasive Transdermal Glucose Monitoring using a Fluorescent Glucose Binding Protein MENTOR: Govind Rao

Shengchun Liu, May 2013 The Influence of Micro-patterned Surface on the Formation of Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm MENTOR: Julia Ross

Jacob Sarnecki, Dec 2012 Using Genome Scale Metabolic Models to Determine the Similarity of the Crabtree and Warburg Elfects MENTOR: Mariajose Castellanos

Shelby Vargo, Aug. 2012 Cell Response to Hydrogel Tissue Scalfolds MENTOR: Jennie Leach

Bo Wang, Dec. 2012 Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Fish from Maryland Waters MENTOR: Upal Ghosh

Yunqian Wei, Aug. 2012 Polyethylene Glycol-Peptide Hydrogels as Affinity Growth Factor Release Scalfolds MENTOR: Jennie Leach

The following M.S. graduates completed Master level course work and also worked with Faculty Mentors in their laboratories:

Opeyemi Ajayi, Dec. 2012 Developing Chemical Genetic Profiling Methods for Fungi MENTOR: Mark Marten

Chijioke Irrechukwu, May 2013

Sivesh Muthuswarmy, Dec. 2012 Quantifying morphology of autophagy deficient fugal mutants MENTOR: Mark Marten

Brian O'Hara, Dec 2012 Studying processes using differential equations MENTOR: Mariajose Castellanos

Payam Rezaei, May 2013 Large scale sorting of nanoparticles MENTOR: Doug Frey

Nicholas Selock, May2013 C02 Sensor Development MENTOR:Govind Rao

Recipients of Bachelor's of Science degree in Chemical Engineering

Omar M. Ahmed, B.S.
Saqib M. Ashraf, B.S.
Natalie A. Austin, B.S.
Henry 0. Ayoola, B.S.
Zach Bailey, B.S. HONORS: Cum Laude
Adithya Balasubramanian, B.S. HONORS: Summa Cum Laude, Certificate: Honors College
Catherine H. Brown, B.S. Minor: Psychology
Keisha M. Carr, B.S. HONORS: Cum Laude
Rosilyn J. Chirayath, B.S.
Carole-Anne G. Dallo, B.S.
Andrew Dillon, B.S.
Eli Y. Eisenberg, B.S. HONORS: Magna Cum Laude
Azra Hosie, B.S. Minor: Modern Languages and Linguistics
Lilian C. Johnson, B.S. HONORS: Magna Cum Laude; Certificate: Honors College
Nikolaus H. Jost, B.S. HONORS: Cum Laude; Certificate: Honors College
Phillip H. Kang, B.S. HONORS: Magna Cum Laude
Virgil Ketner, B.S. Second Major: Chemistry
Bryan Y. Kim, B.S.
Dongxue Li, B.S.
Hung Lu, B.S.
Joshua M. Martin, B.S.
Jennifer E. Mohr, B.S.
Satomi Morimoto, B.S.
Brittany A. Nordmark, B.S. HONORS: Cum Laude
Chiazor Tolu Nwachukwu, B.S.HONORS: Magna Cum Laude
David J. Ring, B.S. HONORS: Magna Cum Laude; Minor: Mathematics; Certificate: Honors College
Elham Safavi, B.S.
Marc A. Scimonelli, B.S.
Eugene Shin, B.S.
Robert L. Temple, B.S.
Jonathan E. Tourgee, B.S.
Brianna Grace Trankle, B.S.
Camille Q. Vu, B.S. HONORS: Magna Cum Laude
Christopher L. Yankaskas, B.S. HONORS: Summa Cum Laude
Talat Zeini, B.S.

Hui Guo successfully defended her PhD on April 26th, 2013. Her research was performed in the Frey Lab; the title of her dissertation was "Development of Chromatofocusing Techniques Employing Mixed-Mode Column Packings for Biomolecule Separations."

John Bendick successfully defended his Ph.D. on April 17th, 2013. His research was performed in the Reed Lab; the title of his dissertation was "High Shear Rotary Membrane System Enhancements for Naval Wastewaters".

Angele Kwimi successfully defended her Ph.D. on March 29th, 2013. Her research was performed in the Reed Lab; the title of her dissertation was "Interaction of As(III), As(V) and PO4 with Fe Oxide Impregnated Activated Carbons: Modeling Multisorbate Adsorption using the Surface Complexation Approach".

In January 2013, the UMBC chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UMBC) successfully completed an assessment trip to Isongo, Kenya for a clean water project. Students, Chris Mullen (Mechanical Engineering, ‘14) and Dalton Hughes (Chemical Engineering, ‘14), travelled with CBEE professor, Lee Blaney, and professional engineer, Duane Wilding, of the Maryland Environmental Service. The principal goal of this assessment trip was to establish a relationship with the Isongo community and to collect data on the water source currently being used by over 500 villagers. With the help of several community members, the team conducted basic topological surveys, chemical & bacteriological analysis, and household interviews over the weeklong trip.

In partnership with Simiyu House Kenya, a non-profit organization, EWB-UMBC will design and implement a clean and safe water supply for the community of Isongo. Having reliable access to clean water will reduce the incidence of waterborne disease and improve the overall living conditions of the villagers. Currently, the EWB-UMBC chapter is beginning the design phase of the project and raising funds to implement a safe water system in January 2014. The chapter expects to take 5-7 students on the implementation trip.

EWB-UMBC is a student-run organization that seeks to complete sustainable engineering projects in the developing world. All majors and backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to join. More information can be found at http://ewbatumbc.tumblr.com/.

If you would like to join the group, please email Madison Bondoc at umbc.ewb.secretary@gmail.com.

If you would like to donate to the EWB-UMBC project, please follow this link: https://ssl.charityweb.net/ewbusa/pfp/ewbumbckenyawaterproject.htm.
 

Some of the EWB-UMBC team’s helpers.

The EWB-UMBC team (minus Duane Wilding) with community leaders in Isongo.

Dalton Hughes, Chris Mullen, and Duane Wilding conducting water quality testing.

Thumbs-up all around at the end of a successful day!

Our new undergraduate track in Environmental Engineering and Sustainability leads to a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering. For details see our Curriculum Page.

The CBEE Department said good bye to Mary Anderson, who faithfully served the department for over 16 years, at a farewell party on Aug 23, 2012. Mary earned her MS degree and is leaving to begin a new career. While we'll miss her very much, we wish her all the best in her new endeavor.

Pictured left to right: Good, Rao, Leach, Bayles, Frey, Kedzierski, Ross, Mary Anderson, Enszer, Castellanos, Blaney, Marten, Loehe, Hennigan

The Novozymes Zymobile visited the CBE Department this week. Pictured (L to R) Prashant Bapat, Karthik Boppidi, Bill Moss, Mark Marten, Jason Noel.

Graduate and undergraduate students from the department participated in an outreach event at a local elementary school called "Groovy Science Night." UMBC students helped the elementary students learn about rheology, microscopy and polymer science... all while having fun! For more pictures see the UMBC GSN web site.

We are happy to announce that the former departments of "Chemical and Biochemical Engineering" and "Civil and Environmental Engineering" have joined forces to create new and exciting educational opportunities for our students. We are now the...

Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering

The merger has created a significantly larger department with expanded research breadth. A few details about ongoing changes are included below. Please be patient while we work to merge our two websites into one and check back often to track the many new things that are happening!

What’s new as a result of the merger?

• We’ve hired two new faculty members as part of the merger. Dr. Lee Blaney is a new Assistant Professor and is building a research program focused on advanced treatment processes aimed at removing pharmaceuticals from water and wastewater matrices. Dr. Josh Enszer has joined us as a new Lecturer, conducting courses involving experimental and computational tools, mathematical modeling, and working with new learning technologies.


• We are currently searching for another new Assistant Professor.


• We are expanding the opportunities for our undergraduates by adding a new track in Environmental Engineering and Sustainability. The track leads to the B.S. degree in chemical engineering and is available to current freshmen and sophomores at UMBC as well as incoming students. Help us spread the word!

• We continue to offer all of the degree programs from each of the departments including the B.S. in Chemical Engineering, the M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering that is focused exclusively in environmental engineering and water resources.


• The people! All faculty and staff from the two departments are still here.


• We continue to be a research focused department that is student-centered. Faculty and student success are still our highest priorities and we strive to provide a close-knit and inclusive environment for all.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) seeks to fill a new tenure-track position
at the assistant professor level as part of a strategic initiative to expand its research and
academic leadership in environmental sustainability.

For details see our Faculty Search Page.

Ph.D. student Barbara Beckingham won the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors/Wiley Publishers Best Student Poster award at the Biennial Conference of the organisation in Tampa earlier this week. Barbara's research involves assessment and control of toxic chemical bioavailability to benthic organisms. Shown in this picture, Barbara is getting ready to deploy caged organisms to assess pollutant biouptake at a pilot demonstration site in a contaminated river.

Recipients of Bachelor's of Science degree in Chemical Engineering

Our B.S. graduates have accepted offers from companies such as Dupont, Constellation Energy, Boeing, the Navy, Procter and Gamble, Bechtel, CTC, and graduate schools such as University of Michigan, University of Delaware, Drexel University and UMBC.

From left to right: (back) Jessica, Hythem, Luis, Kellie, Jake, Matt, Jay, Brian, Dewey, Jason, Josh, Danny, Ryan, and Mike (middle) Kellie, Tim, Donterrius, Brian, and Norman (front) Shelby, Ona, Marsha, Carol, Sofia, Cassie and Angela.

Michael K. Boone-Felder
Timothy R. Buck
Brian P. Cottrell
Norman T. Dean* (Honors College)
Cassie M. Dobrzanski
Donterrius A. Ethridge
Sofia D. Francisco
Daniel A. Gray
Imhotep N. Jackson
Joshua D. Levine (Minor: History) ^
Jason A. Loiland** ^ (Double Major: Music)
Yuchen Luo (Minor: Economics) ^
Angela R. Nealen
Brian R. O'Hara
Carol A. Ortega
Sylvie S. Osias (Minor: Economics)
Timothy S. Paterniti
Stephanie E. Pubill ^
Kiran Quraishi (Minor: Biological Sciences)
Joseph A. Richards
Jacob Sarnecki* ^
Matthew J. Schwarz*
Onajite Shemi*
Hythem I. Sidky
Kellie Tilley*
Jessica L. Trankle
Shelby L. Vargo
Luis T. Verona** ^
Marsha K. Walker*
Nicole R. Wallace**
Dewey J. Ward

* Cum Laude
** Magna Cum Laude
*** Summa Cum Laude
^ Biotechnology/Bioengineering Track

Recipients of a Master of Science degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering* and Civil Engineering^

Clockwise: Tomilayo, Shilpa, Nikhila, Mutsa, Archana, and Zach.

The following M.S. graduates completed Master level course work and also worked with Faculty Mentors in their laboratories and have accepted offers of employment with companies including GE and Jacobs Engineering Group.

Nikhila Vikas Karnik* “High-performance size-exclusion chromatography of proteins”
Mentor: Doug Frey

Philip Andrew Kartochvil*

Tomilayo Komolafe* “Predicting petroleum properties through artificial neural networks”
Mentor: Mariajose Castellanos

Naga Shilpa Vadala* “Analysis of ECM production”
Mentor: Jennie Leach

Zachary Daniel Vonder Haar* “The INSPIRES Curriculum”
Mentor: Julie Ross and Taryn Bayles

The following M.S. graduates completed a thesis describing original research endeavors and have accepted offers of employment with companies such as MedImmune.

Mutsa Yvonne Kambarami* "Quantifying the effect of hydrodynamic shear on polymorphonuclear leukocyte adhesion to Staphylococcus aureus biofilms"
Mentor: Julie Ross

Jennifer Jerscheid^ “Impact of activated carbon on benthic organism toxicity and PCB loss from sediment”
Mentor: Upal Ghosh

Chirayu Joshi^ “Laboratory assessment of bioavailability reduction of DDx by sorbent amendments to sediment”
Mentor: Upal Ghosh

Archana Sriram* (December 2010) “Engineering periplasmic binding proteins to develop potential sensors to measure glucose, glutamine and lactate”
Mentor: Govind Rao

Recipients of a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

The following Ph.D. graduates completed a doctoral thesis describing significant research contributions to their field and have accepted positions at Decision Resources Consulting and Martek.

From Top to Bottom: Miguel, Andreia, and Goncalo

Miguel Acosta “Miniaturized probes for cell microenvironment: development, characterization, and application of fluorescent oxygen-sensing microparticles”
Mentor: Jennie Leach

Goncalo Maia (December 2010) “Design of large scale kinetic metabolic models: applications in mammalian and algae metabolism”
Mentor: Mariajose Castellanos

Andreia Sofia Gaifem Ribeiro “Translating neuronal responses from 2D to 3D microenvironments to improve the design of biomaterials”
Mentor: Jennie Leach

Graduate and undergraduate students from the department participated in an outreach event at a local elementary school called "Groovy Science Night." UMBC students helped the elementary students learn about rheology, microscopy and polymer science... all while having fun! For more pictures see the UMBC GSN web site.

At the recent UMBC Service Awards, our beloved Mary Anderson was honored for 30 years of faithful service to UMBC. We are grateful for the dedication and excellence that Mary shows in all that she does. Her commitment to the department and the students is clear to all who meet her and her contribution to the department is, quite literally, immeasurable. On behalf of all the students and faculty - THANK YOU!

For pictures from the event, please visit Photos from the UMBC Service Awards

To see an in depth interview with Mary Anderson look at this video on UMBC-Tube

Cluster Hire in Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering at UMBC
Three positions to be filled: The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) seeks to fill two
new tenure-track positions at the assistant professor level and one lecturer position as part of a strategic initiative to expand its research and academic leadership in environmental sustainability.

For details see our Faculty Search Page.

Recipients of Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering

Our B.S. graduates have accepted offers from companies such as ECBC in Aberdeen and graduate schools such as University of Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins University, University of Rochester, EPFL at Lausanne and UMBC.

From left to right: (back) Jon, Ryan, Ben, Rohan, Colin K., Robert, Brooke, Dom, Mike & Zach
(front) Philip, Colin H., Fabiola, A.K., Jenny & Hannah

Jonathan A. Bollinger **
Ryan P. Connor ^
Philip A. Cutler
Benajmin D. D'Alessio ^
Jenny R. Donoghue
Rohan Durbal
Jeremiah Flynn ^
John C. Haser **
Kirbi M. Hawkins (Minor: Economics)
Robert M. Henderson * ^
Chijioke O. Irrechukwu
Colin J. Kelly (Certificate: Honors College)
Brooke E. Leibforth
Dominique T. Monteil ^ (Minor: Modern Languages and Linguistics)
Michael S. Pacella *** ^
Akanksha W. Raja
Fabiola E. Rincon
Zachary D. Vonder Haar *
Hannah K. Wilson ** ^ (Minor: Biological Sciences)

* Cum Laude
** Manga Cum Laude
*** Summa Cum Laude
^ Biotechnology/Bioengineering Track

Recipients of a Master of Science degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

From left to right: Ryan Park, Ashrith Mathias & Robert Reeves

The following M.S. graduates completed Master level course work and also worked with Faculty Mentors in their laboratories and have accepted offers of employment at OSIsoft.

Ashrith Mathias
Sialic acid polymers prevent amyloid binding to cells, a step towards preventing neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease
Mentor: Theresa Good

Ryan Park
Exploring signaling reactions of beta amyloid with T cells and neurons: clues to the mechanism of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease
Mentor: Theresa Good

Robert Reeves
The INSPIRES Curriculum
Mentors: Taryn Bayles & Julie Ross

The following M.S. graduate completed a thesis describing original research endeavors and has accepted an offer of employment at the Naval Research Laboratory.

Jessica Schwartz
The influence of human serum on Staphylococcus aureus growth, collagen and fibrinogen receptor expression and adhesion to Immobilized collagen and fibrinogen under dynamic shear
Mentor: Julie Ross

Recipients of a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

Left to right: Silviya Petrova and Jennie Leach & Ben Keshet

The following Ph.D. graduates completed a doctoral thesis describing significant research contributions to their field and and have accepted postdoctoral fellowships at the National Institute of Health.

Ben Keshet
Towards understanding the molecular details of beta amyloid neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease
Mentor: Theresa Good

Silviya Petrova (December 2009)
Star poly(ethylene glycol) as a tunable scaffold for neural tissue engineering
Mentor: Jennie Leach

Mark Marten was selected as recipient of the James M. Van Lanen Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the BIOT Division. Mark received the award from Weichang Zhou, BIOT 2009 Chair at the ACS National Meeting in Washington DC.

Recipients of Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering

Our B.S. graduates have accepted offers from companies such as MedImmune, Exxon, ECBC in Aberdeen, Lockheed Martin, and graduate schools such as Northwestern University, Cornell University, University of Delaware and UMBC.

From left to right:
Back: J. Ross, Tim, Ryan, Eric, Larry, Bob, Rob, Bobby.
Middle: Jessica, J. Leach, Amanda, Ashrith, T. Bayles, Mike, Nizeet, Olu, Aileen, T. Good.
Front: Fellipe, Joel, M. Castellanos.

Nizeet Aguilar ^
Fellipe F. Balieiro *
Eric C. Borman
Timothy D. Courtney **
Jessica E. Dewitt
Mike German ** ^
Joel M. Gwinn
Lawrence P. Hetzel *
Thomas C. Hsu (Minor: Mathematics and Statistics) ^
Amanda K. Karp * ^
Ryan Kostick *
Rob C. Low
Ashrith Mathias ^
Oluwaseun D. Olayiwola (Minor: Biological Sciences) ^
Adebimpe D. Oyede
Robert P. Reeves **
Aileen P. Richards*
Lauren A. Smalls-Mantey ^

* Cum Laude
** Manga Cum Laude
^ Biotechnology/Bioengineering Track

Recipients of a Master of Science degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

From left to right: James Pallikal, Mariajosé Castellanos, Joe Piekarski, Nichole Au

The following M.S. graduates completed Master level course work and also worked with Faculty Mentors in their laboratories and have accepted offers of employment at ECBC.

Nichole Au
The INSPIRES Curriculum
Advisors: Taryn Bayles & Julie Ross

Yadira Castillo
Investigations of new chromatographic methods and materials
Advisor: Doug Frey

The following M.S. graduates completed a thesis describing original research endeavors and have accepted offers of employment at MedImmune or are continuing doctoral degrees in Chemical Engineering at UMBC.

Hui Guo (December 2008)
Thesis: Dispersion phenomena in micropellicular HPLC columns
Advisor: Doug Frey

James Pallikal (December 2008)
Thesis: Investigation of MUC1 in Alzheimer's applications
Advisor: Theresa Good

Joseph Piekarski
Thesis: Construction of a dual infection mechanism for HIV
Advisor: Mariajosé Castellanos

Recipients of a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

Left: Yonghyun (John) Kim and Mark Marten
Right: Julie Ross, Patrick Ymele-Leki, Irina Ramos, Theresa Good

The following Ph.D. graduates completed a doctoral thesis describing significant research contributions to their field and and have accepted offers of employment at MedImmune and postdoctoral fellowships at the Korean Samsung Cancer Center and Harvard Children Hospital.

Yonghyun (John) Kim (December 2008)
Thesis Proteomic identification of novel regulators and effectors of osmoadaptation and autophagy of model filamentous fungi Aspergillus nidulans
Advisor: Mark Marten

Irina Ramos
Thesis: Role of β-Amyloid structure and residue accessibility in cell interactions associated with Alzheimer’s disease
Advisor: Theresa Good

Patrick Ymele-Leki
Thesis: Quantitative analysis of the accumulation, architectural organization, detachment and reseeding of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms under physiological fluid shear conditions
Advisor: Julie Ross

Taryn Bayles was selected as recipient of the USM 2009 Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring. This award is the highest honor that the Board of Regents bestows to recognize exemplary faculty achievement.

Bhargavi Kondragunta, a third year Ph.D. student in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, was selected to receive the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. This award is selected through a national competition each year. Bhargavi works with Dr’s Antonio Moreira and Govind Rao. Bhargavi’s project title: Quality by design using high throughput bioreactors with feed-back control (HTCB) to predict multivariable relationships. Bhargavi will use time course analysis with DNA micro arrays to establish comparability of HTCBs to bench scale during fed-batch bioreactor runs. Obtain design space variables, as well as multivariable equations between input process variables and output product attributes using statistical experimental design. Bhargavi earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the Osmania University, Hyderabad, India in 1995 and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Drexel University, Philadelphia. Bhargavi has also held several bioprocess engineering and scientist positions in Upstream Process Development and Technology Transfer for the past 9 year in biopharmaceutical companies in the US.

The Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) founded in 1946 is the leading global provider of science, technology and regulatory information and education for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical community. Its mission is to develop scientifically sound, practical technical information and resources for the pharmaceutical industry through the expertise of its global membership. In addition to facilitating development, testing and qualification of new technologies, sponsoring educational conferences and training courses, PDA publishes the PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology and the PDA Letter, which focuses on current industry and regulatory news. It continues to be a leading and influential contributor of information for the global regulatory and harmonization processes.

In recognition of the research efforts and influence of students impacting the pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical industry, PDA and the PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology have established Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program and the Annual Graduate Research Symposium. These programs were developed to promote applied research in areas of study relevant to the scientific foundations of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical product development, drug manufacturing and quality assurance technologies.

Recipients of Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering

Our B.S. graduates have accepted offers from companies such as Exxon, NupocNavy Officer, NIH Vaccine Research Center NIAID and graduate schools such as Cambridge University, Stanford University, Tulsa University, Brown University, Berkeley University, and University of Maryland Baltimore.

From left to right.
Standing: George, Areeb, Tolu, Eric, Bill, Mark, Adeniyi, Jacob, Amaka, Guy, Quang,
Nirav, Abraham, David. Bottom row: Nichole, Pete, Jessica, Debbie, Amber, Sylvia, Tania.

George E. Aninwene II (Minor: Biological Sciences) ^
Nichole B. Au (Minor: History) *^
Tolulope O. Babalola
William A. Becker
Mark A. Benesch **
Abraham G. Beyene **
Peter D. Block (Minor: Psychology)
Amaka Chidume-Okoro (Minor: Modern Language & Linguistics) *
Jacob S. Demirji ^
David E. Dunn
Simon M. Gray (Valedictorian) ***^
Terrell K. Higgins
Quadri O. Johnson
Guy S. Kamguia
Josphat G. Kiaritha
Ariane C. Kouamou
Quang M. La
Debora W. Lin (Minor: Biological Sciences) **^
Jian Liu (Double Major: Chemistry)
Amber Mahmood
Tania Monterastelli **
Eric C. Mortin *^
Adeniyi O. Olujoya
Nirav Patel
Christa L. Puhl (Minor: Biological Sciences) ^
Sylvia J. Rivera
Jessica E. Schwartz ^
Areeb A. Shaikh

* Cum Laude
** Manga Cum Laude
*** Summa Cum Laude
^ Biotechnology/Bioengineering Track

Recipients of a Master of Science degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

The following M.S. graduates completed a thesis describing original research endeavors and have accepted offers of employment at TAI Engineering and Aberdeen Proving Grounds or are pursuing doctoral degrees in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University and the University of Delaware.

From left to right: Jake McGill, Tony Geisz, Brad Gates and Jessica Drew.

Jessica L. Drew
Thesis: Application of High Throughput Bioreactors in Subclone Selection
Advisor: Govind Rao

Bradford M. Gates
Thesis: Amyloid-Neuron Interactions Explored via Computational Modeling
Advisor: Mariajose Castellanos

Anton J. Geisz, Jr.
Thesis: Multivalent Sialic Acid Polymers: A Novel Chemistry
Advisor: Theresa Good

Leonard C. Lombardo
Thesis: Engineering Macroporous Hydrogels via the Degradation of Embedded Microspheres
Advisor: Jennie Leach

Jacob A. McGill
Thesis: Development of an Intracellular Infection Model and Integration of Diffusional Virus Effects into a Cellular Automata Simulation
Advisor: Mariajose Castellanos

Recipients of a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

The following Ph.D. graduates completed a doctoral thesis describing significant research contributions to their field and are currently working at companies such as Wyeth, Regeneron, and Novozymes and postdoctoral fellowships at NIST and Drexel University.

From left to right
Top Row: David Schaefer, Niraj George, Michael Johnson, Chris Cowan
Middle Row: Liming Zhao, Julie Ross, Derek Smith, Michael Hanson
Bottom Row: Judith Kadarusman, Mark Marten, Theresa Good, Govind Rao

Christopher B. Cowan
Thesis: Developing Novel Materials that Capture the Alzheimer's Disease Associated Protein Beta Amyloid for Therapeutic and Detection Applications
Advisor: Theresa Good

Niraj P.E. George
Thesis: Influence of Shear Stress on the Adhesion of S. aureus to Immobilized Platelets
Advisor: Julia Ross and Konstantinos Konstantopoulos

Michael Hanson
Thesis: High Throughput Bioreactor Validation and Use in Mammalian Cell Culture Process Change Studies Utilizing Gene Expression Data
Advisors: Govind Rao and Antonio Moreira

Michael A. Johnson
Thesis: Platelet-S. aureus Interactions: A Study of Thrombus Formation in Whole Blood in the Presence of Bacteria Under Physiological Shear Conditions
Advisor: Julia Ross

Wendy Lea
Thesis: Development, Validation and Application of a Biological Antioxidant Capacity Assay Using sodA::gfp as a Living Sensor
Advisor: Govind Rao and Leah Tolosa

Judith K. Pollack
Thesis: Study of the Morphology and Physiology of Filamentous Fungi During Nutrient Starvation Using the Parallel Plate Flow Chamber
Advisor: Mark Marten

Derek S. Smith
Thesis: Plasmonic Enhancement for the Development of High Sensitivity, Low-Cost Fluorescence Sensing With Ultrafast Detection
Advisor: Govind Rao and Yordan Kostov

Liming Zhao
Thesis: Surface Structures and Mechanical Properties of Model Fungus Aspergillus nidulans
Advisor: Mark Marten and David Schaefer

Congratulations to Dr. Mark R. Marten, who was promoted to Professor on July 1, 2008. Information on Dr. Marten's research can be found on his laboratory web site.

Mr. Simon Gray, a graduating senior in the department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, has been chosen as UMBC’s 2008 Valedictorian.

Simon not only has an outstanding record of academic accomplishment, including a 4.0 GPA, but graduated from High School a year early and has finished all the requirements (and then some) for the Chemical Engineering B.S. degree in just three years. In addition to his course work, Simon completed an internship at Lyondell Chemical Company, and has excelled in undergraduate research. During the summer 2007, Mr. Gray was supported by the National Science Foundation to perform bioremediation research through a program organized by the Ocean University of China. His project analyzed the microbial diversity of crude oil contaminated soil of the Yellow River Delta in Shandong Province, China. In addition, he has performed on campus undergraduate research in the laboratory of Dr. Jennie Leach focused on miniaturizing oxygen sensor technology through the use of biocompatible polymers.

Simon’s aspirations are to be a physician/scientist with his own company. He has been accepted to study at Cambridge next year in a unique program which will combine both advanced studies in Chemical Engineering and Business/Management; after which he will pursue his MD/PhD. In addition, Simon is the recipient of the extremely competitive and tremendously prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

Simon conducting High School outreach project as part of ENCH 427 Heat and Mass Transfer, with colleagues from Senior Design class (ENCH 446), and standing on Great Wall of China during Summer Internship.

Dr. Julia Ross has been elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers. Election to this Institute is done by nomination, selection by a primary committee and final vote by 75% of the current AIMBE membership. Election to Fellow of AIMBE is one of the highest scientific recognitions in the biological and biomedical sciences.

Bob Reeves won a first place award for his poster presentation at the Tenth Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences. The Symposium invites contributions from all interested undergraduates concerning their research in any aspect of Chemistry, Biology and Biochemistry and typically draws more than 200 contributions for consideration.

Dr. Govind Rao was elected AAAS Fellow for innovative research in the field of optical sensors, which has lead to a paradigm shift in bioprocessing applications. Each year, the AAAS Council elects members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its application are scientifically or socially distinguished.”

Dr. Antonio Moreira was appointed by the Portuguese National Science and Technology Foundation to chair an international panel to evaluate chemical engineering and biotechnology research in Portugal.

The American Society for Engineering Education selected Professor Julia Ross to receive the 2007 ASEE Sharon Keillor Award for Women in Engineering Education. The Award recognizes and honors outstanding women engineering educators who have an outstanding record in teaching engineering students, and reasonable performance histories of research and service within an engineering school.

Dr. Theresa Good won the UMBC Creighton Award for graduate student mentoring. The award is given annually by the Graduate Student Association to one faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication to graduate students. The award is particularly meaningful as it is given by the students themselves.

CBE Senior Erin Voss was selected to be the Class of 2007 salutatorian. A Phi Beta Kappa member and former women’s basketball team captain, she also found time to serve others during her busy years at UMBC. Her academic honors included being named to the National College Athlete Honor Society, a PDA Scholar Award, membership in the Golden Key International Honor Society, a Collegiate All-American Scholar Award, an Outstanding Senior in Chemical Engineering Award and memberships in Phi Kappa Phi honor society and Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. Voss also volunteered at a local hospital, refereed and coached youth basketball, participated in charity distance running events and helped with many other community outreach activities.

Mark R. Marten was awarded the USM Board of Regents’ Faculty Award for Collaboration in Research. Regents' Faculty Awards publicly recognize distinguished performance on the part of faculty members and are the highest honor presented by the Board of Regents to exemplary faculty members. Awardees are selected by the Council of University System Faculty and submitted to the Board of Regents for approval. Dr. Marten and his collaborator, Dr. David Schaefer, professor of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences at Towson University, won this award based on national and international recognition for their interdisciplinary research, which serves as a model of inter-USM campus collaboration and advances the biotechnology and bioprocess industries.