The Catalyst

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS

Pittsburgh, PA (USA) Section

 

Newsletter for

February 2000

Vol. 14 - Issue 6


February Meeting Notice

 

Event: Student Night

Where: University Club

Oakland, Members' Lounge

Valet Parking ($3.50/Car) is Available

 

Topic: Engineering in the Year 2020

 

When: Wednesday, February 16th, 2000

 

Time: 6:00 P.M. Social ~ Student Research Posters

6:45 P.M. Dinner

7:30 P.M. Program

 

Menu:

Chicken Forestiere, breast of chicken sautéed with a trio of mushrooms and burgundy wine

Seared Teriyaki Salmon Steak with glazed carrots and onions

Both served with Caesar salad, vegetable, starch, desert and coffee or tea.

 

Cost: $30.00

 

About the Speaker

Pat Atkins is a member of Alcoa's Corporate EHS group and is responsible for developing and deploying policies, standards, and procedures to the worldwide organization. He serves on various lead teams and chairs global advisory committees that provide input to Alcoa's corporate environment, health and safety programs. Pat has been with Alcoa for over 26 years, always in the environmental area. He is instrumental in helping to formulate the strategies and programs that are the basis for Alcoa's approach to Environmental Management. Pat will share with us some of the current activities in Alcoa to more fully integrate environmental issues into the businesses.

Dr. Atkins joined Alcoa in Pittsburgh in 1972, after serving as a professor in Environmental Health Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin where he taught engineering, industrial hygiene and ecology courses and directed MS and Ph.D. research projects. He became manager-environmental control at Alcoa in 1973, director-environmental control in 1980, director of environmental affairs in 1991 and to his present position in 1995. He also served as Alcoa's chief environmental engineer from 1982 to 1984.

Author of over 50 technical articles and editor of two books, Dr. Atkins is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Engineering Society of Western Pennsylvania. He represents Alcoa on the environmental committees of the International Primary Aluminum Institute, the Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers and other national and international groups. In addition, he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources. Dr. Atkins is a registered professional engineer in the states of Texas and Pennsylvania and is an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, teaching industrial waste treatment technology.

Dr. Atkins received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1964 and a Master of Science in environmental engineering from Stanford University a year later. He also earned a doctor of philosophy degree in 1968 from Stanford specializing in environmental engineering.

 

RSVP No Later Than, February 9th, 2000, to:

Mr. Ed Moretti, Vice Chair

emoretti@mbakercorp.com

Baker Environmental

TEL 412-269-6055

FAX 412-269-6097

Name

Menu Selection

Email

Phone

Directions to University Club

From the East: Cars traveling from the east via the PA turnpike (I-70) should take Exit 6 to Route 370 West. From Route 376 take Exit 7A, Oakland onto Bates Street. Stay on Bates Street until it ends at Bouquet Street, turn left onto Bouquet Street, then right at the first light onto Forbes Avenue. Turn left at the first light onto Bigelow Boulevard to Fifth Avenue. Turn left onto Fifth Avenue to University Place (first street on your right). The University Club is the second building on your left.

From the West and Airport: Cars traveling from the West via the PA turnpike (I-76) should take Exit 3 to I-79 South. Exit from I-79 South to I-279 South. Exit I-279 South at Exit 14 to I-579 South. After crossing the Veterans Bridge on I-579, take the Forbes Avenue/0akland Exit to the Boulevard of Allies. Follow Boulevard of the Allies to the second traffic light at Halket Street (Howard Johnson). Turn left onto Halket Street and follow to Forbes Avenue. Turn right onto Forbes Avenue and follow to Bigelow Boulevard. Turn left onto Bigelow Boulevard, and go one block to Fifth Avenue. Turn left onto Fifth Avenue to University Place (first street an your right). The University Club is the second building on your left.

From the North: Take I-79 South to I-279 South. Exit I-279 South at Exit 14 to I-79 South. After crossing the Veterans Bridge an I-579, take the Forbes Avenue/Oakland Exit to the Boulevard of Allies. Follow Boulevard of the Allies to the second traffic light at Halket Street (Howard Johnson). Turn left onto Halket Street and follow to Forbes Avenue. Turn right onto Forbes Avenue and follow to Bigelow Boulevard. Turn left onto Bigelow Boulevard, and go one block to Fifth Avenue. Turn left onto Fifth Avenue to University Place (first street an your right). The University Club is the second building on your left.

From the South: Take I-79 North to I-279 North and follow I-279 through Fort Pitt Tunnels. Exit to I-376 East (first exit off the bridge) and follow that towards Monroeville. Take the Forbes Ave/Oakland Exit. Follow Forbes Avenue to Bigelow Boulevard. Turn left onto Bigelow Boulevard and go one block to Fifth Avenue. Turn left onto Fifth Avenue to University Place (first street an your right). The University Club is the second building on your left.


Note from the Editor

 

I hope everyone enjoyed his or her holidays!

I would like to thank our presenter John Lane of Clearwater Systems for his intriguing presentation at our January meeting and Doug Cornelius and Joe Previtt of Thermatics for their assistance in organizing the meeting. Our gratitude also goes out to ALCOA and our ALCOA sponsor, Ed Maziarz, for allowing us to tour and use the ALCOA Corporate Center facilities. I am happy to say the meeting was a success.

I am still interested in information for our new addition to the Catalyst titled What’s New in Our Chapter. If anyone has a special announcement that he or she would like published about oneself or your company, please send it to me (preferably via email). This includes promotions, awards, births, or marriages.

Engineers’ Week is approaching! We are in search of volunteers. Please review the membership corner and announcements for details on how to volunteer your services.

Please take a minute and review our "Volunteers Needed" column. We are always in need of energetic people who are interested in growing our Pittsburgh Chapter. This is an excellent way to receive the maximum benefits from your membership. Your help is very much appreciated!

I look forward to meeting you all at future AIChE meetings!

Peggy Panagopoulos

AIChE Newsletter Editor

ChemTech Consultants, Inc.

1370 Washington Pike, 4th Floor

Bridgeville, PA 15017

TEL 412-220-4612 ~ FAX 412-221-5685

EMAIL pegpana@hotmail.com


In Memoriam

Local section member Carl D. Ackerman, 81, of Gibsonia, PA, died January 2nd at the St. Francis Medical Center in Pittsburgh. Mr. Ackerman, a native of Illinois and a chemical engineering graduate of the University of Illinois, was retired from the Gulf Oil Corporation. He was also a member of the Instrument Society of America, a Boy Scout leader, a past vice president of the Gulf Research Retirees Association, a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, and an elder in his church. He is survived by his wife Doris and son David.


What's New in Our Chapter

ChemTech Consultants, Inc. Secures Preferred Vendor Status

ChemTech Consultants, Inc., announced that it has signed a corporate partnering agreement with the Valspar Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, ChemTech will be the exclusive preferred vendor for engineering services for Valspar, one of North America’s five largest manufacturers of paints and coatings.

The companies began their relationship in 1989. Since then ChemTech has completed over 175 projects both nationwide and internationally for Valspar. The scopes of the projects have been widely diverse and have ranged from several weeks to five man-years. A number of advanced computer control systems have been implemented.

Karen Levin, ChemTech’s Senior Account Manager for Valspar, said "The new agreement is the result of superb professional and personal relationships between the companies. We anticipate that the years ahead will bring even greater mutual success."


Newsletter Deadline

Wednesday, February 16th, 2000

 

Please contact:

Peggy Panagopoulos

ChemTech Consultants, Inc.

1370 Washington Pike, 4th Floor

Bridgeville, PA 15017

TEL: 412-220-4612

FAX: 412-221-5685

Email: pepana@hotmail.com


Volunteers Needed

The Pittsburgh Chapter is encouraging members to take an active role in our chapter in order for us to further develop and grow. Below is a list of items that requires volunteer assistance.

 

Membership

Database Development ~ Integrate Meeting Reservations/Attendance with Total Membership to develop contact lists of active members

Engineers Week Coordinator

Chemistry Week Coordinator

Science Fair Coordinator ~ Ed Moretti

 

Newsletter

Column Writer ~ What’s New in the Section

Column Writer ~ Technical Articles

Column Writer ~ Government Regulations and Legislation

Column Writer ~ Internet Resources/Sites of the month

 

Secretary

Assistant ~ Take minutes and fill in on Absence of Secretary

Treasurer Assistant ~ Collect Payments and fill in on Absence of Treasure

 

Programs

Promotion ~ ESWP Technicalendar and ACS Newsletter Interface

Speaker Recognition Mementos

Award Banquet Chair and Support

Student Night ~ Paper Competition

Student Night ~ Table Sponsors

Student Night ~ Support

 

Development

Promotion ~ ESWP Technicalendar and ACS Newsletter Interface

Executive Program Concept Proposal

Sponsor Relations for Awards, Banquet, and special projects

University/Student Chapter Relations

West Virginia Chapter Development

 

Awards & Scholarship

Awards Committee Members ~ Solicitation of Nominations

Awards Committee Members ~ Evaluation/Selection of Awardees

Awards Committee Members ~ Solicitation of Nominations

 

Programs

Promotion ~ ESWP Technicalendar and ACS Newsletter Interface Award Banquet Chair and Support

 

If there is an interest in helping with any of the above tasks, please contact the Chair of our Chapter Dr. Ted Andersen. Thank you in advance for your time!

 

Dr. Ted Andersen

ChemTech Consultants

TEL: 412-220-4555

FAX: 412-221-5685

EMAIL: TSAndersen@AOL.com


Technical News

Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Uses

Microorganisms to Remove Contaminants from the Environment

Researchers at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory have successfully used naturally occurring microorganisms to remove contaminants from the environment. Two different processes involving microorganisms were used.

In the first case, a lactate solution was pumped into the Snake River Plain aquifer. The solution was used to clean up the industrial solvent trichloroethene, which was pumped in sludge form into the aquifer until the 1970s. Through metabolic processes, the bugs in the aquifer's fractured rock layers broke down the solvent into nontoxic compounds. Contamination was reduced from 3,800 micrograms per liter to 19 micrograms per liter in a test that ran from Spring 1999 through November.

The second test was the use of microorganisms to destroy chunks of trinitrotoluene and contaminated soils at the laboratory. In this trial, scientists maintained a compost pile at the site that held as much as 30 gallons of contaminated soil with chunks of the contaminant, an explosive. Soil cleanup efficiency was 99.9%, as the final concentration of trinitrotoluene was .89 parts per million.

 

Editors of Science Call Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Top Breakthrough of 1999

The editors of the journal Science have cited embryonic stem cell research as the "breakthrough of the year."

Embryonic stem cells are the cells that create all of the tissues and organs in the body. Scientists believe that these cells can be directed to create replacements for diseased hearts, livers, and other organs. However, research has also stirred controversy, as the cells have been cultured from aborted fetuses. A commission appointed by President Clinton to examine ethical questions has supported the research.

Science editor Floyd Bloom said in an editorial about stem cell research "Although much remains to be done to convert today’s results into tomorrow’s treatments and tools, the likelihood of success seems high."

Other research cited by Science included the following:

Cooling fermions, one of the two basic particles of matter, to near absolute zero to create a state of matter in which the atoms act like waves instead of particles.

Resolving the structure of the ribosome, a sort of protein-making factory inside a cell.

Finding more planets beyond the solar system. Astronomers now have evidence of about 30 planets orbiting distant suns and have captured what may be a view of one planet orbiting across the face of a star.

The development of photonic crystals. These components manipulate light waves just as semiconductors manipulate electronic current. Photonic could lead to new types of computers and communication circuits.

 

Scientists Blueprint an Entire Human Chromosome

An international team of scientists has for the first time mapped virtually an entire human chromosome, one of the molecular chains within cells bearing the genetic recipe to make a human being.

The achievement, which was announced on December 1st, is an important step forward for the $3 billion Human Genome Project, which seeks to detail the tens of thousands of genes that carry instructions for everything from how the brain is organized to hair color to the size of a person’s feet.

"This is the first time that we’ve had a complete chapter in the human instruction book, and that’s pretty amazing," said Francis Collins, who chairs the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health.

It is anticipated that mapping out the human chromosome will lead to a revolution in the study of human development and medicine. Researchers are currently testing several biological therapies that replace faulty genes or make cells work correctly. Such therapies (which are in their infancy) could create a precise way to treat diseases and eliminate the side effects that are a fact of life with many conventional drugs.

Scientists have mapped 700 genes on chromosome 22, which represents 1.1% of the estimated 61,000 genes in the human body. The details have been published in the December 3rd issue of Nature.


News

Pollock Begins Term as NPCA Chair

Section member E. Kears Pollock, Executive Vice President of PPG Industries Inc., recently began his two-year term as chairman of the National Paint & Coatings Association (NPCA), succeeding Larry Larison of Columbia Paint Company. Mr. Pollock was given a Special Recognition by the Pittsburgh Section of AIChE in May 1999 for Services and Contributions in the field of Industrial and Corporate Accomplishments.

Pollock began his NPCA term with a call for industry unity and a redoubled commitment to health, environmental, and safety (HSE) programs. Pollock set out an ambitious agenda for the next two years at the close of the NPCA's last annual meeting, listing a series of priorities for his term as the NPCA's first chairman of the 21st century. He said the NPCA and the coatings industry must continue to demonstrate a commitment to protection of the environment, health and safety; seek to retain and recruit NPCA members; speak out emphatically and with one voice on key issues such as litigation related to lead paint; and continue to campaign for regulations based on sound science. At the annual meeting. NPCA President J. Andrew Doyle said the NPCA has set an ambitious goal to raise money each of the next three years for CLEARCorps, an industry-sponsored, nationwide program dedicated to reducing lead hazards in inner-city housing. Doyle also said the association and the industry are prepared to mount a strong defense against lawsuits that seek millions of dollars from former suppliers of lead paint and lead pigments.

Pollock was previously a Board of Directors member, Vice Chairman, and Treasurer of the NPCA. He is also the former Chairman of the Coatings Care® Committee of the NPCA which is an important HSE stewardship initiative. Coatings Care® is considered by many to be the most important initiative NPCA and the coatings industry will undertake and is a comprehensive program to assist NPCA members in integrating HSE activities with corporate planning and operations. His leadership in this program led to him being named the 1997 recipient of the George Baugh Heckel Award from the NPCA. The Heckel Award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement and the contribution toward the advancement of NPCA goals.

Among his other activities, Pollock has also been a board member of the Chemical Manufacturers Association. A registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania and holder of four U.S. Patents, he holds BS and MS degrees from Carnegie Tech and a JD from Duquesne University.


Placing an Advertisement

 

Interested in placing an ad in future newsletters?

Help sponsor the AIChE by placing an ad.

 

Full page $300.00

1/2 page $175.00

1/4 page $95.00

1/8 page $45.00

1/12 page $30.00

 

Place multiple ads and receive a discount!

Three (3) consecutive ads - 10% off

Eight (8) consecutive ads or more - 30% off

 

To place an ad, please contact:

Peggy Panagopoulos

ChemTech Consultants, Inc.

1370 Washington Pike, 4th Floor

Bridgeville, PA 15017

TEL: 412-220-4612

FAX: 412-221-5685

Email: pegpana@hotmail.com


Scholarship Information and Application

(See the Scholarship link on the Home Page of this web site.)


Engineering Humor

In case you think you are technologically challenged, look at this excerpt from a Wall Street Journal article...

Compaq is considering changing the instruction "Press Any Key" to "Press Return Key" because of the flood of asking where the "Any" key is.

AST technical support had a caller complaining that her mouse was hard to control with the dust cover on. The cover turned out to be the plastic bag the mouse was packed in.

Another AST customer was asked to send a copy of her diskettes. A few days later a letter arrived from the customer along with photocopies of the floppies.

A Dell customer called to say he couldn't get his computer to FAX anything. After 40 minutes of troubleshooting, the technician discovered the man was trying to FAX a piece of paper by holding it in front of the monitor's screen and pressing the "Send" key.

A confused caller to IBM was having troubles printing documents. He told the technician that the computer had said it "couldn't find the printer." The user had also turned the computer screen to face the printer but that his computer still couldn't see the printer.

An exasperated caller to Dell Computer Tech Support couldn't get her new Dell Computer to turn on. After ensuring the computer was plugged in she responded, "I pushed and pushed on this foot pedal and nothing happens. The foot pedal turned out to be the computer's mouse.

Another IBM customer had troubles installing software and rang for support. "I put in the first disk and that was OK. It said to put in the second disk, and had some problems with the disk. When it said put in the third disk - I couldn't even fit it in..." The user hadn't realized that "Insert Disk 2" meant remove Disk 1 first.

True story from a Novell NetWire System Operator...

Caller: "Hello is this tech support?"

Tech: "Yes it is. How may I help you?"

Caller: "The cup holder on my PC is broken and I am within my warranty period. How do I go about getting it fixed?"

Tech: "I'm sorry, but did you say cup holder?"

Caller: "Yes, it's attached to the front of my computer."

Tech: "Please excuse me if I seem a bit stumped, it's because I am. Did you receive this as part of a promotional, or at a trade show? How did you get this cup holder? Does it have any trade mark on it?"

Caller: "It came with my computer, I don't know anything about a promotional. It just has '4X' on it." (at this point the Tech Rep had to mute the caller, because he was laughing too hard.)

The caller had been using the load drawer of the CD-ROM drive as a cup holder.


Announcements

 

Dear Colleagues:

On behalf of the Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) of American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), I am pleased to announce that nominations for the 2000 AIChE Minority Scholarship Awards for Incoming College Freshmen and College Students, and 2000 AIChE Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award are being accepted. The deadline to submit nomination form is April 15th, 2000. The nominations forms are available as pdf files by clicking on the following links:

http://www.aiche.org/pdflibrary/mag/minosa.pdf

http://www.aiche.org/pdflibrary/mag/minoritycompetitionform.pdf

http://www.aiche.org/pdflibrary/mag/mincs.pdf

If you cannot view these files please follow the instructions at the end of this email.

Individual awards for the full academic year will be $1,000.00. Nominees must be members of a minority group that is under-represented in chemical engineering, i.e., African-American, Hispanic, Native American. Nominees for the incoming freshmen (high school seniors) scholarship awards are encouraged to choose a course of study leading to a degree in science/engineering.

The Incoming College Freshmen Scholarship Award, first awarded in 1994, is based on the nominee's academic record, participation in school and work activities, reason for choosing science/engineering, and financial needs. While the College Students Scholarship Award, also first awarded in 1994, is based on the nominee's academic record, participation in AIChE student chapter and professional activities, career objectives, and financial need. And the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement award first awarded in 1996 is based on the nominees academic and scholarly achievements, and exemplary outreach activities.

Please feel free to forward this email to those that may benefit from the scholarships.

Thank you,

Emmanuel A. Dada, Ph.D.

Chairman, AIChE MAC Student Awards


Bayer Distinguished Lectureship 2000

 

February 24, 2000

Showalter Distinguished Professor, Dr. Nicholas Peppas of the Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Department at Purdue University, will address "Molecular Chemical Engineering: The Contributions of Chemical Engineers to Biomaterials and Pharmaceutical Engineering", at the Frick Fine Arts Building Auditorium in Pittsburgh (Oakland). The lectureship is co-sponsored by the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and Bayer Corporation. The 5:00 P.M. lecture and 6:00 P.M. reception is free to the public. Interested parties may RSVP and receive additional information by calling Dr. Eric J. Beckman 412-624-8884.

 

February 25, 2000

Showalter Distinguished Professor, Dr. Nicholas Peppas of the Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Department at Purdue University, will address "Poly(ethylene Glycol)-Based Hydrogels for Protein Delivery and Molecular Imprinting", at the Frank Mosier Learning Center, 1221 Benedum Engineering Hall. The lectureship is co-sponsored by the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and Bayer Corporation. The 10:00 A.M. lecture is free to the public. Interested parties may RSVP and receive additional information by calling Dr. Eric J. Beckman 412-624-8884.


Nominations for 2000/2001 AIChE Pittsburgh Chapter Officers

 

Pittsburgh section members may now begin nominating candidates for the 2000/2001 season. Members may nominate themselves.

The open positions are:

Vice Chair, responsibilities include coordinating the monthly programs for the 00/01 season. The Vice Chair must also commit to holding the position of Chair in the2001/2002 season.

Counselors, responsibilities include providing advice to the executive board concerning section business. The Counselors each hold office for two years. Generally counselors have been active members in the section and help to offer continuity in the sections activities.

Please contact Mike Friedrich at Kvaerner (TEL 412-918-3109 or Email mike.friedrich@kvaerner.com ) to nominate yourself or another candidate. Nominations will be open until the deadline for the April newsletter (March 16th, 2000). Ballots will be included in the April Newsletter and results will be announced at the May meeting.

Becoming an officer or participating on a committee is a great way to get more out of your AIChE membership. It provides a venue for exercising business skills such as leadership, organizing, communications, and networking as well as developing friendships with fellow members.


AIChE Email Initiative

We have begun an initiative to use broadcast email for special section announcements.

If you have received duplicates of initial transmittals or have been burdened by excessively long cc: lists as we progress through the learning curve, please accept our apology.

If you have not received email invitations to the December meeting or for the PE Exam Refresher course, your email address is either invalid or missing in the regional membership database we received from AIChE HQ.

Corrections, additions, and deletions to our database are being handled manually for now. Please send short and simple messages to TSAndersen@AOL.com such as ; Subscribe, Remove, or Change: ____@___.___.


Practical Distillation Technology Seminar

Callery Chemical Company, a division of MSA, and the Pittsburgh Chapter AIChE are investigating a two-day seminar regarding Practical Distillation Technology, by Henry Z. Kister, Fluor Daniel, Inc.

Attend the seminar to find your answers to:

A minimum of 20 persons is required to hold the seminar. The cost is $700-900. All final plans will be made according to seminar interest.

If interested please contact:

Fereshteh.Eidgahy

Callery Chemical Company

Fereshteh.Eidgahy@MSAnet.com


Interested in Hosting an AIChE Meeting at Your Company?

 

We are in search of hosts for our future AIChE monthly meetings. The Chapter is looking for companies that can provide AIChE members with an interesting, informative, and beneficial agenda. If your company is interested in hosting a meeting next spring or fall, please contact the Pittsburgh Chapter Program Chair:

Mr. Ed Moretti, Vice Chair

emoretti@mbakercorp.com

Baker Environmental

TEL: 412-269-6055

FAX: 412-269-6097


Considering the P.E. Exam?

The Pittsburgh Section of AIChE is planning to offer a P.E. Refresher Course for persons interested in taking the Professional Engineer’s Examination in Chemical Engineering. The course will begin in January, and consist of six or seven review sessions. The refresher course will be held in Monroeville, PA. Price will be $250-$300 plus textbook. We are looking for interested persons.

Please call Carl W. Schwartz at 412-374-3678 for detailed information. There is a minimum five persons requirement to hold the refresher course.


Membership

51st AIChE Career Fair to be held during the 2000 Spring Meeting.

Institute members and hiring organizations can benefit greatly from the fair planned by AIChE s Career Services Department, March 6th and 7th, Atlanta, Georgia.

Members attending the fair are encouraged to submit their resume into our new on-line Career Fair Resume Database accessible to participating employers only. Early resume submission will allow employers to review member credentials prior to the fair. On-site interviews will be conducted with qualified candidates. Those unable to attend the fair should submittheir resume. For details visit www.aiche.org/careerservices.

For information, call 212-591-7670; e-mail herbs@aiche.org.

Also, please encourage employers with openings for chemical engineers to contact Herb Scheftel at 212-591-7670 or e-mail herbs@aiche.org.


MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Nancy Hirko

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the value that the local section provides and to encourage you to pay your dues on time. All membership updates should be sent to National with a copy to me, Nancy Hirko. If you are not currently a local section member, please consider joining using the coupon below. A portion of your dues is deposited into our scholarship fund. Please help our local section and scholarship fund continue to grow!


LOCAL SECTION MEMBERSHIP COUPON

 

Please sign me up for the local Pittsburgh Section of AIChE

 

Name

Company

Address

City State Zip

TEL: Business

TEL Residence

Email

 

Annual Dues are $14.00. Make check payable to "AIChE Pittsburgh Section" and send to our treasurer, John Hauser:

 

PROSAF, Inc., 103 Yorktown Road, McMurray, PA 15317


MEMBERSHIP CORNER

Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair

We have been notified that the 61st Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair needs Category Judges on March 31st, 2000 at the Carnegie Science Center. The Fair will be the centerpiece of the first Pittsburgh Regional Science Festival. This event invites students from 21 counties in Western Pennsylvania and three counties in West Virginia to submit exhibits for evaluation. Students in grades 6-12 submit projects from a variety of fields, such as engineering, earth/space/environment, chemistry, physics, computer science/math, behavioral and social science.

Volunteer judges will participate in the Science Fair by selecting winning projects in the morning. The awards will be presented in the afternoon to the students. First place, second place, third place and honorable mention awards will be designated in sixteen categories (you will not have to judge all 16!). The criteria for judging is an individual with a science or engineering background that can relate well to youth. This is a fairly firm commitment - if you cannot attend, you should find a substitute judge. For further information, please contact Nancy Hirko at nmhirko@uss.com or 412-433-5914 if you are interested in judging at this year's Science Fair. Additional information can be found at http://csa.clpgh.org/prsef.


Calling All Engineer's Week Volunteers

It’s that time again! February 25th and 26th, 2000 is National Engineers Weekend at the Carnegie Science Center. The local section of AIChE will again be participating in this event. This will be our fifth year of involvement. Let’s make Y2K one to remember!

We intend to repeat our display and activities from last year. Hands-on activities will again include making "superballs" from a powder mixed with water and making models of chemical compounds using gumdrops and toothpicks. This latter activity has really taken off. During National Chemistry Week last November, one young participant constructed a "Buckey Ball." Quite impressive, but he used up most of the toothpicks. I plan to be better supplied for Engineer’s Week.

We also will distribute copies of the Periodic Table (supplied by Bayer Corporation) and other handouts describing chemical engineering. We need at least 4-5 people to staff the booth on Friday, February 25th and Saturday, February 26th from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. both days. Each shift can be 2-4 hours, depending upon your availability. Please note that our table is one of the most popular and it does get a little hectic. We really could use and appreciate the extra help!

A volunteer orientation meeting will take place in the Third Floor Overlook at the Carnegie Science Center on Tuesday, February 8th, 2000 from 5:00-6:00 P.M. Attendance is not mandatory, but recommended for new volunteers.

If you are interested in participating in the Engineer's Week events or have ideas for new experiments, please contact me, Nancy Hirko, at nmhirko@uss.com or call 412-433-5914. This is a fun event. Hope you can get involved!


 

 

2000 Schedule of Events

Date

Subject (Location)

Special Event

March 14

Dravo Tech Sludge to Gypsum Demo

 

April 26

Sony Chemicals Corporation of America TBA

 

May 17

TBD

 

 

 


 End of The Catalyst Newsletter - February 2000


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