Letter from the Chair
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Greetings to you all!
Many exciting things are happening in the Iowa State University Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Chemical engineering undergraduate enrollment is once again increasing, even as the College of Engineering launches a new bachelor’s degree program in biomedical engineering.
Similarly, the department’s research enterprise continues to grow, as we set new records in research expenditures and graduate student enrollment, attributable to outstanding efforts by our faculty and graduate students.
Several faculty members in the department also received prestigious external recognitions, such as Zengyi Shao, who was named as a recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers – the highest national honor bestowed on young faculty members.
However, amid this good news, the department also learned of the sad news of the passing of two faculty emeriti including Jim Hill on December 19th, 2024 and Ken Jolls on June 21st, 2025. These long-time faculty members will be missed.
As we reflect on the progress and challenges within the department, faculty and staff are actively engaged in renewing our commitment to our land-grant university mission. This mission continues to balance outstanding education and student development, research, and the translation of new knowledge to practice.
In the undergraduate program, we are working not only to instill a strong technical foundation in our students but are also emphasizing development of skills crucial for career success, such as professional communication, initiative, dedication, teamwork, and adaptability.
In the graduate program, our faculty work with both graduate and undergraduate students to create new knowledge and apply it to important problems in biomanufacturing, human health, catalysis, advanced materials, and computation.
I know our alumni and friends share these land-grant university values, and on behalf of all those in the department I want to express our deep appreciation for your interest in our program, as well as your partnership in and support of our efforts.
Your generosity provides not only direct support for students through scholarships, but also broader impacts through financing of graduate fellowships, facility improvements, teaching laboratories, professorships and chairs, as well as flexible resources for strategic initiatives through contributions to the ChE Excellence Fund.
In future issues of ActiveSite, we look forward to highlighting some of the many ways your support creates meaningful and positive impacts on individuals and society more broadly.
As always, please stay in touch with us – we want to hear from you! Best
R. Dennis Vigil
Professor and Reginald R. Baxter Endowed Department Chair