National recognition for four chemical engineers

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/ChemEng.jpg” caption=”Archie Hamielec,Leslie Shemilt, Donald Woods,John “]Four McMaster professors are among 20 Canadian chemical engineers honoured for their distinguished contributions to the field.

The four professors, Archie Hamielec, John MacGregor, Leslie Shemilt, and Donald Woods, all in the Department of Chemical Engineering, were honoured by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) at its Century of Achievement banquet.

They received awards for their significant contributions to the field of chemical engineering during the 20th century.

Archie Hamielec
Professor emeritus Archie Hamielec, considered one of the founding fathers of polymer reaction engineering, is director of the McMaster Institute for Polymer Production Technology (MIPPT). During his 35-year teaching and research career, Hamielec has made important contributions to the fields of chemical and polymer engineering, and fluid mechanics. Researchers in polymer companies around the world have benefited from his industrial courses.

John MacGregor
An active proponent of technology transfer, professor John MacGregor has made key contributions in the field of chemical engineering. He is recognized for his work in the technology of process control, especially in the application of statistics to the modeling, control and diagnosis of chemical processes. His early work in polymer reaction engineering and control led to improved commercial designs. More recently, MacGregor's work in statistical quality control is providing Canadian companies with a competitive edge in global competition over quality.

Les Shemilt
Teacher, researcher, administrator and consultant, Leslie Shemilt's 40-year career has had a profound impact on the chemical engineering community. As dean of McMaster's Department of Engineering from 1969 to 1979, he played a major role in building one of the country's leading engineering Faculties. A pioneer researcher in the field of electrochemical engineering, he founded the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of New Brunswick in 1960, created the New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council and, for 17 years, was chair of the Technical Advisory Council to Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.

Donald Woods
A 35-year member of the University's Department of Chemical Engineering, Donald Woods has had an important impact on education in his chosen field. The recipient of many major awards for teaching including the 3M Teaching Fellowship, Woods' name has been on the Wall of Recognition four times during his career at McMaster. In 1984 he was chosen from among university lecturers worldwide to be the first Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) visiting fellow. Woods has given workshops to professors and teachers at community colleges and high schools on problem-based learning and problem solving.