Thomas Adams wins award for innovation in chemical engineering education

Thomas Adams, Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Graduate with the department of chemical engineering, has been awarded the 2021 David Himmelblau Award for Innovations in Computer Based Engineering Education.

This award recognizes individuals or groups for their contributions to innovative computer aids for teaching the next generation of chemical engineers. Adams is the first recipient of the international award working at a Canadian university.

“It is such an honour to receive this award, and a privilege to work with so many talented young minds. We’re at a critical point in history concerning some of the biggest challenges of humanity, such as matters of energy, climate, resources, sustainability, and health. We need talented, well-trained chemical engineers that can think critically about these issues and develop important, high-impact solutions,” said Adams.

Adams has made significant contributions to chemical engineering education through some widely used educational tools.

He authored Learn Aspen Plus in 24 Hours, an educational handbook that guides students and professionals from zero prior experience to solving complex problems with Aspen Plus, the most widely used chemical process simulation software. This book was developed over seven years with feedback from hundreds of undergraduate students. It has been peer reviewed and tested at several American universities and designed to integrate into many different chemical engineering curriculums worldwide.

He also developed the PSEcommunity.org website, particularly the Living Archive for Process Systems Engineering. Through this, Adams is fostering a more open research ecosystem in chemical engineering by making government-funded research data available, as well as chemical process models and simulations.