Dear Friends,
Having had the privilege to serve as Department Head of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Drexel University for 12 years, I am stepping down to become Interim Dean of the College of Engineering on January 17, 2017. It is my pleasure to announce that Professor Cameron Abrams, whose bio is appended, will become the 7th Head of the department.
During the past 12 years we have witnessed unprecedented growth. Our undergraduate enrollment has more than doubled, setting records in the process, and now nears 450 students. We have successfully gone through two ABET accreditation cycles and developed an entirely new curriculum. That curriculum is now in the initial stages of implementation and promises to provide greater opportunities for our students. Our undergraduate laboratories have been modernized and we have added a new 2,000 square foot collaborative space in the form of a Design Studio for our senior design projects.
During the past 12 years, our PhD program has flourished and we have graduated over 75 students during this time period, more than the sum of all previous graduates. Impressively, 13 of our graduates have obtained faculty positions at respected institutions, and the rest have fruitful industrial careers. I have had the pleasure to welcome nine new faculty to the department and we now stand at a record 16. Together, we have developed strong research programs in the areas of polymer engineering, multiscale modeling and process systems engineering, as well as electrochemistry and electrochemical devices aimed squarely at societal challenges related to sustainability and human health. Along the way, we have spent well over $30 million through grants from NSF, NIH, ARL, ARO, ONR, AFOSR, DARPA, industry, and foundations. Moreover, our faculty and students have published prolifically, obtaining well-deserved recognition in many forms. The department has also been very active in the development of intellectual property and the licensing of technology. This year we were ranked in the top 50 chemical engineering graduate programs for the first time by the US News survey.
We are proud of the accomplishments of our students and alumni. Over the past 5 years, programs have been developed to link the more than 3,000 Chemical Engineering Alumni to our students and faculty. In particular, our annual event and mentorship programs have been successful in providing this engagement and we look forward to future growth in this respect.
For all of this, I would like to thank the students, faculty, staff, alumni, the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB), and friends of CBE for your unwavering support and dedication. I also congratulate Professor Abrams on his new role, knowing that we will reach even greater heights with his leadership.
Warmest regards,
Giuseppe R. Palmese
Professor and Head
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering